Candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree in engineering or in management/economics (or a in a related area with a strong quantitative component).
The admission is based on the quality of the application: excellent academic record, relevance of the bachelor’s degree and motivation of the candidate (i.e., proven interest in topics related to sustainability, management, or technology).
Candidates should have a demonstrated familiarity with quantitative methods (e.g., statistics, machine learning, etc.), and/or systems thinking (system modeling, etc.).
Irrespective of their bachelor degree, all candidates must have a demonstrated ability in programming.
Holders of a degree from a Swiss university of applied sciences (i.e., HES/FHS) are not eligible.
The goal of these prerequisites is to achieve a class composition where interactions between students with different profiles will be as fruitful as possible.
In addition, since graduates of the program should be able to master data analysis methods, candidates with a management/economics profile should have a demonstrated appetite for and a solid preparation in quantitative disciplines.
It is recommended to have previously taken courses in the following quantitative areas as they are relevant preparation for the content of the Master SMT:
- Probability and statistics
- Data analysis
- Programming (for information, Python will be extensively used)
- Econometrics
- Operations Research
- Operations management
- Decision science
- Macro- and micro-economics
In addition, as the program is demanding in quantitative disciplines, we ask average grades of 5/6 in the quantitative disciplines mentioned above.
Application deadlines
Applications can be filled online:
- from the beginning of November to the 15th of December, or
- from the 16th of December to the 31st of March.
Applicants who, if accepted, would need a visa to study in Switzerland are strongly advised to apply for the December deadline in order to allow for the completion of the visa procedure, which can take up to 3 months.
Admission Decisions
Admission decisions are made jointly by the SMT Admission Commission and EPFL’s admissions committee on the basis of quantitative standards, including grade-point average, letters of recommendation, and the candidate’s background and motivation letter.
- Decisions are sent end of March for applications registered by the 15th of December and before end of June for the applications registered by the 31st of March.
Regardless of which deadline you choose to meet, SMT studies begin on the first week of September following acceptance. Only one application per student and per year will be processed. An intensive language course is offered to all accepted candidates. It starts 4 weeks before the beginning of the semester.
An intensive-language course is offered to all accepted candidates. It starts 4 weeks before the beginning of the semester.
To graduate from the SMT Master, students need to obtain 120 credits divided into 90 credits for coursework and 30 credits for the Master’s thesis.
See the EPFL rules and regulations regarding the Master’s Pass conditions
Please visit our dedicated page “International and Exchange students” for more information.
You can also find information on housing, visa or residential permits.