Year 1
Diploma in Culinary Arts
The foundations of the craft — 270 logged kitchen hours across European cuisine, garde manger, bakery, breads, cakes and creams — then your first six-month paid internship.
CHF 39'100 all-inclusive
Year 1 in detail →
Programmes · Three-year dual degree
Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts
Two degrees. One graduation. Eighteen months of paid experience. Three years in Lucerne turn a passion into the CV of a working professional — and pay back CHF 43,000+ along the way.
The structure
Three years. Six semesters. Half of them paid.
Every year pairs six months on campus with a six-month paid internship — and every year ends with a full qualification in hand.
Year 2
Higher Diploma in Culinary Arts
International, Mediterranean and à la carte cuisine, chocolate work and the business of food — 335 kitchen hours and a second paid internship.
CHF 40'100 all-inclusive
Year 2 in detail →Year 3
BA in Culinary Arts — dual degree
The leadership year: management modules, a real-life event you run yourself, your third paid internship — and graduation with two bachelor degrees.
CHF 41'100 all-inclusive
Finish any year with a full qualification — step into the industry, and continue whenever you're ready. See the whole programme ladder.
Year 3
The year a chef becomes a leader
Year 3 turns a chef into a leader — four capstone modules of 15 credits each move from the stove to the business behind it:
- Managing Culinary Resources
- Creativity & Entrepreneurship
- Contemporary Culinary Operations
- Food Service Management
- Academic Writing & Composition
Semester 2 counts double: the Workplace Internship (45 credits) — your third six-month paid placement, guaranteed across a partner network in 85 countries — runs alongside your Culinary Arts Project (15 credits), the capstone you plan, cost, cook and defend.
Entry to Year 3
- Age 19+ · BHMS Higher Diploma or equivalent
- Direct entry: 12+ months of culinary higher education and 6+ months of industry experience, with proven knife and food-preparation competence
- English at IELTS 6.0 level or equivalent
The award
Two degrees. One graduation.
You graduate with TWO bachelor degrees — from the Swiss Culinary Academy by BHMS and from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen — 180 ECTS / 360 UK credits in total, with ACFEFAC-accredited culinary training.
Scotland's top-ranked modern university
In the current editions of all three major UK league tables.
Top 20 in the UK for career prospects
Graduate career prospects — Guardian University Guide 2026.
250 years of heritage
A Swiss craft education, sealed with a degree from a university founded two and a half centuries ago.
By graduation
The CV of a five-year veteran — at 21
3
qualifications — Diploma, Higher Diploma, and the dual BA
600+
logged, assessed kitchen hours — on your CV, not just your memory
18 months
of paid professional experience in real hotels and restaurants
CHF 43,000+
guaranteed gross internship earnings across the degree (all-Swiss placements)
Internships are six-month working interviews
Your employer watches you for half a year — and strong interns walk out with references and job offers in hand. That is how a degree partly finances itself and hands you a network at the same time.
Where our graduates work
Investment
One fee per year. Everything included.
| Year | Qualification | Total (all-inclusive) |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Diploma in Culinary Arts | CHF 39'100 |
| Year 2 | Higher Diploma in Culinary Arts | CHF 40'100 |
| Year 3 | BA in Culinary Arts (dual degree) | CHF 41'100 |
| Three-year total | ≈ CHF 120'300 | |
Every fee covers tuition, shared accommodation, three daily meals, Swiss health insurance, visa administration, excursions, airport pickup, uniforms and knives — one invoice, no surprises.
And the fee is not the whole story: the three paid internships return a guaranteed gross minimum of CHF 43,000+ — more than a third of the three-year investment, earned back before graduation day.
Full fees, scholarships & discountsQuestions
Straight answers
Do I graduate with a Swiss degree or a UK degree?
Both. The three-year path ends with two bachelor degrees — one from the Swiss Culinary Academy by BHMS and one from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (UK) — worth 180 ECTS / 360 UK credits in total, with ACFEFAC-accredited culinary training.
Do I have to commit to all three years at once?
No. Each year ends with a full qualification in hand — the Diploma after Year 1, the Higher Diploma after Year 2, the dual BA after Year 3. Finish any rung, step into the industry, and continue whenever you are ready.
What does the full bachelor cost?
Fees are CHF 39'100 (Year 1), CHF 40'100 (Year 2) and CHF 41'100 (Year 3) — about CHF 120'300 in total, all-inclusive: tuition, shared accommodation, three daily meals, Swiss health insurance, visa administration, airport pickup, uniforms and knives.
How much will I earn during the degree?
Each year pairs six months of study with a six-month paid internship. 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) — over CHF 43,000 across the three placements. Where resort employers provide room and board, students commonly keep around CHF 1,500 a month.
What are the entry requirements?
Entry to Year 1 requires a completed secondary education and age 17 or above. All teaching is in English; the free online Duolingo English Test is accepted, and a Preparatory English Programme is available if you need it.
When can I start?
Three intakes a year: 17 August 2026 · 16 November 2026 · February 2027. Applications start online in about two minutes, and admissions responds within 72 hours.
Two degrees are waiting. So is your first salary.
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 →