FAQs

Job/Follow-up/Placement

Can I find Job/Placement after the completion of the Master Program?
The ALaRI Institute collaborates or is in contact with companies, research centers and universities, mainly in Switzerland or in Europe. Such Institutions are usually offering entering positions, internships or PhD study programs. Moreover ALaRI staff is collecting offers coming from other sources: job advertisements, personal contacts, alari alumni network. ALaRI students can find all available collected positions on the ALaRI Intranet platform ("Career Center" section). ALaRI staff can advise students how to explore the huge job market in our field and in particular on job or other offers achieved. If requested, ALaRI institute provides recommendation's letters compliant with courses and master project results. ALaRI cannot guarantee anything at the beginning of students' term, and career openings depend mainly on students' personal skill-set. Anyway the master's programs are designed in order to match the current job market requests and usually a good number of students can find very interesting concrete offers also before the graduation. From our statistics almost entirety of previous ALaRI students found a position (job, internship or PhD) in less than four months after the graduation.

Is it possible to have a part-time job during the Master Program?
It is possible to work at ALaRI and more in general in the University of Lugano while doing the full-time Master Program (MAS and MSc). You can recover your living cost by performing part-time jobs proposed by University of Lugano, ALaRI institute in particular. Please mark on the application form (last page) if you would like to apply for a part-time job.
For students participating in the ALaRI Master Program, it is possible to work on an individually defined basis.

Please note:
The possibility to work also depends on the type of residence permit you have. In Switzerland, persons with a permit B or C are allowed to work. Exchange students are usually given a permit B, but that is not the rule. You will also need the permission of the University of Lugano to be able to work.

What types of jobs are available at the University of Lugano?
There are several types of part-time jobs available at the University of Lugano. These may include taking care of the ALaRI website, designing databases, and doing administrative office work.

Does the part-time job cover all my living expenses?
When being accepted for a part-time job at ALaRI, you will earn about SFr. 300 per month. This will cover part of your living expenses - much depends on your expectations.

How can I apply for a part-time job?
Please mark on the application form (last page) if you are interested in a part-time job.

Can I find Job/Placement after the completion of the Master Program?
The ALaRI Institute collaborates with companies and research centers, so as to offer entering positions and internships for ALaRI Master Students. We cannot guarantee anything at the beginning of your term, and career openings depend on your personal skill-set. All available positions of Job/Placement can be found under "Career Center" on the ALaRI Intranet platform.

How can I communicate my interest in entering the Job/Placement program after taking my degree?
Please mark in the application form (page 8) that you are interested in an internship after having completed your Master Studies (MAS or MSc).

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Accommodation or living expenses

Will the university help me in finding accommodation in Lugano?
If you get the scholarship for accommodation, or the scholarship which includes tuition fee and accommodation, ALaRI will take care of your accommodation. In case you do not get the scholarship you can contact
Janine Caggiano, the secretary office for further information regarding your accommodation.

What sort of accommodation is provided for the ALaRI students?
The students will have to live in apartments provided by ALaRI, which accommodate depending on the specific apartment - 6 people or 4 people, with two persons per bedroom (students share their bedrooms).

What are the facilities provided in these apartments?
These apartments provide the standard living conditions. These would include a living room, a kitchen, one or two bathrooms and two or three bedrooms, etc.

For more information, please contact:
University of Lugano Secretary Office, Janine Caggiano: janine.caggiano[a t]lu.unisi.ch. Address: University of Lugano, Via Lambertenghi 10A, 6904 Lugano, phone: 0041 (0)58 666 43 02, fax: 0041 (0)58 666 46 47

Do I have to know the Italian language to live in Lugano?
You can get around with English, French, and German. People in Lugano are very friendly and also try to answer you in English. Sometimes you have to be patient, but in general this is not a problem.
In the Italian part of Switzerland, there are also many German speaking persons, so you can also speak German.
At the University of Lugano and at the ALaRI Institute, it is very frequent to communicate in English. The teaching language at the ALaRI Institute is English.

Work and Residence Permits

Do I need a work permit to apply for a part-time job?
Yes. This work permit depends on the kind of residence permit you have. In Switzerland, persons with a permit B or C are allowed to work. Exchange students are usually given a permit B, but that is not the rule. You will also need the permission of the University of Lugano to be able to work.

Do I need a work permit to apply for an internship?
You do not need a work permit for your interest in an internship. You will, however, need a work permit when your internship starts. This work permit, however, can be organized during your stay at the ALaRI Institute. You can apply for an intership after graduation of ALaRI master program

How can I obtain a residence permit to stay in Switzerland?
Call the embassy closest to your home for an application form and the list of documents you have to attach to it. For any documents that you may need from the University of Lugano or the ALaRI Institute, please contact:

  • University of Lugano Secretary Office, Janine Caggiano: janine.caggiano[a t]lu.unisi.ch. Address: University of Lugano, Via Lambertenghi 10A, 6904 Lugano, phone: 0041 (0)58 666 43 02, fax: 0041 (0)58 666 46 47

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    Application to ALaRI

    What are the application requirements for the ALaRI Master Program?
    The ALaRI Master Program is open to:
    - Bachelor Graduates or students with more than 180 ECTS acquired from Engineering Programs in Electronics, Informatics, Telecommunications as well as Computer Sciences.
    - Bachelor Graduates or students with more than 180 ECTS acquired of Science Programs in Physics, Mathematics and other faculties with Technical and Scientific components.
    - Professionals from the fields of electronics and/or computer science with 3 to 4 year experience. Non-graduates with relevant experience will be admitted based on a detailed Curriculum Vitae and a letter of interest detailing past experiences and the relevance to the program.

    Can I send my application via e-mail?
    It is possible to send your application via e-mail ot make application online. However, the documents that have to be scanned should be very well readable. Please note that we cannot accept your application if it is not readable. Please send your filled-in application forms to the following email address:
    master@alari.ch.

    Which documents are required to apply for the ALaRI programs?
    1. Filled-in application form
    2. Degree certificate
    3. Transcripts
    4. Recommendation Letters (maximum 3)
    5. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
    6. 3 passport size photos

    Do I really have to send an official transcript?
    Yes. Please note, however, that it is possible to send a photocopy or a high-quality scanned version of the transcript. In case you are selected for the ALaRI Master Program, you will be required to send the corresponding original transcript in order for your admission to be officially accepted.

    Can I apply for more than one master program?
    Yes, on the first page of the application form, you can select the master programs you are interested in. However, the admission committee will decide as to which program you are eligible for.

    How can I know which program I am suitable for?
    For this information please go to our homepage: www.alari.ch and follow the details of the MAS (Master of Advanced Studies) and MSc (Master of Science) programs. For further information please send an email to master@alari.ch.

    Do I have to send all the information specified?
    It is absolutely necessary that you send all the information specified for your application. Please inform us if you are not able to send all the information at once, so that we know that you are still interested in ALaRI.

    Do I have to pass an exam for entering the ALaRI Master Program?
    You do not have to pass an exam for entering the ALaRI Master Program. However you should send us all the required information about your previous studies and exams.
    Further, there will be an admission committee deciding on your entrance to the ALaRI Master Program.

    What is the application procedure?
    The application process is as follows:

    • Send your application (including all required documentation) to ALaRI or make application online.
    • You will get a confirmation of receipt of your application.
    • The admission committee will start with the selection right after the application deadline (1st July).
    • The admission committee will also decide on scholarships to be assigned to prospective students.
    • You will be informed about your admittance or rejection for the ALaRI Master Program and a possible scholarship by the end of July.
    • Please confirm back as soon as possible your admittance if you have been selected as an ALaRI student.

    When are the application deadlines for the Master's Degree Programs 2010/2012 and 2010/2011?
    The application deadlines for both Master Programs starting from academic year 2010/2012 is on 1 July, 2010. Please make sure that we receive all your application information prior to this date if you want your application to be considered by the admission committee.

    Where do I have to send my application to?
    Please send your application to:

    Advanced Learning and Research Institute
    University of Lugano
    Via G. Buffi 13
    6904 Lugano
    Switzerland

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    Insurance

    Do I need a health insurance during my stay in Switzerland?
    Yes, you have to prove that you have a valid health insurance during your stay in Switzerland. If you are selected for the ALaRI Master Program, you should either extend your health insurance you have in your home country to cover also Switzerland or make a contract with a Swiss health insurance company. You will be informed on time about the correct procedure. Click
    here and check the "Health Insurance for foreign students" as a prerequisite.

    What can I do if I have a problem with obtaining insurance for Switzerland?
    If you have any problem with obtaining insurance for Switzerland, you can email to master@alari.ch with the subject insurance and ALaRI can assist you in this issue.

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    Studying at ALaRI

    Where is the program held?
    The ALaRI Institute is part of the University of Lugano, located in the southern part of Switzerland, in Lugano. Lugano is a city located on Lake Lugano. The city has about 30,000 inhabitants.
    Please find more information in the
    Orientation section of this website.

    Is there a PhD Program available at your Institute?
    There are no predefined PhD Programs available in Embedded Systems Design. ALaRI institute is going to offer PhD positions within the framework of the PhD school of Informatics, University of Lugano. For any information about PhD open positions and applying for admissions, please consult the Faculty of Informatics at http://www.inf.unisi.ch/education/phd/ . In case there are open phd positions in Embedded Systems Design directly at ALaRI institute, you can find them issued on ALaRI web site.

    Is it possible to do my thesis in ALaRI?
    Yes, it is possible to do thesis at ALaRI. Look for open positions in the website: www.alari.ch.

    Is it possible to attend only part of the courses?
    The Master Program courses are also open to professionals who wish to broaden or update their knowledge in the field of embedded systems.
    For more information, please contact the ALaRI Program Manager, Umberto Bondi: bondi@alari.ch.

    What is the medium of instruction for the ALaRI Master Programs?
    The official language of tuition is ENGLISH. All lectures are held in English and your final Master Project is expected to be written and presented in English.

    How many hours of courses are there per week in the full-time Master Program (MAS and MSc)?
    The hours vary from week to week. Hours depend on each student's plan of studies. Expect to be free about one day a week for working on assignments and projects. Expect about 20-30 hours of courses a week.
    There are no courses scheduled on Saturday and Sunday (except on special occasions: conferences, seminars).

    What kind of activities will we perform outside the regular lecture time?
    You will perform group and individual work on various projects during the whole year. Individual exercises will consist in working with programs such as Java, Eclipse, MsVS, HDL Designer and Behavioral Compiler by Synopsys, CoWare tools, or with other tools (possibly in the public domain). From January to July you will have the opportunity of participating in a pre-competitive design project (developed in a team or individually depending on the task) for one of our partner companies.

    How many hours of courses are there per week in the part-time Master Program?
    For the part-time program, there is an individual plan of studies for each student. These plans of studies are agreed on between ALaRI and the student himself or herself.

    When do I get my diploma?
    Every year, the ALaRI Master Students present their final master project during a workshop at the end of the program in July. That day, the students are given a temporary diploma. The definitive diploma will be mailed to their home addresses when all the administrative work for the program has been done.

    How much in advance do I have to enrol for a vocational training?
    Vocational trainings are always open. There are no specific deadlines; however the number of participants is limited due to the classroom and lab sizes. Therefore, registering in advance is recommended.
    Please contact ALaRI for more information and enrolment. The courses available can be looked up at the ALaRI webpage at: Academic Schedule.

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    Scholarships

    How do I apply for an ALaRI scholarship?
    Please mark on the application form, last page, that you are interested in a scholarship.

    What kinds of scholarships are available for the students?
    There are three kinds of scholarships for the students. One is "full scholarship" which would include both the tuition fee and the accommodation. The second would take care of only the tuition fee and the last one would take care of the accommodation only. Depending on your requirements you can choose one of these on the last of the application form.

    Is there any other organization which provides scholarships for students studying in Switzerland, particularly at ALaRI?
    There are two links which we can suggest. These are:
    - National Swiss Federal Funding:
    http://www.sbf.admin.ch/htm/bildung/stipendien/eskas-e.html
    - Scholarships from Leonardo Foundation: http://www.ti.ch/decs/sa/uffBSS/temi/fondazioni/Leonardo.asp

    Can everybody apply for a scholarship?
    Everybody can apply for a scholarship. It is, however, up to the ALaRI admission committee to decide on the students actually receiving a scholarship.

    Do I have to pass an exam to receive a scholarship?
    You do not have to pass any exams for receiving a scholarship. However, you should send us a complete application and possible letters of recommendation (max. three).

    Who decides on the scholarships?
    The ALaRI admission committee decides on the students receiving a scholarship. You will be informed by ALaRI soon after the application deadline if you have been chosen for a scholarship.

    Is there a possibility to study at ALaRI if I do not get a scholarship?
    There is still the possibility to study without scholarships. However you will have to fund yourself.
    For more information please contact Prof. Sami (sami@alari.ch) or Dr. Umberto Bondi (bondi@alari.ch).

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