CANDIDATES

Our participants are managers, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and start-up founders with substantial professional experience across a wide range of sectors—locally and internationally. Despite their diverse backgrounds, they are united by a common purpose: a commitment to ethical decision-making, sustainable leadership, and lifelong personal and professional growth.

Our program attracts three key profiles:

• The Entrepreneur: A start-up founder seeking the managerial tools to scale up operations and attract investors. Their ambition is to take their company to the next level by consolidating their business, structuring for growth, and expanding into new markets. They seek leadership development, strategic thinking, financing skills, and access to a community of fellow entrepreneurs and potential partners.

• The Technical Expert: A specialist such as a doctor, trader, or engineer with deep technical expertise but limited business exposure. They are ready to transition into a more strategic role, such as CTO or CEO. Their needs include strengthening soft skills, developing a big-picture mindset, and acquiring the tools for effective management and communication.

• The Career Professional: A manager in a large organization, feeling the limits of growth in their current trajectory. Motivated to unlock their full potential, they seek to shift industries, re-energize their career, and gain a broader perspective. They look for a skills refresh, renewed motivation, exposure to alternative leadership styles, and access to a global professional network.

The USI EMBA prepares a new class of agile, responsible leaders—individuals capable of navigating complexity and creating long-lasting impact without compromising the future. Through our curriculum and community, we cultivate excellence and empower leaders to shape tomorrow’s opportunities.

USI EMBA class profile averages typically reflect:

• 10 or more years of work experience in many sectors (Banking/Financial Services, Telecom, Industry, IT, Public Utilities, Public Administration, Engineering, Transportation, Energy, Real Estate and so on…).
• 6 or more years in a managerial position.
• From 30 to 55 years of age.
• A bachelor’s degree from many disciplines (Economics, Business Administration, Computer Sciences, Engineering, Humanities, Law & Political, Natural Sciences, Healthcare, Communication, Business & Technology and so on…) or the equivalent.
• 20% of the participants started their own business.
• 20% work for big companies (multinational and public).
• 20% work for small and medium enterprises.
• 25% work for Banks or financial institutions.
• 12% work in the public sector.

The 18-month program includes 15 courses: 11 core courses, 3 electives, 1 international study tour (Boston, July), and 14 workshops held on Friday evenings before each module.

Classes follow a hybrid format: one day of self-study followed by two consecutive on-site days in Lugano (Saturday and Sunday) each month, excluding August.

Two elective courses are shared—one with the previous cohort and one with the upcoming one—offering a unique in-class networking experience across three generations of participants.

The program concludes with a two-month final project under faculty supervision, culminating in a thesis defense.

The program operates on a rolling admissions policy. Since class size is limited, candidates are advised to apply as early as possible. The course is starting on 14 November 2025.
The deadline for enrollment is 31 October 2025.
An Early bird discount of 10% is available until the end of June 2025.

Get in touch with us today for further information.

Candidates meeting the admission criteria will be contacted for an interview (virtual or on site) a week after the admissions office has received the completed application package.