FAQ Master

Both cycles of the Master program must be completed within a fixed maximum duration:

• Master cycle: max. 6 semesters (+ 1  internship semester if registered as FRAC stage)
• Master project: max. 2 semesters

Additional details can be found here.

The deadline for course registration is on Friday, two weeks after the start of the semester. 

Yes within Group 2, you can take up to 10 credits of courses not listed in the Life Sciences Engineering study plan. Please contact the section for courses validation.

You can find all the necessary details on the requirements for passing the Master degree’s page.

Group 2 is passed when 44 credits are obtained. The 44 credits can include the 30 credits for a Minor or a Specialization (both optional).
Courses from Group 1 and Group 5 (except MTE courses) may be counted in Group 2 if they are not validated in Group 1 or 5.

Yes you can, knowing that you can validate a course only once (either in Group 1 or in Group 2). Please contact the section if you’d like to move Group 1 courses to Group 2.

Note: If you reached 12 credits in Group 1, extra credits acquired won’t be transferred into another Group.

In order to validate Group 6, you have to register for it in MA1 or MA3.

The introduction to the project (3 credits) takes place during the autumn semester and the project (3 credits) takes place during the spring semester. 

You can combine your industry internship with your Master project (PDM) in the same company, under certain conditions: 

1. The internship should focus on industrial objectives, while the PDM should deepen your knowledge in life sciences and show your ability to do independent research or advanced development work.
2. The internship must be completed before the PDM, and you need to have finished all other Master’s cycle groups/blocks (except the “Industry internship” group).
3. You can do either the PDM or a lab immersion in industry (22 credits), but not both.
4. The validation process of the industry internship combined to the PDM has to be done independently:
   1. Industry internship: The usual rules and process apply, check above for detailed procedures.
   2. PDM: Duration is 17 weeks (plus 1 week holiday) or 25 weeks (plus 1 week holiday). You need an EPFL supervisor to approve the PDM topic and submit a registration form on the LSE support platform. An agreement for the PDM is optional, under the supervisor’s responsibility. Please refer to the Master project page for details and documents

Lab immersion projects are available in SV laboratories or other EPFL Schools (with the agreement of the section). You cannot do a Lab immersion of 8 or 12 credits outside EPFL.

Duration

• During the semester : 16h/week (or 24h/week if 12 credits) for 14 weeks 
• During the summer : full time for 5 weeks (or 8 weeks if 12 credits)

Total workload = 240h (8 credits) or 360h (12 credits)

Registration

When you register on IS-Academia, please download the pdf form, ask your supervisor to sign it and send it on the LSE support platform.

It can be either in academia or in industry. 

Download, complete and then submit the relevant form on the LSE support platform. 

Additional considerations:

• External Master students cannot validate more than 30 credits outside EPFL. This implies that external Master students can do either 22 credits Lab immersion outside EPFL or a 30 credits Master project outside EPFL but not both
• It is possible to validate a maximum of 38 credits in industry (including the industry internship)

No more than 30 credits can be taken for Lab immersions (including a minor project).

For students who take iGEM lab or iGEM no more than 24 credits can be taken from Lab immersion.

Only a limited number of students will be selected (max. 12), based on their application file. The selection usually takes place in February.

Timeline:

• Project design: during the spring semester (BA4, BA6, MA2)
• Project execution: during the summer
• Competition: end of October (BA5, MA1, MA3)

Bachelor in Life Sciences Engineering:

• BIOENG-390 – Bachelor project in Life sciences (5 credits); registration in BA6

Master Life Sciences Engineering (Group 2):

• BIO-510 – iGEM (12 credits); registration in MA3
• BIO-511 – iGEM Lab (6 credits)

Students who took iGEM as a Bachelor project (BIOENG-390) may validate additional 6 credits (BIO-511) in the Master; registration in MA1, MA2 or MA3.

Validation of a Specialization is optional and requires at least 30 credits under the same label (B, J, K, L) from Group 1 and 2. Be aware that a course can only be validated once, either in Group 1 or in Group 2.

With agreement of the SV section, only one 8 credits Lab immersion can be validated within a Specialization.

Validation of a Minor is optional and requires at least 30 credits from the corresponding Minor study plan (bottom of the page). 

No more than 32 credits can be validated for a Minor.

Read the webpage of the chosen Minor and follow their instructions.

If you cannot find a study plan in the Minor study plan page (bottom), you should contact the person responsible for the chosen Minor. 

No, you can only do one Specialization or one Minor.

You have until the beginning the second semester to register for a Specialization or a Minor. Also, you have to indicate which one you choose when you register on IS-Academia.

If you stop your Minor before completing it, the section will determine which validated credits can be transferred to Group 2.