Why Switzerland
Finish your degree where the industry lives
You could finish your bachelor's at the nearest state school. Or you could finish it in Lucerne, Switzerland — at a school ranked #12 worldwide in Hospitality & Leisure Management, with a paid internship closing every year of the program.
The case for the country
Switzerland is not a backdrop. It is the syllabus.
For a hospitality, culinary or business degree, Switzerland is subject matter, not scenery: a small multilingual country in the center of Europe, run on precision service, with a tourism economy that works year-round across lakes, mountains and cities. The hotels in your case studies are the hotels down the street.
It is also an easy country to be a student in — trains that run to the timetable, compact cities that feel safe to walk in the evening, and the rest of Europe starting at the platform edge.
BHMS has trained hospitality, culinary and business students in Lucerne for 27+ years. Every BA year pairs a six-month academic semester with a six-month paid internship, in Switzerland or worldwide.
The four BA programs
Your base
Lucerne: a small city with a big industry
Lucerne is a compact lakeside city ringed by mountains — small enough to walk across, well connected by Swiss rail to the rest of the country. It is a working tourist destination in its own right, which matters when your degree is about hotels, food, or the business built around them: the industry you are studying is operating all around you, in every season.
All four Bachelor of Arts programs are taught in Lucerne, at Guetschstrasse 2-6, 6003 Lucerne.
Inside the campus
Beyond the classroom
A continent within reach
Switzerland is small and densely connected by train, and it borders Italy, France, Germany and Austria. Lakes, mountain railways and four national language regions all sit within reach of campus — and BHMS builds excursions and field trips into the operating costs already included in your fee.
For a US student, this is the hard-to-match part: the study-abroad experience others buy as a single semester is simply what your final years of college look like.
Want to test it first? Summer Abroad 2027
The money reality
Expensive country, honest math
Switzerland has a reputation for being expensive, and the BHMS fee is structured to absorb most of that rather than leave it as a surprise. Every BA year total includes tuition, shared accommodation (2–4 bed) with meals for the 24-week academic semester, Swiss health insurance, visa administration, and excursions. For direct entrants that is CHF 39'600–CHF 40'100 for Year 2 and CHF 40'600–CHF 41'100 for Year 3, depending on track — 2026 rates.
And money flows back: each academic semester is followed by a six-month paid internship, and Swiss hospitality placements pay a gross CHF 2'390/month before deductions for room, board and social security — up to three placements across the full BA.
BHMS works with an established network of industry partners to guarantee internship placements during your studies. Most positions inside Switzerland depend on German, French or Italian language skills. How the internships work →
Full fee breakdown
Recognition
The labels behind the degree
A Swiss address is not a credential on its own. These are the ones that are documented.
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026
#12 worldwide in Hospitality & Leisure Management — an independently compiled subject ranking, not a self-reported one.
QS 5-Star Institution
BHMS holds a QS 5-Star Institution rating and has taught in Lucerne for 27+ years.
A second, British degree
Every BA is a dual award with Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (Scotland, UK). You graduate with two degrees.
Credits that count
The full BA carries 180 ECTS / 360 UK credits — 60 ECTS per year, with exit awards at Diploma and Higher Diploma level along the way.
Swiss oversight
BHMS is eduQua certified and regulated by the Canton of Lucerne.
Accreditation
Accredited by Robert Gordon University (Aberdeen, Scotland) and the American Culinary Federation (ACF).
For US students
Your credits already speak the language
If you have successfully completed the first or second year of a hospitality or culinary arts program — or hold verified work experience equivalent to the first-year curriculum — you can join a BHMS Bachelor of Arts in Year 2 or Year 3 and finish your degree in Lucerne.
Associate degree holders in Hotel Management, Business or Culinary Arts enter the final BA semester at BHMS directly. In certain cases, you may be required to complete an additional term to fulfill the module requirements.
Questions
Straight answers
Do I need to speak German to study in Switzerland?
No. Admission to a BHMS Bachelor of Arts is set at IELTS 5.5 or equivalent English, and a Language Elective sits in the Year 2 module list on the business-track BAs if you want to add German. Where language does matter is placements: BHMS notes that most internship positions inside Switzerland depend very much on your German, French or Italian language skills — so if a Swiss placement is the goal, start on the language early.
How do the paid internships work?
Each academic semester is followed by a six-month internship placement, in Switzerland or worldwide — three across the full BA, or one final placement for Year 3 direct entrants. BHMS works with an established network of industry partners to guarantee internships during your studies, and Swiss hospitality placements pay a gross CHF 2'390 per month before deductions for room, board and social security.
Can I work part-time while I study?
Non-EU students may not work part-time off campus during academic semesters. The earning phase is built into the program instead: every academic semester is followed by a six-month paid internship placement.
What recognition stands behind the degree?
The full BA carries 180 ECTS / 360 UK credits and is a dual award — you graduate with degrees from BHMS and Robert Gordon University (Aberdeen, UK). BHMS is ranked #12 worldwide in Hospitality & Leisure Management (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026), holds a QS 5-Star Institution rating, is eduQua certified, regulated by the Canton of Lucerne, and accredited by Robert Gordon University and the American Culinary Federation.
How is this different from finishing at a state school?
Your existing credits can place you into Year 2 or Year 3 of the BA rather than starting over, qualified Year 3 entrants can finish in as little as twelve months — one academic semester plus one final paid internship — and you graduate with two degrees instead of one, plus Swiss work experience on the résumé. In certain cases, you may be required to complete an additional term to fulfill the module requirements.
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 →