The Swiss Professional Degree in Hotel & Gastronomy is a comprehensive program to prepare you to become a successful Hotel or Restaurant Manager. Our study-work format enables you to combine classes with a part-time job.

Next intake:

August 04, 2024

Hotelfachschule Thun Students

Practical approach:
Our program emphasizes hands-on training and real-life practical experience, enabling you to develop the essential skills required in the industry.

Adapted to a 50-70% job:
you can keep a permanent position during your studies: you stay financially independent and earn work experience while progressing towards your degree.

Industry-Relevant curriculum:
We have established strong collaborations with leading hotels and restaurants and our curriculum is naturally designed to align with the latest trends of the industry.

Hotelfachschule Campus Thun Students

The Lab Hotel:
We have our own 65-room hotel on campus! You will have the chance to practice being a hotel manager in a real-life environment right at school.

Cool, modern learning spaces:
Our school has a unique vibe, with its colorful facilities that reflect the laid-back style of modern hotel concepts. The friendly atmosphere will enhance your learning experience.

Recognized diploma:
The Swiss Professional Diploma in Hotel and Restaurant Management offered by our school is recognized by the Swiss Confederation and highly regarded in the industry. Our graduates are highly sought-after.

Key Facts

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Diploma

Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education in Hospitality Management
(Dipl. Hoteliere-Gastronomin/Hotelier-Gastronom HF)

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Duration

3,5 years

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Location

Thun, Canton Bern, Switzerland

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Format

Part-time 
(3 years full-time format also available)

Courses by semester

Classes generally take place on two consecutive weekdays. The program also begins with the Check-in semester. Students with a relevant vocational diploma (EFZ) can be exempted from one of the above-mentioned modules. The semesters are designed to be practice-oriented, preparing students optimally for leadership roles in the hospitality industry. They cover fundamentals of business administration, specialized knowledge in hospitality, leadership and social skills, management and strategy, language and intercultural competencies, as well as technology and digitalization. Practical experience is gained throughout the entire study period through employment with a company in the hospitality industry.

 

Students with the relevant EFZ diploma can be exempted from the Kitchen, Catering or the Rooms Division module

Introduction days

  • Exchange and networking of theory and practice
  • Campus tour
  • Introductory lectures
  • Working with first and second devices
  • Welcome by the city of Thun

Kitchen 

  • Trends and guest needs
  • Infrastructure in production facilities
  • Food safety, HACCP
  • Basic knowledge of procurement organization, production planning, menu planning
  • Cooking methods, culinary arts, and presentation
  • Nutrition, food knowledge, sustainability

Restaurant Service

  • Service standards, service procedures, and service types
  • Guest groups and types
  • Presentation skills and etiquette
  • Guest care and communication
  • Service rules and techniques
  • Working at the guest table
  • Basic knowledge of wine, coffee including service rules

Rooms Division 

  • Housekeeping
  • Front officeGuest relations
  • Night operations
  • Complaint management

Training Coaching

  • Learning comprehension, learning strategies, learning biography
  • Work techniques, self-reflection
  • Time management
  • Development skills, group dynamics
  • Personal development
  • Presentation skills

My Business 

  • Principles and contexts of business management
  • Human resources
  • Productivity and profitability
  • Introduction legal studies 
  • Economic basics
  • Management tasks at a glance

Market4you

  • Marketing Concepts
  • Environmental Analysis, Trends, Needs Analysis, and Segmentation, Techniques and Instruments of Strategic Analysis
  • Marketing Mix
  • Online Marketing
  • Introduction to Marketing & Sales
  • Introduction to Social Media
  • Introduction to Public Relations
  • Marketing Communication

Guest Service

  • Introduction to the Structure and Organization of a Hospitality Business
  • Rooms Division
  • F&B Management
  • Other Business Areas (including Processes, MICE, Catering, Events, etc.)
  • Employee Organization
  • Internal and External Communication
  • Key Figures and Statistics
  • Guest Management
  • Reservation System (PMS)
  • Concept Analysis, Structure and Process Organization

Procurement and management

  • Procurement Principles
  • Sourcing Strategies
  • Procurement and Purchasing Policies
  • Principles and Developments in Purchasing
  • Storage and Management of Goods
  • Wine and Viticulture
  • Excursions
  • Guest Lectures
  • Basics of Accounting

Fundamentals of accounting

  • Double-entry bookkeeping 

Transfer module project week

  • Project management
  • Preparation of documentation
  • Deep Dive into Practical Topics

Training coaching 

  • Emotional Competencies, Empathy, Perspectives
  • Self-Perception and External Perception, Impact Competency
  • Communication in Conversations
  • Personal Conflict, Emotion, and Stress Management
  • Developing Professional Identity
  • Managing Personal Resources, Group Dynamics

French I

  • Language Competencies in the Hospitality Industry
  • Language Competencies for Management

Digital Applications and Technologies I

  • Digital Trends and Developments
  • Digital Applications to Support Processes
  • Individual Specialization

Securing finances

  • Application of business accounting tools (cash flow statement, cost accounting, payroll accounting)
  • Accounting software
  • Budgeting

Our offer 

  • Gastronomy and hospitality market
  • Introduction to the conception and design of hospitality offers
  • Banquet organization
  • Calculation and pricing of hospitality services
  • Hotel sales
  • Innovation, design thinking
  • Circular economy
  • Various implementation projects

People & Leadership

  • Personnel management, employee lifecycle
  • Communication
  • Diversity management
  • Business correspondence
  • Employee scheduling, employee budget
  • Employer branding
  • Labor law

Transfer module Pop-up & Event

  • Development of gastronomy and event concepts
  • Offer planning
  • Marketing
  • Ensuring implementation
  • Leadership and collaboration with employees
  • Recruitment and leadership
  • Planning and monitoring
  • Calculation and pricing, budget, post-calculation

Training coaching 

  • Group competence
  • Relationship competence
  • Introduction to leadership coaching

English II 

  • Business English
  • Language skills in the hospitality and tourism industries
  • Language skills for management

French II 

  • Language skills in the hospitality industry
  • Language skills for management

Digital Applications and Technologies II

  • Observation of trends and developments
  • Digital applications and technologies in the back office
  • Digital applications and technologies in communicationIndividual in-depth study

People & Leadership

  • People-Centered Management
  • Values and Leadership Principles
  • Strategic and Operational Goals of Personnel Development
  • Personnel Policy as the Basis for Successful Management
  • Human Resources
  • Key Metrics
  • Intercultural Competencies
  • Trainer Course
  • Key Factors in Management

Key factors of company management

  • Business Plan
  • Corporate Law, Inheritance Law
  • Hotel Services
  • Restaurant Management (including Care, Event, and System Catering)
  • Business Models
  • Tax Law, Inheritance Law
  • Sustainability, Change Management
  • Financial Planning

Design, Construction Projects, and Planning

  • Basics of a Construction Project
  • Interior Design
  • Gastronomy Planning
  • Make-or-Buy Decisions in Facility Management
  • Case Study
  • KOPAS

Transfer module

  • Developing an Economical and Market-Appropriate Solution Proposal for a Client in the Hospitality Sector
  • Developing Hotel and Gastronomy Concepts, Deriving Offers
  • Defining and Implementing Leadership and Collaboration with Employees
  • Financial Planning for the Operation, Ensuring Achievement
  • Planning and Monitoring Infrastructure Management

Training coaching

  • Leadership Coaching
  • Respecting and Supporting Others in Development
  • Facilitating Decision-Making Processes, Enhancing Problem-Solving Skills
  • Supporting Change Processes
  • Role Flexibility
  • Conflict Management and Moderation
  • Focus Topic: Network Maintenance

English I

  • Business English
  • Language Skills in the Hospitality Sector and Tourism
  • Language Skills for Management

Additional Certificates

  • Trainer Course for Apprenticeships
  • KOPAS
  • Linguaskill Business (Cambridge)

Diploma thesis 

  • What is a Thesis
  • Possible Formats/Themes
  • Writing a Concept
  • Inputs on Formal Design, Language, Citing, and Source Handling
Hotelfachschule Thun (7)

Admission Requirements

  • Swiss Federal Certificate of Competence (EFZ) or other upper secondary level qualification (e.g. Matura or Fachmittelschule)
  • If applicants didn’t previously study hospitality, it is recommended that they acquire knowledge of the restaurant and/or hotel industry.
  • The program is delivered in German. Applicants who are not native speakers of German must be able to show that they have passed a C1 level German exam.
  • Prior knowledge of foreign languages: English A2, French no prior knowledge required

Requirements for the work-study format

  • At least 50% of the professional experience in the hotel and restaurant industry is required for the part-time course.
  • For students without a relevant certificate of proficiency, the professional activity must include employment in both accommodation and gastronomy for the duration of the course.
  • For students with a relevant certificate of proficiency, 800 hours of work must take place in a different area of ​​the hotel/gastronomy industry than the one in which the basic vocational training was completed.

Are you a company with an employee interested in our program?

The following qualifications in the hotel and catering trade are considered relevant EFZ:

  • Chef EFZ  
  • Restaurant Specialist EFZ  
  • Hotel specialist EFZ  
  • Hotel communication specialist EFZ  
  • Businessman EFZ / Businesswoman EFZ branch Hotel-Gastro-Tourism
  • Restaurant System specialist EFZ
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You can live with us !

Single rooms of various sizes (prices from CHF 650 to CHF 750 per month, including weekly cleaning) are available for students. 

This also includes access to the lounge and the modern communal kitchen with dishwasher and lockable refrigerator compartments.

Depending on availability, parking spaces can be rented at a price of CHF 496 per semester. 

Three Semesters to Bachelor’s Degree Completion

After successful completion of the HF program, students can continue their studies and earn the EHL Bachelor's degree, ranked world’s #1 in three additional full-time semesters.

2 Semesters at EHL Campus Passugg  

  • Semesters 3 & 5 of the Bachelor in International Hospitality Management
  • Advanced level courses in business analysis, strategic management, applied and integrated hospitality management, communication, and culture.
  • Teamwork assignments, case studies, and interactions with industry experts.

Final Semester at EHL Campus Lausanne

  • Semester 6 of the Bachelor in International Hospitality Management.
  • Choose three electives from nearly 20 industry-relevant subjects to develop specific expertise for your career path.
  • Student Business Project: A final group project where you become the consultant and solve a business challenge for an external industry partner.

Download your Brochure

Fill out the form to get your brochure for the Swiss Professional Degree in Hotel & Gastronomy - Part-Time (in German).