- Old-age and survivors's insurance (OASI): According to OASI law, Swiss and foreign students (residents) , is required to contribute to the OASI from January 1st following the 20th birthday. If you are not in gainful employment, as a student you may be concerned by the annual payment of the basic contribution; if this is the case, you will receive an invoice from the City of Lausanne during the academic year. For further information, please visit www.lausanne.ch
- Health and accident insurance : Membership of a health insurance company with accident coverage is compulsory for all persons residing in Switzerland. According to the provisions of the Health Insurance Act (LaMal), insured persons who are not in gainful employment are automatically covered for health and accident risks. It is therefore your responsibility to check with your health insurance company that you are correctly covered for the risk of accidents.
- If you come from a country of the European Union, you can be exempted from taking out a Swiss insurance, provided you arrive in Switzerland with the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Please check with your health insurance company to find out how to obtain the EHIC.
- If you come from a country outside the European Union, please visit www.swisscare.ch . If you have a modest income, it is possible to receive a subsidy from your canton of residence for health insurance premiums.
Certificates of studies for each semester issued by HES‑SO Master are available at the start of each semester, on the student portal.
Certificates cannot be requested from the schools where majors or classes for certain Master’s programmes take place.
This association was created last June. Composed of a committee of 5 people, these statutory objectives are:
- Bring the voice of HES-SO Master students and auditors to the participatory bodies of the HES-SO (Council of consultation, HES-SO Master resonance group) and inform them of any subject concerning them dealt with by these same bodies
- Animate the life of the whole campus
- Offer services to HES-SO Master students and auditors and direct HES-SO Master students and auditors, where appropriate, to HES-SO Master services
For more information, consult their web page: https://aehma.ch/ or their instagram account: @aehma
As a student of HES-SO, you have access to the libraries of its partner universities. The list of libraries can be found here.
You also have access to all documents in the Bibliothèque cantonale et universitaire de Lausanne (BCUL) rom the Gymnase de Provence, which is to the north of the building.
Its opening hours can be found here.
You also have access to the online digital library "ScholarVox" here
swissuniversities offers you a range of documentary resources (including specialist databases and academic journals), which may be helpful during your studies. They are available here .
- Agreement with the Crèche Pérollino in Fribourg, for students living in Fribourg, who need a day-care centre for their children
- 12% discount in the following Groupe BOAS Swiss Hotel
- Discount on admission to the AQUATIS Aquarium/Vivarium in Lausanne by presenting your student ID card
- Discounted rates on Tuesdays for admission to the baths in the Thermal Centre in Yverdon-les-Bains, by presenting your student ID card (not valid during the Christmas holidays)
To take advantage of these offers and for further information, contact HES-SO Master reception or write to master(at)hes-so.ch
Other
- The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) provides numerous discounts in Switzerland and worldwide. To apply for a card and get more information
- Improve your language skills by forming tandems, go to the connection platform for linguistic tandems in Swiss higher education: edu.e-tandem.ch
- Accommodation: Student rooms can be rented in a building near the HES-SO Master's facilities. For more information, click here. It is also possible to book a room in a house of the Fondations Maisons pour Étudiants Lausanne (FMEL), for more info, see here.
- You can find other benefits here
Any change of a personal data must be reported without delay in the following manner:
- Changes of address can be made directly on the IS-Academia student portal, under the "Administrative" tab.
- Changes of name, marital status, type of permit or nationality must be reported by email to the specialist staff of your Master's programme and must be accompanied by a copy of a supporting document (identity card, family certificate, permit).
Your student card allows you to access the HES-SO Master facilities outside their normal opening hours, and acts as an “electronic wallet” for Selecta vending machines; it can also be used as identification for printers and photocopiers..
You will be given a student card loaded with 1000 printing credits at the start of your course and you will receive a further set of credits at the start of each academic year. Once you have used up your quota, you will need to top up your card (at the terminal in the main hall in Provence 6).
The card contains your ID information and photo for authentication purposes. The first semester of your course is printed on your card; stickers for the following semesters
are available from reception at the start of each new semester.
Stickers for students on the MLS and JMA programmes are sent by post; stickers for students on the Innokick course are available from the Closel 3 site in Renens.
You are not entitled to the sticker for a semester for which you take a leave of absence.
You are responsible for the use of your card, which is for your personal use only; lending it to someone else is strictly prohibited. Sanctions will be imposed for any misuse.
If your card is lost or stolen, you must inform master(at)hes-so.ch immediately; a new card will be sent to you at a cost of CHF 25.- .
When you leave HES-SO Master, the remaining balance on the card can be reimbursed, please inquire at the HES-SO Master reception, Av. de Provence 6.
As a student on one of the nine HES-SO Master’s programmes, you are part of the community of HES-SO, HES-SO Master and your programme.
All these communities can be found on HES-SO’s social media channels. Post, follow, share and comment using the hashtag #hessomaster
You can request a semester leave, except during the first semester of training. No leave will be granted if the request is not made within the following time limits :
- For a leave in the fall semester: no later than week 39.
- For a leave in the spring semester: until week 9 at the latest.
For any request, please complete this form (in French) and send it to your Master's supervisor.
The Swiss Army has an “Army-School” coordination unit, whose aim is to limit disruption to studies for periods of military service as far as possible. The system in place provides for a liaison officer in each institution who examines and, if necessary, supports students’ applications for exemption. This is carried out by the secretariat of HES-SO Master.
HES-SO Master supports applications for exemption from or deferral of military service in the following cases:
- if the period of service falls in the three months preceding an examination
- if the period of service falls during the student’s final year
- if you have already completed a period of service during the same academic year
- if you are encountering particular difficulties with your studies and your success could be compromised by a period of absence.
These are general principles, which are applied in light of your educational pathway and military situation. If you would like to submit an application for exemption, please download the relevant form here.
The completed form must be handed in at HES‑SO Master reception or sent to master(at)hes-so.ch
HES-SO has a framework policy on diversity and a four-year action plan to guide its actions. At each level (Rectorate, general/cantonal management, universities and fields) many people are working to make the HES-SO an increasingly inclusive institution.
Some great projects have been initiated, others are to come, notably with the financial support of the Swiss Government.
The Centre de compétences numériques de la HES-SO has produced short online courses for students. This device aims to better understand the themes and issues related to "teaching in the digital age".
A first batch of FlashLearns is available on the platform numerique.hes-so.ch. These offer a clear and playful access to topics such as
The student's job in the digital age,
Proctoring,
Conspiracy theory,
Addiction to social networks,
And many more...
Each FlashLearn offers short video resources and a quiz. The participant receives a certificate validating the success of the micro-learning.
You can find information and procedures relating to IT (access, software, Teams, Moodle and other services) here.
Email the following for any questions about:
- IT: informatique.master(at)hes-so.ch
- IS-Academia : master.isa(at)hes-so.ch
If you wish to definitively interrupt your Master's programme, you must inform the person in charge of your Master in writing:
- If you have just started your studies: you have two weeks (until week 39) from the beginning of the first semester to withdraw from it. Within this period, you must inform your Master's supervisor in writing, with copies to the person in charge of the academic follow-up of your Master's degree and to master(at)hes-so.ch. Study fees and contributions to study costs will not be charged. If withdrawal is communicated from week 40, you will be charged for the semester and the grade of 1 (F if applicable) or 0 for the MScSa will be attributed to the modules in which you are registered.
- If you are in the course of your studies: you must inform the person responsible for your Master's degree in writing of your withdrawal by the end of week 39 for the autumn semester and by the end of week 9 for the spring semester; the semester will then not be counted as part of the duration of your studies. If withdrawal is communicated from week 40 for the fall semester and from week 10 for the spring semester, you will be charged for the semester and the grade of 1 (F if applicable) or 0 for the MScSa will be attributed to the modules of the semester in which you are registered.
Within the framework of the "HES-SO without obstacles" (in French), HES-SO Master has issued recommendations to take into account the special needs of students with disabilities. These recommendations aim to guarantee the level of skills required and to ensure fair treatment during training, while maintaining the right of the institution, in this case HES-SO Master, to set minimum requirements of knowledge and skills to follow a training course. HES-SO Master undertakes to apply these recommendations to the extent of its logistical and administrative means.
Special needs are considered to be any needs required by students who, because of physical or mental health problems, cannot follow a regular course of study without being at a disadvantage compared to other students. To be considered, special needs must be attested by a medical certificate. This certificate does not deal with "pathological" causes but with limitations that require the recognition of special needs. Students with special needs must report to their Master's supervisor two weeks after starting the course, respectively the beginning of a semester.
Other resource:
The national website www.swissuniability.ch is the result of joint efforts by the Réseau études et handicap Suisse, which was set up by the four following universities: ZHAW, PHZH, the University of St. Gallen and HES-SO.
It is designed to offer assistance and advice to disabled students, to help them overcome infrastructure-related, technical and institutional hurdles.
- HES-SO Master students are subject to the regulations in force published on the HES-SO website, you can consult them here.
A psychotherapy consultation is available to any HES‑SO Master student who is facing difficulties.
The Department of Psychiatry at CHUV (CHUV) can offer you a consultation and short-term follow-up, based on a specific model of four sessions, called “Brief psychodynamic therapy”. The final session includes a review, which determines whether the sessions should end or whether further therapeutic work is required, in which case further sessions will be organised with you.
The first session is offered free of charge, under an agreement between DP-CHUV and HES-SO. Further sessions will be charged to your basic health insurance by DP-CHUV. Confidentiality is guaranteed.
Contact:
Consultation psychothérapeutique pour étudiantes et étudiants HES-SO Master
Section accueil et interventions brèves
Place Chauderon 18
1003 Lausanne
For appointments or information by email*: consult.psy-hessomaster(at)chuv.ch
Consultations are available from Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00.
*Emails are seen only by the consultants, who are bound by patient-doctor confidentiality.
HES-SO Master collaborate with Aikido Lausanne to offer low-cost courses for the well-being of the students (online and in-person). To learn more, click here (in French)
The tuition fee and the contribution to study expenses are due for all students registered at HES-SO Master, even if they are on leave. Details of the amounts invoiced according to status are specified in this document (in French).
The tuition fee and the contribution to study expenses cannot be reduced and are not subject to reimbursement. They are due in full from the end of the third week of a semester (respectively end of week 39 for an autumn semester and end of week 9 for a spring semester), both for new registrations and for students in the course of their studies.
Invoicing is done on a semester basis, between October 20 and 30 for the fall semester and between April 20 and 30 for the spring semester. Non-payment of semester invoices will result in exclusion after three reminders and one summons.
For any questions related to tuition fees: finance.master(at)hes-so.ch
The following pages may be useful if you are looking to work or a part-time job while you study:
- Offres de stages et jobs étudiant·es (in French)
- Page UNIL emplois (in French)
Every year, the HES-SO communication service is hiring students to be ambassadors of their studies on social media. Do you want to share the behind-the-scenes of your Master's programme and get paid for it? Send an email to: communication(at)hes-so.ch
NOTE: students who hold a B (residence for educational purposes) or G (cross-border commuter) permit are strictly limited to 15 working hours a week during term-time but are allowed to work full time during the holidays. If you need a certificate confirming your status, please email the relevant person in the academic services department responsible for your course or master(at)hes-so.ch .