Students may supplement the knowledge acquired in their major with knowledge from another subject area, offered as part of a minor.
A minor is equivalent to 30 credits that must be earned during the duration of the master’s program and are taken in courses offered by another section. The 30 credits count toward the 120 credits of the master’s degree in accordance with section regulations, and replace 30 credits in your optional courses. Please note that if you earn more than 30 credits in your minor, the additional credits will not count toward your Master.
The minor will be mentioned in the Diploma Supplement.
EPFL offers a wide choice of disciplinary and interdisciplinary minors. Below are some examples of minors for Master students in Computer Science, Communication Systems and Data Science:
- Computational Biology (course list) (minor form)
- Computational Science and Engineering (course list)
- Cyber Security (course list) (minor form) for students in Data Science only
- Digital Humanities, Media and Society (course list)
- Engineering for Sustainability (course list)
- Financial Engineering (course list)
- Imaging (course list)
- Management, Technology and Entrepreneurship (course list)
- Mathematics (course list)
- Quantum Science and Engineering (course list)
- Neuro-X (course list)
Subject to the Deputy Head’s approval, Eileen Hazboun, other minors may be taken. List available here.
General information on the study programs structure and minors: link
Procedure
Please follow the procedure indicated on the minor’s website. Once the form has been completed, and the minor advisor’s signature obtained, kindly also submit a copy of the document, along with the list of approved courses, to the master administrative office:
- Antonella Veltro for Computer Science students,
- Carole Dauphin for those in Communication Systems and Data Science
Registration deadline on IS-Academia: end of the 1st semester of Master’s studies.
The Computer Science and Communication Systems sections offer the following minors to students in other sections:
- Computational Biology (Advisor: Prof. Marcel Salathé)
- Computer Science (Advisor: Eileen Hazboun)
- Cyber Security (Advisor: Eileen Hazboun)
- Data Science (Advisor: Eileen Hazboun)
- Communication Systems (Advisor: Eileen Hazboun) The minor in Communication Systems will no longer be offered from September 2025.
Procedure
It is your responsibility to obtain your section’s authorization, before registering for the minor.
Please fill out the form and email it to Jasmine Locatelli to obtain the minor advisor’s signature and validate the list of courses.
Once the form has been signed and the choice of courses has been approved, kindly return a copy of the document to your home section, then proceed to registration on IS-Academia.
Registration deadline on IS-Academia: end of the 1st semester of Master’s studies.
If you have any questions regarding the organization of your minor, you can contact: Jasmine Locatelli.