News · 23 October 2026
Bachelor's degree with a paid internship: the final year
Employers want graduates who've already done an internship. If you join the final year in Lucerne after your associate degree, the degree itself ends in a six-month paid internship, so your first job application doesn't start from zero.
Looking for a bachelor's degree with a paid internship built in? At BHMS the final year is one six-month academic semester in Lucerne followed by a six-month paid internship, so if you join that year with an associate degree, you graduate with work experience already on your CV.[3][4] That matters, because US employers often treat internship experience as the deciding factor between two otherwise equal candidates.[1]
Do employers really care about internships?
They do, and more than about your grades. In its Job Outlook 2026 survey, the National Association of Colleges and Employers asked employers what tips the balance between two equally qualified graduates. An internship with their own organization, or an internship in their industry, came out on top. Those were the only two attributes employers said had "very much influence."[1]
Your major still counts. A GPA of 3.0 or higher, though, now ranks below general work experience, a leadership position and extracurricular activities.[1] NACE ran the survey from August 7 to September 22, 2025, with 183 employers responding.[1]
You know the catch. The first job asks for experience, and you need a first job to get it.
How does the paid internship fit into the bachelor's?
Every BHMS year has the same rhythm: a six-month academic semester, then a six-month paid internship, in Switzerland or worldwide. Over the full three-year bachelor's that adds up to three internships and up to 18 months of paid work.[2]
If you come in with an associate degree in Hotel Management or Business, you join the final semester directly.[3] The same goes for an associate degree in Culinary Arts, where Semester 5 includes 300 kitchen hours.[4] Your final year then looks like this:
| Final year | Where | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Semester 5: academic semester | Lucerne | Six months |
| Semester 6: paid internship | Switzerland or worldwide | Six months |
In certain cases you may need an additional term to meet the module requirements.[3] We don't guarantee that credits from another institution will be accepted, and every transcript is reviewed on its own.[3] If the review places you in Year 2, you do two internships instead of one.[2]
What does the internship pay?
From January 2027, Swiss placements pay a gross CHF 2,404 a month, before deductions for room, board and social security.[2] That's about $2,920 at the European Central Bank reference rates of October 23, 2026 (CHF 1 = USD 1.2131).[5]
One honest note: most positions in Switzerland depend very much on your German, French or Italian. Placements are also available worldwide.[2] And the internship is when you earn. Non-EU students, US students included, don't work part-time during their studies at BHMS.[2]
Does the employer assess your work?
Yes. Your employer evaluates you against an agreed set of developmental criteria, and you write a reflection on how you've grown professionally.[2] BHMS supports the placement through its network of industry partners.[2] So when you sit down for your first job interview, you can talk about six months of real work and how it was judged.
What does this mean for you?
The first job will ask for experience. On this route you'll already have it, because the degree itself ends in paid work. You finish with a Bachelor of Arts awarded by BHMS and Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, UK, and the last stretch of that degree is a job, not an exam.[3]
That lines up with what tipped the balance for the employers NACE surveyed: an internship in their industry.[1] You wouldn't spend the months after graduation hunting for a first internship. You'd leave the degree with one already done and assessed.
It changes the interview, too. The question stops being "do you have any experience?" and becomes "tell us about the hotel, the kitchen or the company where you worked." You answer that one with things you actually did, and with how your employer assessed your work. That's a far easier conversation to have.
Moving on to a four-year university at home is a good route too, and it's yours to weigh. What the final year in Lucerne adds is simple: you don't have to find a paid internship on top of your classes. It's built into the degree.
When could you start?
The final year opens in February, August and November. The next starts are November 16, 2026, February 22, 2027, and August 16, 2027.[3]
See how the paid internships work in detail, then read about direct entry and send us your transcript. We'll tell you where you'd fit.