Excellent preparation for an international career in financial management:
Today's global marketplace is mainly looking for auditors, accountants, financial managers, and future CFOs with two specific qualities: a comprehensive knowledge of financial management, and the ability to perform in an international environment. Our programme nurtures the vital professional skills of management accounting, financial accounting (IFRS), risk management, auditing, corporate finance, and decision-making, which allows our graduates to go on to work for international companies in Switzerland and abroad. Our Master’s programme is an excellent starting point for students who want to succeed in the field of financial management.
We provide career planning to all our students. From the initial consultation to the actual job offer, the HSLU Career Service supports our students to launch a successful career.
Majors and electives offer an individual specialisation:
Of the 90 ECTS students accumulate during their studies, 75 ECTS are mandatory and provide in-depth knowledge in the areas of accounting, corporate finance, risk management, tax & law, and business analytics. For the remaining 15 ECTS, students can choose modules from a wide range of electives, transfer credits from a semester abroad, or make a practical transfer from their work experience or internship.
For students who choose to specialize in a specific field, we offer optional majors in the following disciplines:
Major in Accounting
Major in Corporate Finance
Major in Performance Management
The Lucerne School of Business and the Master’s programme in International Financial Management are both accredited and recognized worldwide. Because of the international accreditations of our school and our programme, our graduates have excellent career opportunities globally and are not limited to the Swiss market.
The Lucerne School of Business is accredited by the AACSB, which is the world’s leading organisation for the certification of business schools. Only six percent of the world’s business schools have the AACSB seal of approval. In addition, the Lucerne School of Business is also an IMA endorsed school.
The Master International Financial Management is also accredited by ACCA, CIMA and EXPERTsuisse, which entitles our graduates to various benefits. Our graduates are granted access to the organizations’ networks, receive discounts to programmes and are also exempt from certain examinations.
Our web page International Accreditations details our partner organisations and accreditations.
High international exposure to prepare for the global marketplace:
Our curriculum offers internationally aligned content, and we maintain intercontinental partnerships to provide our students with a global experience. Our students work on multinational issues and collaborate with students from different countries and cultures around the world. We also offer the possibility of studying a semester abroad without delaying graduation. Students who are interested can choose to study at one of the Lucerne School of Business’s partner universities or decide to organize their own semester abroad at a college of their choice.
Flexible programme with the ability to work and study at the same time:
Our programme's flexibility provides students with the opportunity to integrate their studies into their daily lives. This enables students to align their academic demands with their personal lives. Students may choose from different time models ranging from a full-time three semester programme to a part-time six semester programme. If needed, students also have the option to put their studies on hold or to change the time model.
Our web page Modules, Time Models and Majors summarizes some of the most popular time-models.
Programme with high academic and practical relevance:
The aim of our Master’s programme is to prepare our students for financial management positions and to become future CFOs of international companies. Thus, we provide our graduates with a practical, research-based, internationally aligned education in accounting, corporate finance, business analytics, performance management, and risk management. Elective modules such as Going Global, Business Planning and Know-how Transfer provide valuable insight to international companies and expose our students to practical challenges. Our faculty also includes practitioners who hold senior positions at well-known international companies in Switzerland and abroad.
Our International Financial Management programme is renowned for its personal teaching approach and small class sizes. This enables our students to closely collaborate with our professors and practitioners in small, personalized groups.
Opportunity for a second degree with a partner university:
Our students may gain further international experience by earning a second degree, "Master of International Business” at our partner university - the
University of the Sunshine Coast USC . The USC is a modern university with five-star teaching quality and is located in Queensland, Australia.
Our campus in Zug-Rotkreuz, Switzerland, in the heart of Europe:
Our campus Zug-Rotkreuz, Switzerland, is just 35 minutes from Zurich and 15 minutes from Lucerne. Zurich is an international financial centre and Lucerne is a national hub for the insurance sector and one of the major tourism regions in Switzerland. The Canton of Zug is renowned and an important location for commodity and private equity trading. It is also home to many international companies and has a strong industrial sector. Moreover, the region has attracted many blockchain companies and is widely known as “crypto valley”.
What is the activity field for graduates of our Master’s programme?
Our education is a steppingstone into the financial world. Graduates confidently move on and develop in their desired direction. Most of our graduates work in the finance and pharmaceutical industry, at large consultancies or in the robotic sector. They mainly hold positions in finance departments, such as CFOs, Heads of Accounting, Heads of Finance, Financial Managers, Business Analysts, Treasurers, Auditors, Consultants, etc. Some have gone on to become CEOs and others have founded their own start-ups.
A large portion of our graduates remain in Switzerland after completing their studies to work for international companies. Others are drawn back to their home countries or decide to seek a new challenge in other countries.
How much does the Master’s programme in International Financial Management cost?
The Lucerne School of Business, which is a Public Swiss University, receives significant funding from the Swiss government. This substantially lowers the costs for students, who study in Switzerland. A full-time programme, consisting of 3 semesters (1,5 years), will cost approximately CHF 6,000 ($6,500. US Dollars). A part-time programme, consisting of 6 semesters (3 years), will cost approximately CHF 10,000 ($11,000. US Dollars).
Additional costs may be charged depending on the individual choices of the students. The
Financial Matters webpage provides an overview of the costs of living in Switzerland.
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