Graduate Certificate in International Hospitality Business Management
Ten weeks. Two awarding bodies.
The shortest route to a Swiss hospitality credential on this site — and it still carries a dual award from BHMS and Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (UK). 30 ECTS, CHF 22'000 all in (2026 rate). No internship.
Read this before anything else: there is no internship on this programme.
Almost every other route at BHMS — the Diploma, the Higher Diploma, the BA and the Postgraduate Diploma — builds in a paid Swiss placement. The Graduate Certificate does not. It is ten weeks of taught study, and nothing on it is a work placement.
If the paid internship is the reason you are looking at Switzerland, take the Postgraduate Diploma in Hospitality Management instead — twelve months, including a six-month internship — or the MSc in International Hospitality Business Management.
Compare with the Postgraduate DiplomaThe shape of the programme
Ten weeks of teaching, three months on campus
The Graduate Certificate is a ten-week programme delivered over three months, in two intensive terms. It carries 60 credits — 30 ECTS — and finishes with a certificate signed by both BHMS and Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (UK).
That dual award is the point of it. A short postgraduate-level programme rarely comes with a UK university on the paper; this one does, which is what separates it from a ten-week course anywhere else. It suits people already working in the sector who want a Swiss and UK credential without leaving a job for a year, and people testing whether a longer BHMS postgraduate route is worth committing to.
All programmes side by side
Curriculum
Five core modules, three electives
Management subjects that travel — revenue, change, people — plus the academic writing the award requires and, if you want it, time in the practical dining labs.
| Module | Type |
|---|---|
| Innovation and Change Management | Core |
| Diversity and Inclusion in the Service Sector | Core |
| Revenue Management | Core |
| Emotional Intelligence in the Hospitality Business | Core |
| Academic Writing | Core |
| German Communications | Elective |
| Introduction to Dining Operations | Elective — practical lab |
| Food and Dining Service Operations | Elective — practical lab |
The two dining modules are practical labs rather than classroom courses. BHMS does not publish a per-module credit split or contact-hour breakdown for this programme, so none is invented here — the 30 ECTS total is the published figure, and the detailed course programme, including which electives run in your term, is confirmed at application.
Award & admission
What you graduate with, and what gets you in
Your award
Graduate Certificate in International Hospitality Business Management, awarded by BHMS together with Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (UK).
60 credits, 30 ECTS. BHMS hospitality programmes are accredited by the Institute of Hospitality (UK); the school holds the Swiss eduQua quality label.
Entry requirements
- An associate degree or equivalent
- A minimum of two years of full-time work experience
- English at IELTS 6.0 or equivalent — the highest English requirement of any programme on this site, and higher than the undergraduate routes
Not there on English yet? BHMS runs a Preparatory English Programme for applicants who do not meet the IELTS requirement for the Graduate Certificate and the Postgraduate Diploma. Its length, fees and start dates are not published — ask admissions directly.
Fees
CHF 22'000 (2026 rate), everything in
This is the lowest-cost route to a Swiss hospitality credential on this site — every other programme here costs more. These are the 2026 rates: the Graduate Certificate is not in the 2027 fees flyer and no 2027 rate has been set yet, so confirm the current fee with admissions. The total breaks down as:
| Item | Amount (2026 rate) |
|---|---|
| Tuition | CHF 17'200 |
| Operating costs | CHF 850 |
| Living expenses | CHF 2'950 |
| Application fee | CHF 1'000 |
| Total | CHF 22'000 |
The fee covers:
- Tuition and career services
- Accommodation in a 2-bed shared apartment on the LakeSide Campus (no kitchen)
- Meals — three a day during the week, two at weekends, on holidays and during term breaks
- Health insurance covering accident, illness and medical treatment
- First airport pickup
- Visa and administrative support
Not included: about CHF 500 a month for personal expenses — laundry, mobile, local travel, anything you do at weekends.
Full fees across all programmes
Intakes & visa
Start dates — and why the visa clock matters more here
Intakes for this programme
- November 2026
- May 2027
- August 2027
The 2026/27 intake calendar gives 16 November 2026, 18 May 2027 and 16 August 2027. Confirm the exact start date for your intake with admissions before booking travel.
Apply for the visa early
Swiss student visa processing takes 8–12 weeks for non-EU applicants and 4–6 weeks for EU applicants.
Read that against a ten-week programme: a non-EU applicant can spend longer waiting for the visa than the entire course lasts. Start the process well before your intake date — not after you have been offered a place and started packing.
After the certificate
It can be a step, not an endpoint
The MSc in International Hospitality Business Management accepts holders of a BHMS Graduate Certificate. So the ten weeks can work as an entry route as well as a standalone credential — finish it, and the master's is open to you.
If what you want is the Swiss paid placement rather than a master's, the Postgraduate Diploma in Hospitality Management runs twelve months and includes a six-month internship.
The MSc in detail
Questions
Straight answers
Is there an internship on the Graduate Certificate?
No. The Graduate Certificate has no internship component — it is ten weeks of taught study and nothing else. This is the one BHMS route without a placement, so if a paid Swiss internship is what you came for, look at the Postgraduate Diploma in Hospitality Management instead: twelve months including a six-month internship. The MSc is the other postgraduate option.
Who awards the Graduate Certificate?
It is a dual award. The Graduate Certificate in International Hospitality Business Management is issued by BHMS together with Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (UK). For a ten-week programme that is unusual — you leave with a Swiss hotel school credential and a UK university award on the same certificate.
How long is the programme and how is it structured?
Ten weeks of teaching delivered over three months, split into two intensive terms. It carries 60 credits, equivalent to 30 ECTS.
What do I need to be admitted?
An associate degree or equivalent, plus a minimum of two years of full-time work experience. English is IELTS 6.0 or equivalent — the highest English requirement of any programme on this site. Applicants who do not yet meet it can ask admissions about the BHMS Preparatory English Programme.
What does it cost and what is included?
CHF 22'000 in total (2026 rate): tuition CHF 17'200, operating costs CHF 850, living expenses CHF 2'950 and a CHF 1'000 application fee. No 2027 rate has been set yet, so confirm the current fee with admissions. That figure covers tuition and career services, accommodation in a 2-bed shared apartment on the LakeSide Campus (no kitchen), meals, health insurance, your first airport pickup and visa support. Budget about CHF 500 a month on top for personal expenses.
When can I start, and how early should I apply for the visa?
Intakes for this programme are November 2026, May 2027 and August 2027 (16 November 2026, 18 May 2027 and 16 August 2027 on the 2026/27 intake calendar). Student visa processing runs 8–12 weeks for non-EU applicants and 4–6 weeks for EU applicants. Because the programme itself is only ten weeks long, a non-EU applicant should begin the visa process several months before the intake — the paperwork can easily take longer than the course.
Watch
See it for yourself
Next step
Three intakes a year. A degree that pays you back before you graduate.
Next intakes: 16 November 2026 · 22 February 2027 · 16 August 2027 · Lucerne, Switzerland
Every academic semester is followed by a six-month paid internship — CHF 2'390/month gross in Switzerland, three times across the bachelor. How the internship model works →