Tertiary level professional education

The Professional Education Institutions teach students the skills required to independently assume professional and management responsibilities in their field. The education and training programmes and post-diploma programmes are practically oriented and encourage the ability to think methodically and holistically in particular. They also offer further qualifications for the analysis of tasks specific to their occupational field and for the practical application of the acquired knowledge.

The Professional Education Institutions offer federally recognised education and training programmes in the following fields:

The Ordinance on the Minimum Requirements for the Recognition of Study Programmes and Continuing Education and Training at Professional Education Institutions issued by the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) on 11 September 2017 governs the conditions under which education and training programmes and post-diploma programmes at Professional Education Institutions are recognised by the Confederation. The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) is responsible for recognition of the education and training programmes. The Federal Commission for Professional Education Institutions appraises the applications submitted to SERI. Education and training programmes are offered by cantonal or private education institutions. The cantons are in charge of the education and training programmes at the Professional Education Institutions.

In addition to graduation from upper secondary level (Federal VET Diploma, successfully completed upper secondary specialised school, baccalaureate certificate), professional experience and an aptitude assessment can be required for admission to Professional Education Institutions. The terms of admission for the various fields of study are stipulated in the appendix to the Ordinance on the Minimum Requirements for the Recognition of Study Programmes and Continuing Education and Training at Professional Education Institutions, issued by the EAER. The scope and content of the aptitude assessments are defined by the providers of education and training.

Each education and training programme is based on a core curriculum which applies Swiss-wide and is developed by the providers of education and training in collaboration with professional organisations. The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) approves the core curricula. The core curricula stipulate (among other things) the occupational profiles, the competences that must be achieved, the fields of education and training, the time apportioned to each of them and the content of the qualification process. The language of tuition is the respective national language. Bilingual tuition or English as the language of tuition are possible.

The Federal Diploma of Higher Education examinations and Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education examinations are geared towards professionals with several years of professional experience who wish to deepen their knowledge or to prepare themselves for a leadership role. In total, around 220 recognised Federal Diploma of Higher Education examinations and 170 Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education examinations are offered. However, the majority apply to a limited number of professions. The Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education examinations – traditionally called Meisterprüfungen (master examinations) in the commercial-industrial domain – are more demanding than the Federal Diploma of Higher Education examinations.

Via the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), the Confederation recognises the examination regulations which are drawn up by professional organisations. An examination regulation governs the terms of admission to the individual examinations, the occupational profiles, the skills that must be achieved, the qualification processes and the corresponding titles protected by law. Within each industry, only one Federal Diploma of Higher Education examination and one Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education examination are approved by the Confederation for each specific field. Preparatory courses for Federal Diploma of Higher Education examinations and Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education examinations are neither regulated, nor compulsory. Professional organisations conduct the federally regulated examinations once or twice each year. They lead to federally recognised titles.

Admission to the Federal Diploma of Higher Education examinations is generally granted to those who have at least completed a three-year or four-year vocational education and training programme and can provide evidence of a number of years of working experience. The same applies to the Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education examinations, although sometimes a Federal Diploma of Higher Education examination must be passed first. The terms of admission are set out in the various examination regulations.