BHMS Pastry, Chocolate & Bakery · Lucerne
Pastry Programmes in Switzerland
Ten weeks, one year, or the full degree — every route is pastry, chocolate and bakery from the first day, and every year-long route includes a six-month paid internship.
How it works
Half the year at the bench. Half the year on payroll.
The one-year programmes follow the Swiss rhythm: a six-month taught semester in Lucerne, then a six-month paid internship at CHF 2,390/month gross minimum.
Climb straight through to the Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts and Patisserie, or step off at any rung with a complete qualification and six-month blocks of real production experience on your CV. The ten-week certificates sit outside the ladder — no internship, no degree track, just the craft.
How the Swiss internship model works
The routes
Four routes into the pastry kitchen
10 weeks · first taste Certificate & Advanced Certificate Two ten-week blocks that stand alone: foundations, classic patisserie, boulangerie and chocolate in the first; ice creams, plated desserts, advanced pralines and petits gâteaux in the second. Explore the certificates → 
Year 1 Diploma in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery 330 kitchen hours across pastry and bakery foundations, classic patisserie, boulangerie and viennoiserie, European cakes and chocolate work — then a six-month paid internship. Explore the Diploma → 
Year 2 Higher Diploma in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery 300 kitchen hours of entremets, advanced chocolate pralines, petits fours, plated desserts and showpieces — plus costing and supervision, and a second paid internship. Explore the Higher Diploma → 
Year 3 · the degree Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts and Patisserie Patisserie design and innovation, new food product development and culinary entrepreneurship — finishing with a dual award from BHMS and Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (UK). Explore the BA → Side by side
Compare the programmes
| Programme | Duration | Kitchen hours | Award | Total (CHF) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery | 10 weeks | 180 | Certificate | CHF 21,500 |
| Advanced Certificate in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery | 10 weeks | 180 | Advanced Certificate | CHF 21,500 |
| Diploma in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery (Year 1) | 1 year | 330 | Diploma — 120 credits / 60 ECTS, ACF-accredited | CHF 39,100 |
| Higher Diploma in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery (Year 2) | 1 year | 300 | Higher Diploma — 120 credits / 60 ECTS | CHF 40,100 |
| Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts and Patisserie (Year 3) | 1 year (Year 3 of 3) | — (academic semester) | Dual BA — BHMS + Robert Gordon University (UK), 180 ECTS total | CHF 41,100 · CHF 120,300 over three years |
Totals are all-inclusive (tuition, operating costs, living expenses, application fee, uniforms and equipment), as published by BHMS in July 2026 — fees are reviewed annually. The three-year bachelor total of CHF 120,300 is the sum of the three published annual figures, not a separately published headline number. Full breakdown on the fees page.
Intakes
Three published starts
August 2026 · November 2026 · February 2027
Visa processing can take up to 12 weeks, so plan to apply around four months ahead of the intake you want.
Start your applicationThree intakes a year. One decision that pays you back.
Next intakes: August 2026 · November 2026 · February 2027 · Lucerne, Switzerland
Every programme year pairs a taught semester with a six-month paid internship — CHF 2,390/month gross minimum in Switzerland under the national hospitality labour agreement. How the internship model works →