The pathway
Three steps from here to a degree
The last year of school didn't go to plan. The route to a degree is still open — one Certificate semester in Lucerne, then Year 1 of a bachelor degree. Here is the whole ladder, step by step.
One ladder, three rungs
How the pathway works
This is not a detour. Each step feeds directly into the next, on one campus, with one admissions team walking you through it.
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Months 1–6 · Lucerne
The Certificate semester
One semester — 6 months — at the BHMS campus in Lucerne. You finish holding the Certificate in Hospitality and Business Operations, with the BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Business included — equivalent in size to one A-level, awarded by Pearson. BHMS is a Pearson BTEC Approved Centre.
Four starts a year — February, May, August, November — at CHF 26'200 all-inclusive, with shared accommodation.
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After the Certificate
Year 1 of the BHMS bachelor degree
The semester is designed to bridge into Year 1 of the BHMS BA. Complete the Certificate — coursework and BTEC — and you step into Year 1 on the track you choose:
- BA Global Business Management
- BA Hotel and Hospitality Management
- BA Culinary Arts
To see where two of these tracks lead day to day, the family sites are worth a look: the Hotel Management School in Switzerland shows the Hotel and Hospitality Management route in full, and Culinary School in Switzerland does the same for Culinary Arts.
Honest fine print, up front: progression is conditional on completing the BTEC. That is the whole deal — finish the Certificate, and Year 1 is the next rung.
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The destination
A BA validated by Robert Gordon University
The BHMS bachelor degrees are validated by Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK — Scotland's top-ranked modern university in the current editions of all three major UK league tables, and Top 20 in the UK for graduate career prospects (Guardian 2026).
What is a BTEC?
A different way of learning, same destination
The BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Business is an included second credential — a UK qualification regulated and awarded by Pearson, equivalent in size to one A-level.
The part that matters if exams are where things went wrong: a BTEC is assessed through coursework. You work on projects, presentations and real business briefs, build your evidence week by week, and get feedback as you go — instead of betting a whole year on one row of final exam papers.
To be clear, that does not make it a lighter road. There are deadlines every few weeks and the work is marked to a national standard. It is learning by doing rather than learning for an exam hall — a different way of working, on the same route: Year 1 of the BHMS bachelor degrees.
Before you climb
The entry requirements, stated plainly
This pathway has a real entry floor. That is a feature — it is what makes the awards at the end worth holding.
17+
Minimum age
5 iGCSEs
Including Maths and English, or equivalent
5.0 / B2
English level, or equivalent
Not sure how your school system maps onto this? That is exactly what the Fit Check is for — or ask admissions directly on WhatsApp. See also who this programme is for.
The top of the ladder
Keep your eyes on the ceremony
Every step on this page points at the same picture: a graduation stage and a bachelor degree validated by Robert Gordon University. The Certificate semester is how you get back on route to it — a concrete next step you can start in the next few months, not someday.
Parents: the numbers, the calendar and the practical questions have their own pages — fees, intakes and a straight overview for parents.
How to apply
One semester in Lucerne. Then Year 1.
Four starts a year — February · May · August · November. Lucerne, Switzerland.
Finish the 6-month Certificate semester — earn the Certificate in Hospitality and Business Operations, with the BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Business (Pearson) included — and step into Year 1 of a BHMS bachelor degree validated by Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. See the full pathway →