Bachelor's and consecutive master's degrees
The bachelor's degree is the standard qualification awarded by UASs (with the exception of the Lucerne School of Art and Design, where the master's degree is standard). It qualifies holders to enter a profession directly. The bachelor's degree programme is equivalent to Switzerland's earlier UAS diploma programme, which took three to three-and-a-half years to complete. Holders of an above-average bachelor's degree with an interest in applied research are eligible to continue their education by pursuing a consecutive master's degree programme. These take one-and-a-half to two years to complete, depending on the field of study.
University-level institutions
There are two types of university-level institutions in Europe: universities of applied sciences, and traditional universities. They are equivalent to each other, yet different. At its most simple, the focus at traditional universities is on academically oriented studies based on pure research activities. By contrast, the education offered by UASs is practically oriented and geared towards specific issues. UASs should not be confused with schools of further education (Höhere Fachschulen HFS): offering an education that is wholly practically oriented. The latter are not university-level institutions.
ECTS credits
ECTS stands for European Credit Transfer System. ECTS credits are a unit of measure reflecting amounts of student work over certain periods of time.
Executive MBA, MBA, Master of Advanced Studies MAS, Diploma of Advanced Studies DAS, Certificate of Advanced Studies CAS and Short Advanced Studies SAS are the labels attached to continuing and executive education programmes.
Admission to a SAS, CAS, DAS or MAS programme requires a tertiary qualification (bachelor’s, master’s or PhD degree from a university-level institution or professional education and training (PET) qualification). Employment-related experience in a professional field relevant to the continuing and executive education is also required. Persons without a tertiary qualification are only admitted in exceptional cases as part of a sur dossier procedure. The Schools can set additional admission requirements either in general or for individual programmes. Details are set out in the respective academic regulations.
Executive MBA
The title Executive Master of Advanced Studies in Business Administration EMBA applies to continuing and executive education programmes conducted on a work-study basis, which primarily impart business-related knowledge and know-how. Admission to an EMBA is dependent on several years of professional experience.
Master of Advanced Studies MAS
A Master of Advanced Studies MAS is always completed on a work-study basis and generally takes between one-and-a-half years to complete. It corresponds to a workload of at least 60 ECTS credits. The qualification is a Master of Advanced Studies. This should not be confused with the consecutive master's degree (see Education: Bachelor's and consecutive master's degrees).
Diploma of Advanced Studies DAS
A Diploma of Advanced Studies DAS is a work-study-based continuing and executive education programme corresponding to a workload of at least 30 ECTS credits. It takes between one and two years to complete and concludes with the awarding of a diploma.
Certificate of Advanced Studies CAS
A Certificate of Advanced Studies CAS is a work-study-based continuing and executive education programme corresponding to a workload of at least 10 ECTS credits. A CAS programme takes six months to complete and concludes with the awarding of a certificate.
Short Advanced Studies SAS
Short Advanced Studies SAS are compact continuing and executive education programmes on a focal theme that are worth up to nine ECTS credits. SAS programmes typically take a few days or weeks to complete, making them ideal for people who wish to study while working. The diploma can be made to count towards a consecutive CAS programme.
