Swiss Culinary Academy by BHMS · Lucerne
The Swiss way to a culinary career
Train in seven professional kitchens in the birthplace of modern hospitality — and get paid while you learn: every programme year includes a guaranteed six-month internship at CHF 2'390/month minimum.
Why BHMS
The numbers behind the name
#12
worldwide — QS Hospitality & Leisure Management 2026 · #7 for employer reputation
CHF 43,000+
guaranteed gross internship earnings across the 3-year bachelor (all-Swiss placements)
7
professional training kitchens across three Lucerne locations
100%
internship placement — partner network in 85 countries, 40 Career Days a year
12,000+
graduates since 1998, from 95+ nationalities
2
degrees at graduation — BHMS + Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (UK)
Your path
Start at 16. Stop when you're running the business.
One ladder, four entry points — finish any rung with a full qualification, continue whenever you're ready.
- Ages 16–20 Culinary Summer Camp 2 weeks · CHF 3'300 — fully credited if you enrol
- Year 1 Diploma in Culinary Arts 270 kitchen hours + 6-month paid internship
- Years 2–3 Higher Diploma → Dual BA Advanced craft, management — graduate with 2 degrees
- The summit MSc Culinary Entrepreneurship Your own food business, built as your thesis · WSET Level 2
Earn while you learn
Guaranteed. Paid. Housed.
Every academic semester is followed by a six-month paid internship — placement guaranteed across partners in 85 countries, from family-run Swiss houses to five-star flags and Michelin-starred kitchens.
3 internships × 6 months × CHF 2'390 = CHF 43,000+ before graduation
Resort employers typically provide staff accommodation and meals — students commonly keep around CHF 1,500 a month. At most culinary schools abroad, placements are short and unpaid. In Swiss hospitality, paid internships are the law.
How the internship model works
Campus
A grand hotel for a campus
The Lakeside Campus lives inside the historic Union Hotel — professional kitchens and a fine-dining Grand Hall under one early-20th-century roof, minutes from Lake Lucerne. Accommodation, three daily meals, insurance and airport pickup are all in one fee.
Kitchens, rooms & meals
Questions
Straight answers
Are BHMS culinary internships really paid?
Yes. In Switzerland, interns from recognised schools are entitled under the national hospitality labour agreement (L-GAV) to a gross minimum of CHF 2,390 per month (2026 rate, before deductions for board, lodging and social insurance). BHMS is on the official recognised-school list, and every programme year includes a guaranteed six-month placement.
What degree do I graduate with?
The three-year bachelor path ends with two degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts from the Swiss Culinary Academy by BHMS and one from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (UK) — 180 ECTS total, with ACFEFAC-accredited culinary training.
Do I need to speak German or French?
No — all programmes are taught in English. German or French classes are part of every programme year, so you graduate with a second working language on top of daily exposure to Switzerland’s multilingual life.
How much does it cost?
Fees are all-inclusive: tuition, shared accommodation, three daily meals, Swiss health insurance, visa administration, airport pickup, uniforms and knives. The diploma year is CHF 39,100; the full three-year bachelor totals about CHF 120,300 — offset by CHF 43,000+ in guaranteed gross internship earnings.
When can I start?
Three intakes per year: 17 August 2026, 16 November 2026 and February 2027. Applications take about two minutes to start online, and admissions responds within 72 hours.
Three intakes a year. One decision that pays you back.
Next intakes: 17 August 2026 · 16 November 2026 · February 2027 · Lucerne, Switzerland
Every bachelor year pairs six months of study with a six-month paid internship — a guaranteed gross minimum of CHF 2,390/month in Switzerland. How the internship model works →