Swiss School of Higher Education (SSHE) would like to share some important things to consider, as a prospective student, prior starting your business studies in Switzerland.
As you may already know, there are 4 official languages in Switzerland: French, German, Italian and Rheto-Romance. Depending on your canton of living, the dominant language used by locals will differ (German for Zurich, French for Vaud, Italian for Ticino and etc.), but at the end of the day, lots of Swiss people speak at least 2 of the official languages. Same applies to state universities in each canton: the language of teaching will be the one, that is dominant in the region. However, this is not the case with private universities.
When applying to private Swiss universities prospective student can be sure, that the main language of teaching will be English always. Traditionally, private universities, especially business schools conduct courses in English due to the international nature of their establishment. But it’s always beneficial to learn at least one of national languages that Switzerland can offer to students. The main reason – during your internship and potential employment you will be required (or at least it will be a certain big plus for your candidature to be considered) to be fluent in one of those languages. Thus, student that can speak, say French or German besides English will have more flexibility and confidence when it comes to Swiss labor market opportunities and competitiveness among other peers.
Another important thing to outline, is a difference between vocational and business school in Switzerland. When it comes to choosing between vocational degree and business degree, besides the desired sphere of future employment, one must know several other aspects.
Vocation training/education graduates can obtain profile job without a full degree, due to certain skill set, that is required in that field. Completion of a vocational degree takes about 2 years to complete, allowing the graduate to be hirable at an earlier time than a Bachelor’s Degree-seeking student.
Vocational degrees are always very career specific: hotels and restaurants, design (to name a few) and usually do not give much surrounding extended knowledge, where business degree strives to provide solid base, on which desired specialization will be structured, for example, Bachelor of Business Administration Major in International relations. A full degree outlines, that graduate obtained extensive training and acquired special skills to become eligible for a job and can have more flexibility when applying on the job market thanks to additional skillset under belt. With these topics clarified now, feel free to browse SSHE list of undergraduate and graduate programs if you feel interested in gaining business knowledge the Swiss way.