Diploma in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery · Year 1
A pastry diploma: the year you learn the foundations properly
330 kitchen hours across patisserie, boulangerie, viennoiserie, European cakes and chocolate — then six months paid in a real production kitchen at CHF 2'404/month gross minimum.
The year at a glance
One semester taught. One semester paid.
Semester 1 is six months in Lucerne at your own bench — six practical labs that move from doughs and creams through classic patisserie, laminated viennoiserie and traditional European cakes to your first tempered chocolate, backed by the academics a professional pastry kitchen expects you to know.
Semester 2 is a six-month paid internship in Switzerland or worldwide, assessed by the employer. You finish Year 1 with 120 credits / 60 ECTS, 330 logged kitchen hours and half a year of production experience.
How the internship model works
Semester 1 · 330 kitchen hours
What you make before you earn
Six practical labs and five academic modules. The labs are named for what comes out of them.
| Module | Type |
|---|---|
| Pastry and Bakery Foundations | Practical lab |
| Classic Patisserie | Practical lab |
| Boulangerie and Viennoiserie | Practical lab |
| Traditional European Cakes | Practical lab |
| Chocolate Work Foundations | Practical lab |
| Culinary Foundations | Practical lab |
| Nutrition | Academic |
| Food Safety | Academic |
| Academic Study Skills | Academic |
| German or French Communications | Academic |
| Career Development and Professional Integration | Academic |
| Semester 2 — paid industry internship | 6 months |
120 credits / 60 ECTS for the year. BHMS publishes 330 practical kitchen hours for Semester 1 as a total; hours are not broken down per lab. The detailed course programme is confirmed at application.
Award & admission
A full qualification — and a first rung
Your award
Diploma in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery — 120 credits / 60 ECTS. BHMS describes the Swiss Diploma in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery as accredited by the American Culinary Federation.
Finish the year with a complete qualification — or continue into the Higher Diploma and on to the dual bachelor degree.
Entry requirements
- Minimum age 17
- High school diploma or equivalent
- English at IELTS 5.0 level or equivalent
- Below that level? The Preparatory English Programme bridges the gap
- No prior pastry experience required
Intakes: November 2026 · February 2027 · August 2027
Fees
CHF 40'200. One figure.
The Year 1 fee published by BHMS breaks down as:
| Tuition | CHF 29'800 |
|---|---|
| Operating costs | CHF 2'750 |
| Living expenses | CHF 6'150 |
| Application fee | CHF 1'000 |
| Uniforms and equipment | CHF 500 |
| Total, Year 1 | CHF 40'200 |
And in Semester 2 the money moves the other way — a gross minimum of CHF 2'404/month during a Swiss internship.
All fees and what is included
After Year 1
Continue: the Higher Diploma
Year 2 moves from foundations to the work that gets photographed: entremets cakes, advanced chocolate pralines, petits fours and petits gâteaux, ice creams and plated desserts, and the art of showpieces — 300 kitchen hours, a second paid internship, and the route into the dual bachelor degree. CHF 41'200 all-inclusive.
Curious what chocolate work looks like at the very top? Here's what the 15 finalists of the World Chocolate Masters 2026 have to make in Antwerp, and which basics it all rests on.
Year 2 in detail
Questions
Straight answers
Is this a pastry diploma or a culinary diploma?
A pastry diploma. The Diploma in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery is its own programme, separate from the culinary arts track: five of its six practical labs are pastry, bakery and chocolate; the sixth is Culinary Foundations. 120 credits / 60 ECTS, 330 kitchen hours, then a six-month paid internship.
How is the diploma year structured?
Two semesters. Semester 1 is taught in Lucerne — 330 practical kitchen hours across six pastry, bakery and chocolate labs, alongside five academic modules. Semester 2 is a six-month paid internship in Switzerland or worldwide, evaluated by the employer.
Is the internship paid, and how much?
Yes. BHMS states students earn CHF 2'404 per month gross in Switzerland — the rate from January 2027 under the national hospitality labour agreement — before deductions for room, board and social security. BHMS puts the net remainder at around CHF 1'500 a month in the countryside with accommodation and meals provided, or roughly CHF 800–1,000 in a big city without them.
What qualification do I graduate with?
The Diploma in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery — 120 credits / 60 ECTS. BHMS describes the Swiss Diploma in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery as accredited by the American Culinary Federation. It is a complete qualification on its own, and Year 1 of the three-year path to the Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts and Patisserie.
Do I need pastry experience to enrol?
Entry requirements for the BHMS Diploma in Pastry, Chocolate and Bakery are a minimum age of 17, a high school diploma or equivalent, and English at IELTS 5.0 level or equivalent — no prior pastry experience is required. Semester 1 opens with Pastry and Bakery Foundations and Chocolate Work Foundations, which assume no professional background. A Preparatory English Programme is available for applicants below that level.
Watch
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