Switzerland's first Master's degree program in "Digital Government"
Bern University of Applied Sciences BFH is launching Switzerland's first degree program in the field of "Digital Government". The Master's course for all specialists and managers who want to shape the public sector and administration will start in fall 2026. Graduates of the new Master's degree course will have the skills needed to shape the digital transformation.
Efficiency and service orientation, as well as digital sovereignty and artificial intelligence, are topics that the public sector is dealing with intensively today. Aspects of the digital society, organizational transformation and legal aspects must always be taken into account. Not an easy task. This is why the Department of Business at Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) is offering a new two-year Master's degree in Digital Government as a part-time course from fall 2026 (see study guide in the appendix). Students will learn all the skills they need to actively shape the digital transformation in the public sector and in the digital society. The course combines practice-oriented learning with flexible online phases and offers an interdisciplinary education in business, technology and law.
The degree program at a glance
The "Master of Science in Digital Government" program focuses on practical training and offers three specializations:
- Organization, transformation and procurement: Leadership and public service motivation, agility and resilience in the public sector, digital skills and digital thinking, (process) innovation and cross-agency collaboration, requirements engineering, customer centricity and user experience (UX), basics of public procurement, data protection, legal informatics
- Politics, democracy and sustainability: Digital policy in Switzerland, public service of the future, digital ethics and digital inclusion, basics of technology assessment, digital democracy and digital skills, participation, co-production and collaboration, digital sovereignty and open source
- Technology: Data-centered public management, data ecosystems, data spaces, data sharing and open government, data governance, networks, infrastructures and sensor technology, data protection and information security, basics of technology (AI models and algorithms, AI use cases and best practices)
Flexible studies for working people
The course combines attendance phases in Bern (four times per semester) with flexible online learning cycles. This hybrid structure enables students to combine their studies with their professional activities. Students can work on practical projects and benefit from an international study trip.
The course is aimed at specialists and managers from the public sector as well as career changers. Admission is open to Bachelor's graduates in business administration, economics, political science, computer science, law or related subjects who want to make the public sector resilient, sustainable and efficient.
The Master's course starts in fall 2026. Further information, dates of information events and registration at http://www.bfh.ch/master-digital-government
This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/schweizweit-erster-master-studiengang-in-digital-government/
