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MSc in Life Sciences – Regional Management in Mountain Areas (the Alpine Master’s)

This is the “Alpenmaster,“ the Master's degree program at BFH-HAFL for professionals in regional development and mountain regions.

The MSc in Life Sciences – Regional Management in Mountain Areas is unique. All content is specifically geared towards mountain regions and is deepened using examples from the Alps.

You can complete this MSc either full-time or part-time.

The Alpine Master's degree at BFH makes you a specialist for mountain regions.


 

Factsheet

  • Title/Degree MSc in Life Sciences
  • Specialisations Regional Management in Mountain Areas
  • Mode of study Full-time (3-5 semesters), part-time (4-8 semesters)
  • Start date Spring: calendar week 7
    Autumn: calendar week 38
  • Application deadline Programme start autumn: 30 April
    Programme start spring: 30 September
    Later registrations will be considered up to 30 June or 30 November at the latest, subject to availability of places.
    Deadline for people who need a visa: 30 April or 30 September.
  • ECTS credits 90 ECTS credits
  • Teaching language English and German
  • Location Zollikofen (Switzerland)
  • School School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL
  • Next info event Please see below

Contact


Do you have questions about the Alpenmaster? Take part in one of the information events.

    • Information Event

    ONLINE – Master of Science in Life Sciences - Regional Management in Mountain Areas 19 august 2025

    Interested in interdisciplinary knowledge and practical methods to help shape the future of the Alpine region? Jetzt anmelden zur Infoveranstaltung.

    At the event, you will get useful details about the...

    19.08.2025, 7.30pm–8.30pm – ONLINE via Microsoft Teams

    • Structure + Content

    The regional management of mountain areas requires specialists who are familiar with these features and trends and can adopt an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach to their work, focusing on practicality and goals. The MSc in Life Sciences with the ‘Regional Management in Mountain Areas’ (Alpine master’s) major equips you for precisely this task.

    What you gain with this degree

    • The Alpine master’s programme will equip you with sound professional knowledge of regional management in mountain areas – you will become an expert in your field.

    • You will develop the ability to delve quickly and independently into unfamiliar areas, then implement your new knowledge in practice.

    • You will master a broad spectrum of methodological and leadership skills and learn to manage complex projects competently.

    • You will become adept at making scientific contributions in multidisciplinary teams.
       

    During this major, you will combine your knowledge of ecological and socio-economic issues with the management of regional development in mountain areas. You will therefore be studying how nature, land use, society and politics interact. In particular, you will examine:

    • the agricultural use of the Alpine region
    • specific natural hazards and risk management
    • current methods for geospatial analysis, such as GIS
    • changing living conditions in the Alpine region
    • project management
    • regional planning
    • nature reserves
    • tourism
    • leadership and human resources management
    • public relations and conflict management

    The content relates specifically to mountain areas and is illustrated by examples from the Alps.

    Career prospects

    Upon completing this programme, you will have acquired the skills that employers demand for management positions: practical specialists who can work scientifically and manage complex, multidisciplinary projects competently.

    Upon successful completion of the programme you will be awarded the title «Master of Science in Life Sciences with Specialisation in Forest Science» or «Master of Science in Life Sciences with Specialisation in Agricultural Science» from Bern University of Applied Sciences.

    With the Alpmaster’s you will be well prepared to take on challenging leadership roles in

    • companies,
    • associations,
    • NGOs or
    • local government or
    • to pursue applied research.

    You will be qualified for posts in the fields of regional development, nature parks and protected areas or in related sectors including agriculture and forestry.

    Duration + course content

    he degree programme is completely modular and allows you to choose those modules which correspond to your interests and which are compatible with your professional activity and/or family obligations. The high proportion of self-study also contributes to this flexibility.

    Full-time or part-time study

    The full-time programme lasts 3-5 semesters. If you study part-time, you should ideally complete your studies after 4-8 semesters. You will study part-time together with the regular students, but take fewer modules per semester. As the timetable changes each quarter, your employer and/or family will need to be flexible.

    Some cooperation modules are offered as one-week compact courses. The others take place over seven weeks on Thursdays or Fridays. The advanced modules usually last five weeks in a row - from Monday to Wednesday. In the fall and spring semesters, one block week each takes place in mountain regions.

    Course of study

    You will take interdisciplinary foundation modules such as Business Administration and Data Management. These core-competence modules are offered to all students on all MSc in Life Sciences programmes. On the other hand, you will take modules that teach important skills relating to mountain regions. From a range of major-specific modules, you choose those modules that will best help you to hone your specialist knowledge and develop your interests in current and exciting subject areas.

    At the heart of your studies is your master’s thesis. This is generally embedded within a BFH-HAFL project, but may also be conducted with an external institution or company – for example, your employer.
     

     Master’s thesis – the core of your studies     30 credits
     Specialisation modules  min. 30 credits
     Cluster-specific modules (Environment Cluster)  min. 9 credits
     Core-competence modules (Data and Business Management)  min. 12 credits

     

    Overview of the year (PDF, 131 KB)
    Effective from 1 August 2025
    Code   Module title   ECTS   Module type
        Major-specific modules – compulsory        
    AF-51   Agricultural and Forest Production in Mountain Areas    → Module video   5   compulsory
    AF-52   Natural Hazards and Risk Management    → Module video   5   compulsory
    AF-54   Climate Change and Land Systems   5   compulsory
    AF-55   Regional Management, Tourism and Parks    5   compulsory
    AF-56   Landscape development and planning    → Module video   5   compulsory
    AF-57   Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Current Topics in Mountain Areas        
        Minimum required   30    
        Further specialization modules – compulsory optional        
    AF-03   Integrated Natural Resources Management   5   optional
    AF-24   Advances in Agricultural and Forest Sciences   5   optional
    AF-32   Policies and Institutions as Drivers for Development and Innovation   5   optional
    AF-53   Analysis of Spatial Data – GIS    → Module video   5   optional
        Cluster-specific modules – compulsory optional        
    E1   Journal Club Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences   3   optional
    E2   Life Cycle Assessment   3   optional
    E3  

    Sustainable Natural Resource Management   

    		   3   optional
    E4  

    Ecological Infrastructure in Landscapes

    		   3   optional
    E5  

    Biodiversity

    		   3   optional
    E6  

    Water Management for Households, Industry and Agriculture

    		   3   optional
        Minimum required   9    
        Core competence modules – compulsory optional        
    B1  

    Business Administration for Life Sciences

    		   3   optional
    B2  

    Management and Leadership for Life Sciences

    		   3   optional
    B3  

    Innovation and Project Management

    		   3   optional
    B4  

    Politics and Society

    		   3   optional
    D1*  

    Handling and Visualising Data

    		   3   optional
    D2*  

    Design and Analysis of Experiments

    		   3   optional
    D3*  

    Modelling and Exploration of Multivariate Data

    		   3   optional
    D4   Data and Ethics   3   optional
        Minimum required
    * One of the modules D1, D2 or D3 must be successfully passed    		   12    
    All areas   Minimum required (has to be completed by taking optional modules)   60    
    Thesis   Required from master’s thesis   30    
    Total   Minimum required   90    

    Eligibility + Entry

    To take our Alpine master’s course, you must hold a bachelor’s degree in agriculture or forest science or a related field and have a good knowledge of English and German.

    You will be accepted to the programme if you hold a bachelor’s degree from a Swiss university of applied sciences in one of the following fields of study and graduated with a grade of at least 5:

    • Agriculture
    • Forest science
    • Geography
    • Biology
    • Tourism
    • Landscape architecture
    • Environmental engineering
    • Nature management

    Do you have a degree in a different discipline? Was your final grade lower than a 5? Did you earn your degree in a different country? If so, you must pass an aptitude assessment.

    Do you have a bachelor’s degree from an academic university? If so, you must provide evidence of at least half a year of work experience in an area we have approved.

    Additional information

    The teaching languages in this major are English and German. We recommend that you have at least B2 level of the European Language Portfolio in both languages. You may write your master’s thesis in English, German or French.

    Outgoing Mobility

    You can spend an exchange semester at one of our partner universities during your Master's programme. Inform us at an early stage if you are planning a study exchange. We are happy to advise and support you.

    Incoming Mobility

    Would you like to spend an exchange semester or year at BFH-HAFL in Switzerland? If your home university is on our list of partner universities, please contact your International Office. If not, they should contact us.

    • Application deadline
      For the autumn semester: 15 April
      For the spring semester: 15 October
    • Language
      The Master’s programme is taught in English.
    • Accommodation
      There is a hostel for students on the BFH-HAFL campus. However, the demand for rooms is much higher than the availability.

    Application process

    We review each international application individually. Please send questions to msc-fs.hafl@bfh.ch before submitting your official application.

    Costs

    At BFH, different fees apply for programmes and examinations.

    Application (per application)*

    CHF 100

    Matriculation**

    CHF 100

    Tuition fees (per semester)

    CHF 750

    Tuition fees for international students*** (per semester)

    CHF 950

    Examination fee (per semester)

    CHF 80

    Fee for social, cultural and sport offerings (per semester)

    CHF 24

    Membership fee for the Bern University of Applied Sciences Student Association (VSBFH) (per semester)

    CHF 15

    * plus CHF 10 processing fee if paying by paying-in slip/paper invoice.
    ** If the application leads to matriculation, the matriculation fee is covered by the application fee.
    *** International students are defined as persons of foreign citizenship who at the time of obtaining their university entrance qualification were domiciled under civil law neither in Switzerland nor the Principality of Liechtenstein. This rule applies as of the 2018/19 autumn semester.

    Studying in Switzerland

    Grants, loans and other funding options

    Financial aid is available through grants and loans. Grants are one-off or ongoing payments that don’t usually have to be paid back provided you complete your course. Loans are one-off or ongoing payments that must be paid back after you finish your course.

    Cantonal grants

    Grants and loans for Swiss students and overseas students are generally paid out by the canton where the students’ parents are tax residents.

    Students who have been tax residents in the Canton of Bern for at least two years are able to apply for cantonal grants and loans. Applications should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office at the Department of Education.

    Further information (incl. financial aid calculator):

    The websites educaswiss.ch, stipendium.ch and European Funding Guide cover all the key information about grants in Switzerland and overseas.

    Foundations and funds

    There are also numerous private foundations and funds that offer financial support to students. The electronic foundation directory administered by the Federal Department of Home Affairs offers a comprehensive summary of these organisations and can be searched by keywords (e.g. student, research, financial aid, etc.). Other sources of funding include the foundation directories for individual cantons and private foundations.

    The following foundations offer funding specifically to BFH students and students from other universities:

    Further information

    Registration

    Make sure you secure your place early. You can submit any missing documents at a later date.

    Deadlines

    Programme start autumn

    • Deadline for registration: 30 April
    • Start of programme: calendar week 38 (AF-03 calendar week 36)

    Programme start spring

    • Deadline for registration: 30 September
    • Start of programme: calendar week 7

    A place on the programme is guaranteed if the registration is submitted by the applicable date and all conditions are met. Registrations after this date will be considered up to 30 June (autumn start) or 30 November (spring start) if places are available. 

    Deadline for people who need a visa: 30 April or 30 September.

    Start your studies

    Online registration explained in a nutshell

    You can only register for the degree programme online.
    Our online registration guide explains everything you need to know, step by step.

    Instructions for online registration (PDF, 66 KB)

    Documents needed for the application

    Prepare the following documents as PDF or JPG:

    The following are mandatory

    • ID or passport
    • A passport photo compliant with international passport standards

    Other documents (certificates, etc.)

    • Diplomas and final certificates (e.g. vocational/technical baccalaureate certificate with grades, secondary school leaving certificate, Abitur)
    • Federal Certificate of Competence EFZ with grades
    • Work and/or internship references
    • tabular CV
    • Depending on your previous education, additional documents must also be submitted.

    Advisory service

    Choosing a training or further education program is an important decision when planning your professional career. We will be happy to answer your questions during an individual consultation and clarify your personal requirements for the MSc in Life Sciences - Regional Management in Mountain Areas.

    Head of specialization

    Jean-Jacques Thormann

    • Dozent Forstwirtschaft
    • +41 31 910 21 47
    • Show e-mail

    Coordination

    Nadine Sabrina Beierlein

    • Studiengangsassistentin Master
    • +41 31 848 63 69
    • Show e-mail


     

    Information events

    • Information Event

    ONLINE – Master of Science in Life Sciences - Regional Management in Mountain Areas 19 august 2025

    Interested in interdisciplinary knowledge and practical methods to help shape the future of the Alpine region? Jetzt anmelden zur Infoveranstaltung.

    At the event, you will get useful details about the...

    19.08.2025, 7.30pm–8.30pm – ONLINE via Microsoft Teams

    • Location + Facilities

    The BFH-HAFL campus is located in Zollikofen, near Bern. Nestled among fields and forests, the location offers both the modern infrastructure you need for your studies and countless recreational options.

    Location

    BFH-HAFL

    Hochschule für Agrar-, Forst- und Lebensmittelwissenschaften BFH-HAFL
    Länggasse 85
    3052 Zollikofen

    BFH-HAFL

    Hochschule für Agrar-, Forst- und Lebensmittelwissenschaften BFH-HAFL
    Länggasse 85
    3052 Zollikofen

    Infrastructure

    The BFH-HAFL campus in Zollikofen offers modern lecture halls, laboratories and experimental fields.

    But the campus is not just a place to study. With a swimming pool, barbecue areas, a sauna and much more, it also offers a wide range of leisure activities. There is also a student residence with around 140 furnished rooms and a canteen on the campus.