Hotel / Hospitality Management in Switzerland

Since Switzerland is considered the birthplace of hospitality, it’s apparently popular for students to gain a Hotel Management degree in Switzerland.  The Swiss have an incredible reputation for offering top hospitality education! Swiss Universities and Institutions offer hospitality management studies that are certified by International Organization for Standardization or the Swiss quality label for further education (EduQua) or the are the member of Swiss Hotel Schools Association (ASEH). Some schools are accredited by NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges). There are now more than 35 schools and universities dedicated to hospitality in Switzerland, attracting students from all over the world. Courses can be taught in English, French, German and Italian, and most schools offer a huge variety of options for travelling the around the world on work placements in top hotels, venues and at world-class events as well as internships in Michelin-starred restaurants.

Some quick notes to clear your most common queries:

Duration of BS/MS in Switzerland: BS in Switzerland is 3.5 to 4 years whereas Postgraduate Diploma can be upto 2 years, Masters for a year & MBA between 1 to 2 years

Internship in Switzerland: This is a big feature of studying hospitality or hotel management in Switzerland. Most programmes are formed such that they offer 6 months of study and then 6 months of paid internship in a year. This allows you to save money during your study time and gain the all important practical experience

Intakes: Several Hotel Management programs in Switzerland begin in January, April, July, August, October

Cost of Studying: Course fee and living expenses for a Bachelors Degree ranges between CHF 87,000 to CHF 185,000 for the full program (typically tuition fees are paid as per the number of semesters). Course fee in case of Post Graduate Diplomas & MS/MBA range from CHF 29,000 to CHF 80,000. Accommodation & living is extra. Note: Higher fee does not determine the quality of the Bachelor program.

Work Experience Requirement: No work experience is required to apply for bachelors however for MBA 1 -2 years for work experience is required.

SAT / GMAT / GRE: Most Bachelors and Masters do not require SAT GRE or GMAT except for few MBA in hospitality Management, which may require a GMAT.

English Language Requirement: Either IELTS test or TOEFL test is compulsory. The test could be done within one month from the date you decide to take the test ie. preparing for the test, registering for the test, to appearing for it. If you need to register for the test or need help or coaching, you could contact us at +91 9820864001

Work during Study: Students can work up to 15 hours per week during their studies and could vary from canton to canton (state or province). There is a combination of practising both hands-on skills and theory-based components in each course of the degree offered be it a UG or a PG degree. 2 term Internships of 6 months each are a norm in most of the Bachelor programs. Few institutions may have upto 3 terms of internship.1 term internship is found in PG Dip / MS/ MBA courses. Internships are offered locally and internationally where in the students get an opportunity to intern in various countries like Malaysia, UK etc in TOP 5 star Hotels and Resorts. These are paid internship wherein you can earn around CHF 2500 per month.

Work After Study: Third country nationals who earn a degree from a university in Switzerland may stay in the country for up to six months after graduation to stay. You may seek full, permanent employment and during this job search you are allowed to work 15 hrs/ week

Some of the popular colleges / universities available in Switzerland for Hotel / Hospitality Management courses:

Glion Institute of Higher Education

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Hospitality Management

Intakes: January / July

Duration: 7 Semesters

Tuition Fees: CHF 23,300 First 25,600 per Semester afterwards

Postgraduate Diplomas in Hospitality Management

Intakes: January

Duration: 2-3 Semesters

Tuition Fees: CHF 17,200 per Semester

MBA in International Hospitality

Intakes: February

Duration: 12 Months

Tuition Fees: CHF 34,135 per semester

Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

Bachelor in International Hospitality Management

Intakes: February, September

Duration: 48 Months

Tuition Fees: CHF 27,000 Average per semester  (4 Semesters)

Master in Global Hospitality Business

Intakes: February, September

Duration: 3 Semesters

Tuition Fees: CHF 35,000

Executive MBA in Hospitality Administration

Intakes: September

Duration: 12 Months

Tuition Fees: CHF 50,000

Les Roches International School of Hotel Management, Bluche – Switzerland

BBA in International Hotel Management

Intakes: January, August

Duration: 42 Months (7 Semesters)

Tuition Fees: CHF 110,450 (5 Semesters + 2 Internships)

BBA in Global Hospitality Management

Intakes: January, July

Duration: 42 Months (7 Semesters)

Tuition Fees: CHF 127,500 (5 Semesters + 2 Internships)

Diploma In Hotel Management

Intakes: January- February, July-August

Duration: 36 Months

Tuition Fees:  CHF 68,550 (3 Semesters + 3 Internships)

Postgraduate Diploma in Hospitality Administration

Intakes: January, July

Duration: 18 Months

Tuition Fees: CHF 36,700 (2 Semesters + 1 Internship)

Postgraduate Higher Diploma in Hospitality Management

Intakes: January, July

Duration: 24 Months

Tuition Fees: CHF 56,100 (3 Semesters + 1 Internship)

Master of Science in Hospitality Leadership

Intakes: January, July

Duration: 12 Months

Tuition Fees: CHF 39,800

Age Requirement: Minimum 21 Years

Master of Business Administration – Strategic Hospitality Management Degree

Intakes: January, July

Duration: 12 Months

Tuition Fees: CHF 49,100

Some other Universities are listed below for your reference

• César Ritz Colleges, Le Bouveret, Brig – Switzerland
• Ecole Hôtelière de Genève, Switzerland
• BHMS Business & Hotel Management School, Luzern, Switzerland
• The Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality, Passugg, Switzerland
• Hotel Institute Montreux, Switzerland
• Swiss Hotel Management School (SHMS)
• IMI University Centre, Kastanienbaum Switzerland
• IHTTI School of Hotel Management, Neuchâtel ,Switzerland

Admission requirement for studying Hotel / Hospitality Management in Switzerland:

IELTS or TOEFL

In order to get admission in the Swiss universities, candidates need to demonstrate English language competency by scoring high in TOEFL or IELTS exams. In IELTS, the preferred score is 5.5 / 6.0 for bachelors and 6 / 6.5 for Post Graduate courses. (out of 9) and in TOEFL iBT, the preferred score is 90 above or higher but different Universities have TOEFL requirement starting from 80 (out of 120). Both TOEFL and IELTS test dates are available each month. Learn more about TOEFL or IELTS

Statement of Purpose (SOP)

All students must write a Statement of Purpose (SOP). It’s a 1.5 to 2 page essay where you can talk about your previous education, you career interests, your future career goals, why study in Switzerland, why a particular University or a Swiss Hotel School and any other experiences that help you stand out of the crowd

Resume

A well crafted resume goes a long way. It should clearly talk about your employment, education, and achievements. Generally, we recommend that your resume / CV should be should only be of one page. Here is where you can get a simple explanation on what can appear on a smart resume

Letter of Recommendation

A recommendation letter that highlight candidates’ achievements in academic or professional world would add great value to the candidature.

• If you are working (after your graduation), then it is advisable to get at least one recommendation letter from your immediate supervisor who is generally considered to be in the best position to have been able to observe your work and assess your capabilities
• If you are applying while you are studying in your final year, then you should try and take recommendation letters from referees who have taught you a subject. Additionally, you can take one from the Principal or Dean or Director
• Mostly Swiss Universities prefer an online recommendation. You will need to register the referees online (in the online application portal). Your referee will receive an email from the Swiss University and your referee will have to following the instructions to submit the recommendation online
• While registering the referees, it is preferred to have the Institutional or Organizational email id (not gmail, yahoo, outlook, etc.)
• Your referees will have to submit the recommendation before the application deadline
• Most Swiss Universities will ask for at least 2 recommendations

Work Experience

It is not necessary to have work experience (in general) to apply for Bachelor courses in Switzerland however PG diploma / few MS / MBA courses would ask for 1-2 years work experience. If however you do have work experience after your graduation, highlighting that fact is an added advantage. Work during your studies is considered to be part-time work (which does not substitute for full-time work). Some Universities will recommend you to include the work experience letters during the application stage if you have a gap between your last qualification and the time when you are applying for your MS program

Interviews

Generally, there are NO interviews conducted for Bachelors however for Post Graduate courses interviews are there in several institutions. Your application is your only chance to display all your skills to the University / Institution.

These interviews could be conducted by a faculty member or a staff or an alumni or a third party representative appointed by the University. These interview are more often informal in nature and are meant for information exchange. These interviews allow university representatives to judge the candidates’ focus, passion, future career goals and personality.

Our experience says that interviews last anything between 15 to 45 minutes. These interviews may through a telephone call or via Skype

How we help?

Consulting:

We explain the complete process of studying in Switzerland. We assess your profile and understand your suitability to study in Switzerland. We suggest areas of profile development

Shortlisting:

Based on your interest area, future plans, career objectives, budget and several other factors, we help you select the right  programs in Switzerland you must apply to. This is very important because you spend application fees per university, send out couriers and invest more during the process and not applying to the right set of Universities would mean a loss of money and time. We categorically suggest Ambitious, Moderate and Safe University options from which you can select from so as to create the right set of final 8 Universities

Application Documentation:

We guide you with your documents required for applying to programs in Switzerland. This includes helping you build and edit the right CV, editing suggestions to strengthen your essays and SOP, providing guidance on your recommendation letter content, and more. We are one of the leading admission consulting in the country and essay editing is our forte

Application:

We guide you through the applications to Swiss Universities where we plan the complete application, help you bring out your strengths during your application, help you fill the application forms correctly, check the content, rectify any errors, and help you submit the application. This is followed by checking the application documents to be sent to the right department at the University

Follow Up Counseling:

We are always there for you. Universities email you their queries or provide updates on your applications. Often times, we follow up with your Universities. After your applications too, generally you are bound to come up with a lot of questions, and we will be happy to help

Interview rounds:

Few top Swiss Universities would want to do an interview round with you before finalizing your admissions. We provide you with mock rounds and help you build your confidence, so that you could establish to the University that you could contribute well to their Masters class

Finalization:

Once your offers are in, we help you finalize on the right program. Often students face a dilemma at this stage when they receive more than one admit

Financial Matters:

We will guide on how you have to make your fee payment and get your confirmation from the University

Visa Guidance:

We guide you through the complete student visa process including suggesting the right documents, documentation check, applying for appointment, preparing the visa application file, providing mock interview rounds and more

Connect:

We try to connect you with other students who are going to Switzerland or who are already studying there

Accommodation:

We guide you with booking of your accommodation in Switzerland to whatever extent that is possible

Remember:

Shortlisting the right set of Universities and editing essays is the biggest task where students face issues. We have always encouraged our students to join top Universities and with limitless iterations to essays/SOP and brainstorming discussions, we believe to have placed students to Universities that have been their dream!