Effective managers are in demand, not only in profit-oriented organizations. Public administrations, public enterprises, and nonprofit organizations depend on flexible, innovative, and well-qualified specialists to help reach their ideological and social aims, such as general welfare, solidarity, or a smooth-running society. The MSc program in Public and Nonprofit Management deals with problems and issues at the intersection of business, society, and politics which, more often than not, require both a scientific and a practice-oriented interdisciplinary approach.

Potential employers include the federal administration, cantonal and communal administrations, national and international governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and institutions such as associations and foundations. They represent a job market with some 650,000 positions in Switzerland.

The specialization “Public and Nonprofit Management” will enable you to learn all about the specific requirements of public and not-for-profit oriented organizations. You will be able to apply management tools to plan resources, quality, project, and stakeholder management. You will analyze and design complex operational structures and develop a keen understanding of interdisciplinary connections. You will advance your competencies in academic research and will conduct applied research projects with partners from the public and nonprofit sector. 

• Project management
• Research work
• Assisting members of executive boards
• Controlling
• Demanding specialist work
• Public affairs
• Corporate social responsibility
• Consulting

• Public administrations (city, canton, and state) in the areas education, health, law, security, economics, social services, culture, sports, environment, finances, and human resources
• Public enterprises in areas such as energy, transportation, telecommunication, social security, postal service, health 
• Nonprofit organizations (associations, foundations, societies) in the areas development aid, politics, health, social services, social security, economy
• Private-sector organizations, such as Business consultancies or banks

The program takes four semesters to complete and will enable you to hold a part-time position of up to 50% because of well-balanced study load and directed block seminars. Nearly half of the program is devoted to applied research. You will also take part in a foreign study trip and will organize a series of events on current topics of public and nonprofit management. To complete your studies, you will write scientific Master's thesis on a research question of practical relevance.

Applicants are admitted to the program subject to an application procedure. Applicants must meet the following criteria:

• A bachelor's degree in Business Administration from an officially recognized accademic university or university of applied sciences.
• Successful completion of a related degree program worth at least 180 ECTS credits and high grades in the relevant subjects.
• Excellent communication skills in German and English.