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 2'404/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 23'025 |
| Advanced Certificate in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery | 10 weeks | 180 | Advanced Certificate | CHF 23'025 |
| Diploma in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery (Year 1) | 1 year | 330 | Diploma — 120 credits / 60 ECTS, ACF-accredited | CHF 40'200 |
| Higher Diploma in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery (Year 2) | 1 year | 300 | Higher Diploma — 120 credits / 60 ECTS | CHF 41'200 |
| 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 42'200 · CHF 123'600 over three years |
Totals are all-inclusive (tuition, operating costs, living expenses, application fee, uniforms and equipment), as published by BHMS for 2027 — fees are reviewed annually. The three-year bachelor total of CHF 123'600 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
November 2026 · February 2027 · August 2027
Visa processing can take up to 12 weeks, so plan to apply around four months ahead of the intake you want.
Start your applicationWatch
See it for yourself
Next step
Three intakes a year. One decision that pays you back.
Next intakes: November 2026 · February 2027 · August 2027 · Lucerne, Switzerland
Every programme year pairs a taught semester with a six-month paid internship — CHF 2'404/month gross minimum in Switzerland under the national hospitality labour agreement. How the internship model works