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Life Sciences

hes-so.chMaster HES-SO Master Programmes Life Sciences

The Master of Science HES-SO in Life Sciences (MLS) is a programme in English which offers the unique opportunity to share professional experiences and expand your personal networks within the Life Science community.

In cooperation with BFH, FHNW and ZHAW, three majors are available:

The programme at a glance

  • Degree awarded

    Master of Science HES-SO in Life Sciences, major in [Title of specialization]

  • Admission requirements

    UAS Bachelor of Science directly related to the chosen HES-SO MLS major
    Other diplomas in the field of Life Sciences with professional experience in a related field (see "Entry requirements" below)

    Information and links for applicants can be found here.

  • Application

     

    Applications for the Autumn Semester 2025 are closed. Applications for the Spring Semester 2026 will open in September 2025

    Click here >>>

    For any question : admissions.master(at)hes-so.ch

  • Location

    For specialization modules and Master thesis:
    AB: HEI-VS
    CDP: HEIA-FR
    VE: Changins and Vinifera EuroMaster partner universities

    For central and cooperation modules: distance learning and partner schools (BFH, FHNW, ZHAW)

  • Start

    Mid-september or mid-february

  • Type

    AB and CDP: Full time or part-time
    VE: Full time

  • Duration

    AB and CDP: 3 or 5 semesters
    VE: 4 semesters

  • ECTS credits

    AB and CDP: 90
    VE: 120

  • Language

    English (B2 level required at the moment of admission)

  • Fees

    For Swiss students (as defined by AHES, this refers to students of Swiss nationality or those fiscally domiciled in Switzerland), a semester costs CHF 950, which includes:

    • CHF 700: tuition fee

    • CHF 250: contribution to study costs for certain services

    Application fee to be paid upon submission of the application: CHF 150

    For foreign students (those considered foreign under the AHES agreement are individuals of foreign nationality who do not have their fiscal domicile in Switzerland at the time of enrollment), a semester costs CHF 1300, which includes:

    • CHF 1050: tuition fee

    • CHF 250: contribution to study costs for certain services

    Application fee to be paid upon submission of the application: CHF 150

    Bank details

  • Info session

    Presentation of HES-SO Master and of the Master in Life Sciences

    Tuesday 26.11.2024, 18h00, on line.

    Information and registration

FAQ

About HES-SO Master

Master theses

Video

Life Sciences (MLS)

  • Course
  • Major
  • Study plan
  • Admission requirements
  • Modules
  • Show more
  • Participating and partner schools
  • Useful links
  • MLS Graduates
  • Testimonials

Course

The Master of Science HES-SO in Life Sciences offers a well-balanced curriculum including advanced specialisation courses within each chosen major. Business, management and data handling courses are built into the programme, equipping students to meet the challenges demanded by tomorrow’s job market, and the Master Thesis as independent applied research project. The program promotes critical reflection, assisting graduates in their further development throughout their professional careers.

The practical relevance and applied positioning of the Master MLS prepares successful graduates to work in positions with high responsibility for companies, non-governmental organisations as well as public administrations in the field of Life Sciences.

Major

MLS - AB - Applied Biosciences MLS - CDP - Chemical Development and Production MLS - VE - Viticulture and Enology

Study plan

The curriculum is divided into three blocks: Central modules (30 ECTS) with Core Competence Modules (CC) and Cluster-specific Modules (CS), advanced specialization (20 ECTS) and the Master thesis project (40 ECTS).

Students may enroll on a full time (3 semesters) or part-time (5 semesters) basis.

Admission requirements

If you have a UAS Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Chemistry, Environmental Engineering, Enology or Life Technologies, directly related to the chosen major, you are directly accepted as future student.

With a UAS Bachelor of Science in life sciences in a programme other than a feeder programme, your admission is subject to completing a six-month professional experience within the area of expertise covered by the chosen major.

With a university or Federal Institute of Technology Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent Swiss or foreign qualification in the field of life sciences, you can apply by portfolio.

Please see the MLS regulation, art. 6.

Applications for the Autumn semester 2025 are closed. Applications for the Spring Semester 2026 will open in September 2025

Please click here to access the application form.

For any question: admissions(at)hes-so.ch

 

Modules

The module descriptions are available on the page of each major. For the project modules and the master thesis, additional information is given below.
 

AB - Applied Biosciences

CDP - Chemical Development and Production

VE - Viticulture and Enology

Projects

From the academic year 2024-2025, the MLS offers the module "Interdisciplinary project". Its goal is to bring together the students from all three majors to work on a shared project. Each group is supervised by a teacher from each major. The projects will take place in part in presential in Lausanne (mainy for the kick-off meeting and the final presentations, see schedule). For the rest of the project, each group can organise its tasks, and the work can be done individually, in sub-groups or in groups, online or in presential if needed.

Students take this compulsory module during the Autumn Semester, during the first year for full-time studies, during the second year for part-time studies. Each student needs to mention a first and a second choice, and a repartition will be done to ensure a balanced distribution in terms of numbers and of majors.

The description of the module and of the three projects offered in Autumn 2024 are available below:

 

Master thesis

For the academic year 2024-2025, the Master thesis is divided into two modules. Please follow the links below to access the module descriptions:

Other useful documents for the Master thesis (templates for the report, project description, intellectual property and confidentiality agreement) are available on Cyberlearn.

Note: the module Literature Review and Research Proposal (X01) is replaced by PI01 from the academic year 2024-2025 (see below). Students who have questions about this can contact mls(at)hes-so.ch.

Participating and partner schools

Participating schools

Haute école d'ingénierie et d'architecture Fribourg - HEIA-FR
HES⁠-⁠SO Valais-Wallis - Haute Ecole d'Ingénierie - HEI
Changins – Haute école de viticulture et œnologie

Partner schools

MLS Graduates

Testimonials

Contact

Dr Urban Frey
Head of the Master in Life Sciences
HES⁠-⁠SO Master
Avenue de Provence 6
1007 Lausanne
T + 41 58 900 00 00
urban.frey(at)hes-so.ch
mls(at)hes-so.ch

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