For US community college students & graduates
Finish your bachelor's in Switzerland
Your credits can place you straight into Year 2 or Year 3 of a Bachelor of Arts at BHMS Lucerne — graduate with two degrees (BHMS + Robert Gordon University, UK) and a paid internship built into every year.
- QS #12 worldwide · Hospitality & Leisure Management 2026
- Dual award with Robert Gordon University (UK)
- 180 ECTS · 360 UK credits
- A paid internship after every academic semester
- eduQua certified
- Accredited by the American Culinary Federation
- 27+ years in Lucerne
Direct entry
Three steps from your college to Lucerne
- Step 01 Send your transcript Finished the first or second year of a hospitality or culinary arts program — or hold equivalent work experience? BHMS reviews your transcript individually (studied something adjacent? send it anyway — the review decides). Provisional acceptance is possible while documents are on the way.
- Step 02 Get your entry year Qualified students join Year 2 or Year 3 of the BA. Verified industry work experience equivalent to the first-year curriculum can also fast-track you into Year 2 — skipping Year 1 entirely.
- Step 03 Study, intern, graduate Each year is a six-month academic semester in Lucerne followed by a six-month paid internship, in Switzerland or worldwide. Finish with degrees from BHMS and Robert Gordon University.
Why BHMS
The numbers behind the name
#12
worldwide in Hospitality & Leisure Management — QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026
2
degrees at graduation — BHMS and Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (UK)
12 months*
to your BA for qualified Year-3 entrants: one academic semester + one final paid internship
CHF 2'390
gross per month in Swiss hospitality internship placements — every academic semester is followed by one
180 ECTS
360 UK credits for the full BA — recognized far beyond Switzerland
27+
years BHMS has trained hospitality, culinary and business leaders in Lucerne
*In certain cases, you may be required to complete an additional term to fulfill the module requirements.
Student stories · summer 2026
Heard in Lucerne
Students and instructors from US community colleges joined the BHMS summer program in Lucerne in 2026. This is what they said — in their own words, subtitled.
The programs
Four Bachelor of Arts degrees. One structure.
Every BA runs three years — 180 ECTS, a paid internship in each — and every one is open to Year 2 / Year 3 direct entry. You are choosing a subject, not a different deal.
Business track Hotel & Hospitality Management
Run the hotel, not just work in it — operations, revenue and strategy for the international hotel industry.
Business track Global Business Management
The business generalist route — international business, project management and digital media on a hospitality foundation.
Culinary track Culinary Arts
From à la carte to entrepreneurship — a chef’s bachelor with hundreds of hours in professional kitchens.
Culinary track Culinary Arts and Patisserie
Pastry, chocolate and bakery as a career — creative technique with entrepreneurial insight and industry placements.The Year-3 math
Two years done at home. One year to a Swiss BA.
Year 3 of every BHMS BA is one six-month academic semester in Lucerne plus one final six-month paid internship. Qualify for Year 3 entry, and the distance between your associate degree and a European bachelor's is a single year.
The Year-3 all-inclusive total — tuition, shared accommodation with meals during the academic semester, Swiss health insurance, visa administration, internship placement, airport pick-up — is CHF 41'700 on the business track and CHF 42'200 on the culinary track (2027 tables).
In certain cases, you may be required to complete an additional term to fulfill the module requirements. Year 3 direct entry is limited to selected intakes.
Every fee, line by line
News
Lucerne or a four-year university: the comparison
After an associate degree, the usual route is two more years at a four-year university. Our guide sets that route beside the final year in Lucerne: time to the degree, the credit you keep, cost and paid work, on official US figures and the 2027 fees.
Still choosing a country? Start with our guides to studying abroad in Switzerland, universities in Switzerland for international students and studying in Europe, also in Spanish and Portuguese.
Not ready to commit?
Test-drive Switzerland: Swiss Summer Abroad 2027
A 10-day familiarization program for US community college students — 28 June – 7 July 2027, Lucerne. Two hands-on tracks (Culinary Arts and Hospitality), Zurich and Mount Rigi excursions, an American Dinner on the 4th of July, and up to 2 US academic credits (subject to home-institution approval).
Accommodation, meals, workshops and excursions included. Participation costs are credited toward BA tuition if you continue into the bachelor's.
Paid internships
Half of every year is real industry work
Each six-month academic semester is followed by a six-month internship — in Switzerland or worldwide. Swiss hospitality placements pay a gross CHF 2'390/month before deductions for room, board and social insurance.
BHMS works with an established network of industry partners to guarantee internship placements during your studies — and your employer evaluates you on an agreed set of developmental criteria, so every placement ends with documented feedback.
How the internships work
Will my community college credits count?
BHMS reviews your transcript individually. If you have successfully completed the first or second year of a hospitality or culinary arts program at another institution, you can join Year 2 or Year 3 of a BHMS Bachelor of Arts. BHMS does not guarantee that academic credits from other institutions will be accepted, and in certain cases you may be required to complete an additional term to fulfill the module requirements — send your transcript and you get an individual answer, with provisional acceptance possible while documents are being obtained.
How fast can I finish my bachelor’s degree?
Year 3 of a BHMS BA is one six-month academic semester followed by a final six-month paid internship — so students who qualify for Year 3 entry can finish in as little as twelve months. Year 2 entrants complete two years. In certain cases an additional term is required to fulfill module requirements.
What degree do I graduate with?
Two. Every BHMS Bachelor of Arts is a dual award: you graduate with degrees from BHMS and from Robert Gordon University (UK). The full program carries 180 ECTS / 360 UK credits.
What does a year cost?
Business-track BAs (Hotel & Hospitality Management, Global Business Management): Year 2 CHF 40'700, Year 3 CHF 41'700 all-inclusive. Culinary-track BAs: Year 2 CHF 41'200, Year 3 CHF 42'200. The totals include tuition, shared accommodation with meals for the 24-week academic semester, Swiss health insurance, visa and permit administration, excursions and your first airport pick-up. 2027 fee tables; fees are reviewed every year.
Are the internships really paid?
Yes — each academic semester is followed by a six-month internship, in Switzerland or worldwide, and Swiss placements pay a gross CHF 2'390 per month before deductions for room, board and social insurance. BHMS works with an established network of industry partners to guarantee internship placements during your studies.
What are the entry requirements for Year 2 or Year 3?
Minimum 18 years of age, at least one year of equivalent training completed (or two years of work experience), and English at IELTS 5.5 or equivalent. Below that level, the Preparatory English Programme bridges the gap.
When can I start?
BHMS runs multiple intakes through the year — most BAs list eight. Year 3 direct entry is limited to selected intakes, so tell us your target date and we confirm the next eligible start.
Watch
See it for yourself
Next step
Your credits got you this far. Switzerland takes you the rest of the way.
Direct entry into Year 2 or Year 3 of a BHMS Bachelor of Arts — Lucerne, Switzerland. Multiple intakes through the year.
Every BA is awarded by BHMS and Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen — and each academic semester is followed by a six-month paid internship. Swiss hospitality placements pay a gross CHF 2'390/month. How the internships work