Hotel Management Program in Switzerland

Business & Hotel Management School (BHMS):
Business & Hotel Management School (BHMS) is an accredited hospitality management school, located in Luzern (less than a 1 hour drive from Zurich and approximately 2.5 hours drive from Geneva) in north-central Switzerland. We offer high-quality diploma courses, bachelor degree and MBA degree in Hospitality and Global Management as well as postgraduate diploma courses in Hospitality and Culinary Management to students from Switzerland and around the world.

Hospitality Degree & Diploma Programs:
Diploma, Higher Diploma, Advanced Diploma and Post Graduate Diploma programs in Hospitality Management, as well as a 3-year Bachelor of Arts Degree issued by the Robert Gordon University of Aberdeen, and an MBA Degree in Global Management and Hospitality Management issued by the City University of Seattle, WA USA. We also offer a one and two year Culinary Diploma. All courses are taken in Switzerland, and allow students to work in Switzerland for 50% of the course duration.

1-year Diploma in Hospitality Management:
The Diploma Program in Hospitality Management is the first 12 month intensive entry-level period of the Higher Diploma, designed for those who completed their secondary education and are looking for a career in the hospitality or tourism industry.

Students learn about food service and production alongside a varied academic schedule, including foreign languages. Swiss virtues, such as discipline, punctuality, ethics and hygiene are valued throughout the world, which count as much as academic and practical skills. 6 of the 12 months are spent in a paid internship to gain workplace experience.

Semester 1 - Period 1
Industry Training Preparatory Course; Food Service Operations; Theory of Food Service; Principles of Food Production; Personal Development

Semester 1 - Period 2
Industry Training Preparatory Course; Business Communication I; Learning and Study Methodology; Introduction to Personal Computing; German Communication I & II

Semester 1 - Period 3
Industry Training Preparatory Course; Sales and Marketing; Introduction to Hospitality and Tourism; Introduction to Spirits and Other Alcoholic Beverages; Foundation Certificate in Wines

Semester 1 - Period 4
Industry Training Preparatory Course; Business Ethics; Introduction to Yield Management Concepts; Micros Fidelio V7.13 I; French Conversation

Semester 2
Paid Industry Training

2-year Higher Diploma in Hospitality Management:
In this second 12 month academic period, six of which are again completed in a second paid internship, subjects in business management include more accounting, sales and marketing, human resources management and many other subjects. International placement generally requires successful completion of a Higher Diploma in Hospitality Management. 240 academic credits are required for Higher Diploma graduation, 48 of which are obtained during the two industry training periods.

Semester 1 - Period 5
Geography and Tourism; Yield Management; Front Office Operations; Introduction to Housekeeping

Semester 1 - Period 6
Introduction to Management Theory and Practice; Accounting II; Micros Fidelio V7.13 II; Study and Research Methodology

Semester 1 - Period 7
Budgeting for Food and Beverage; Business Communication II; Business Law I; Professional Development

Semester 1 - Period 8
Micro- and Macro Economics; Human Resource Management; Convention and Events Management

Semester 2
Paid Industry Training

3-year Bachelor of Arts (BA) Hotel and Hospitality Management Degree Course:
If you wish to earn your degree in Switzerland, than this is the course for you. It is taught on our Luzern campus in the new Lakefront Center building. The building encompasses modern classrooms, teaching labs and computer facilities. Highly vocational, the BA Hotel and Hospitality Management course provides the student with an academic qualification that is attractive to potential employers; the skills and ability to enter the working world; and a 'tool box' that can be applied to a range of careers in the hospitality industry.

Graduates of the course may become accomplished managers, capable of working across a range of public and private enterprises including leisure facilities, hotels, theme parks, conference, exhibition and even management. The course uses a range of teaching methods to facilitate learning. Core knowledge is covered by lectures and tutorials, supported by guided reading and additional materials on the University Virtual Campus. Particular care is taken to use the most effective teaching and assessment method for each module.

1-year Post Graduate Diploma in Hospitality Management:
This one year program is designed to give graduate students as well as professionals with different backgrounds an opportunity to re-engineer their career into the hospitality and tourism sector. 

MBA in Global Management and Hospitality Management Degree Program (24-months)
The MBA in Global Management and Hospitality Management is jointly managed by BHMS and City University of Seattle, USA and held at BHMS in Switzerland. The MBA courses are provided by the faculty of City University, and the degree is issued by the City University of Seattle, one of the Northwest's largest, private universities with over 40,000 graduates worldwide, and accredited by NWCCU.

The program comprises two study blocks of 6 months followed by two paid internship periods of 6 months in Switzerland. During internship periods, students are required to complete their MBA thesis as well as additional MBA capstone courses and workshops.

Diploma in Culinary Management (6-12 months)
This program familiarizes students with basic culinary terminology and processes. Modern cuisine reflects the changing life-styles of today, especially the knowledge that wellness and health are influenced by a nutritious, well-balanced daily diet. Positions in Food Production are available to graduates in hotels, hospitals, airline catering, industrial production and in their own restaurants and fast food businesses.

Culinary Trends and their characteristic features, cooking techniques, basic cooking methods, stocks, soups, sauces, meats, game, and poultry dishes as well as salads, vegetables, potato and grain dishes as well as breads and pastries are all taught in this two-year program that covers 1000 teacher contact hours either in lecture form or in the kitchen lab. Culinary students will learn food production procedures based on international culinary requirements. Students will work with ingredients that may or may not be suitable to them, including, but not limited to, non-vegetarian foods that may include pork and dairy products. To that end it is a requirement that students sample, prepare, and serve the dishes they have created.

Advanced Diploma in Culinary Management (6-12 months)
Graduates of BHMS Advanced Diploma program may complete their BA (Hons) in Culinary Arts Degree in one year full-time study at the University of Derby.

Students continue their studies with the more advanced hospitality management and operational study subjects and learn to take leadership positions within the vocational programs and the practical restaurant application subjects. Positions in Food Production are available to graduates in hotels, hospitals, airline catering, industrial production and in their own restaurants and fast food businesses.

Associate Degree in Culinary Entrepreneurship (12 months)
The content of this course focuses on developing the entrepreneurial knowledge and ability required to start an independent culinary business. The course builds on your existing culinary skills and experience to deepen practical, leadership and business skills.

During the first stage of 6 months in BHMS, students will lead culinary teams in food production, allowing the perfection of communication, organisation and team-working skills. Further dedicated theoretical courses enable the application of creative and business expertise, vital to a new successful culinary venture. The second stage of the program comprises a 6 month paid culinary internship period in Switzerland or abroad.

Course Content:
Food Production Management I, II and III; Event Catering Operations; Business Start-up; Culinary Business Analysis; Food and Culture; Facilities and Design; Culinary Marketing; Food Costing & Kitchen Accounting; Language Electives: French & German.

For further information on our hospitality degree and diploma courses, please contact us quickly via our Contact Page.