Founded 125 years ago, Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) is the world’s first hospitality management school. The Lausanne-based school grew into an international education group and today, EHL Group is an ambassador for traditional Swiss hospitality with over 30,000 alumni worldwide from over 120 nationalities. The Group, which operates two campuses in Switzerland and an international campus in Singapore, encompasses a portfolio of specialized business units that deliver hospitality management education and innovation worldwide.
As the world’s first Hospitality Management School, EHL has been leading the way and helping shape the future of hospitality since day one. 125 years later, pushing the envelope is still at the core of the strategy. All degrees are delivered by EHL, which is recognized as a Swiss University of Applied Science and which has an American (NECHE) accreditation. The school is privileged to have the world’s strongest alumni network.
Stimulating Innovation and Entrepreneurship
EHL Group focuses on bringing innovative learning solutions to thousands more across the world, stimulating innovation and entrepreneurship through partnerships, the EHL Network of Certified Schools and their Innovation Village, as well as rethinking the fundamentals of world-class education in a changing technological and cultural landscape. This unique role is recognized by its regular ranking as the world’s best hospitality and leisure management university (QS World University Rankings by subject).
Owing to its strong alumni network, the school maintains privileged connections with the industry and this creates a substantial advantage to the young graduates entering the job market. The unique proximity to the hospitality industry allows providing students with extensive out-of-class learning experiences such as off-campus visits, collaborations with different companies on real-life business issues, and many topic-specific conferences they get preferential access to.
Offering a Balanced Curriculum
The campuses at EHL are developed to serve the student’s learning objectives. The three campuses at Lausanne, Passugg, and Singapore offer a very different environment but are based on the same core principles of openness, excellence, and technology. Currently undergoing extensions and renovations, the future Lausanne campus is set to become an example for campus life and exceptional learning conditions around the world. The many additions to the existing infrastructures include sports facilities, a new restaurant with a capacity for 450 people, and twice as many dorm rooms. The school has a multi-campus structure that also allows students to discover different cultures and experience the student life and hospitality industry both in Europe and Asia.
- Bachelor in Hospitality Management: The Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management offers a balanced curriculum that combines industry immersion with management theory and applied business projects, for well-rounded professionals and leaders. The degree offers two pathways, academic and professional, offering you a choice of two different learning experiences and more or fewer internships. Both pathways include real-world business consultancy projects in the final semester on the Lausanne campus and deliver the same recognized hospitality business degree.
- Master in Global Hospitality Business: In the Master of Science HES-SO in Global Hospitality Business program, students study strategic management and collaborate with international hospitality businesses in three important hospitality markets (Europe, USA, and Hong Kong) to sharpen the leadership skills for a global career. The program is ideal for young hospitality professionals and graduates.
- MBA in Hospitality (part-time): Designed to accommodate busy hospitality professionals, our MBA in hospitality is delivered 80% online. A flexible online classroom allows you to earn a recognized MBA without leaving your job, as you apply new strategies and tools in the workplace.
- Culinary & Restaurant Management Certificate: Designed for young professionals with a post-secondary degree, this five month fast-paced and intense program of 25 masterclasses is dedicated to strengthening your culinary know-how, and developing managerial skills for the Food & Beverage industry.
- Swiss Professional Degree: EHL Swiss School of Tourism and Hospitality offers an attractive English language hospitality management program that has achieved Swiss federal accreditation.
Offering Exceptional Career Opportunities
The alumni boast an employment rate of over 96% within 6 months of graduating. As they leave EHL with a unique skillset, as client experience experts, they are in high demand outside of the hospitality industry as well. The alumni hold management positions in many different industries such as finance, travel, luxury, or consulting. EHL also has a sizeable portion of successful entrepreneurs. Concretely, it organizes a career fair on the Lausanne campus, twice a year, which is a unique opportunity for the students to meet and network with over 200 key representatives who come to recruit from many different sectors such as hotels, F&B industries, airlines, consulting and banking companies, luxury brands, media, etc.
And last but not least, the final year Bachelor students can participate in consulting projects called Students Business Projects (SBP). These enable senior students to team up over a 9 week period and dedicate themselves full-time to tackle business challenges currently faced by partner companies. Students are coached by two experts from the faculty in order to ensure a highly professional written report, research, and actionable recommendations. These projects get senior students closer to the industry and often offer some career opportunities.
Accelerating Towards Digital Future
In order to promote social diversity and talents in all programs, EHL is committed to providing a scholarship and financial aid program for deserving foreign students, and Swiss students who do not benefit from federal grants. Given the unprecedented difficulties faced globally as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, EHL Group has also created a solidarity fund of CHF 1mio to ensure that talented students whose financial capabilities have been directly impacted by the Covid-19 crisis can continue to pursue their studies at EHL.
It is part of EHL Group’s DNA to continuously update and improve its academic offer. The three campuses benefit from this approach and in addition, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, EHL has become? the world’s best-equipped hospitality school for a digital future. This will further accelerate the Group’s digital growth strategy and new offers are currently being developed, in line with the new world that is emerging from this crisis.
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