Bachelor of Science in Luxury Business

Immerse yourself in luxury

Duration:

Experiential Year

Immersion semester
Six-month internship

+ Three-year Bachelor of Science program

4 academic semesters
Six-month internship
On-the-job experience semester

Intakes: Spring & Fall

Credits: ECTS* 180 / US 120

Location: Switzerland

*European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System

Our Bachelor’s degree is the perfect preparation for a high-level leadership career in the international luxury industry. The curriculum features business-focused academic learning combined with exposure to operational environments, plus two professional internships, an on-the-job experience and the choice between a Bachelor's Thesis or an Applied Business Project to complete your final year.

Experiential Year

Semester 1

Luxury Fundamentals

Glion

Semester 2

Professional Immersion

Internship

Luxury Immersion

Your first semester delivers a multi-sensory immersion into the world of luxury, as you discover the industry’s founding principles and iconic brands in the company of seasoned professionals and lecturers. It’s perfect preparation for your first internship.

Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Luxury Business

Semester 1

Luxury Management I

Bulle

Semester 2

Luxury Management II

Bulle

BSc Year 1: Luxury Management

You will spend this year building your management skills while also exploring key business activities including marketing, finance, sales, and talent development.

Semester 3

Management Practice

Internship

Semester 4

Strategic Luxury Leadership

Bulle

BSc Year 2: Strategic Leadership

Develop your managerial behaviors throughout your second internship, before returning to campus to undertake a suite of courses focused on strategic luxury leadership.

Semester 5

Contemporary Luxury & Bachelor's Thesis or Applied Business Project I

Bulle

Semester 6

On-The-Job Experience & Bachelor's Thesis or Applied Business Project II

BSc Year 3: The Future of Luxury

The final year of your transformative learning journey sees you complete your classroom study then apply everything you've learned to an Applied Business Project or Bachelor's Thesis.

Transformative education

All of luxury in one degree

The luxury industry is multi-faceted and each of its core components is represented within your program curriculum. From first-hand experience of a fine dining restaurant to studying courses devoted to luxury distribution channels and luxury marketing, you will acquire the knowledge and skills you need to forge a successful career in the luxury segment of your choosing.

Unrivalled professional experience

Your program incorporates two six-month professional internships and an on-the-job experience. For the first, we recommend an adventure into the world of luxury hospitality, where the customer experience delivered is now the model for the wider luxury industry. The second internship will allow you to reflect on managerial competencies in the workplace, while your on-the-job experience will be the start of your future career.

Blending hard & soft skills

This program delivers the combination of hard and soft skills required to lead in the modern workplace. Business elements cover areas such as corporate finance, digital marketing, data analysis and strategic brand management, while soft skills we’ll help you develop include communication, talent management and change management.

Apply your business knowledge

During your Bachelor's Thesis or Applied Business Project, you will have the opportunity to review real-life business challenges and/or trends. If you choose the Applied Business Project, you will collaborate with a ‘client’ company from the luxury industry, under the guidance of a faculty supervisor.

Program details

Experiential Year

Hospitality Experiential Year

SEMESTER 1

Luxury Fundamentals

Introduction to the World of Luxury

Introduction to the Luxury Business
New Frontiers in Luxury Tourism
Luxury Codes and Attitude
Luxury Discovery Trip: French Savoir-Faire and Excellence

Luxury Guest Experience

Luxury Universe and Industry Insights
Wellness and Wellbeing
Guest Relations
Project Creation and Implementation
Luxury Discovery Trip: - Luxury Hospitality and Resorts

Luxury Products and Services

Consumer Insights and Behavior
Service Excellence and Luxury Fine Food
The Business of Luxury Wine and Spirits
Luxury Discovery Trips: - Swiss Luxury Manufacturers and Services - The Essence of Italian Elegance

Business Fundamentals

Principles of Marketing
Introduction to IT Business Tools
Accounting Essentials
Effective Communication or English Advanced

SEMESTER 2

Professional Immersion

Internship

BSc in Luxury Business

Year 1: Luxury Management

SEMESTER 1

Luxury Management I

Psychology of Luxury and the Luxury Client
Introduction to Management
Financial Statement Analysis
Luxury Marketing Essentials
Human Behaviour in the Workplace
Trends in Luxury Business

SEMESTER 2

Luxury Management II

Sales and Distribution Channels
Data Analysis for Decision Makers
Bidding & Negotiation
Integrated Digital Marketing
Legal Environment of Luxury Industries
Business and Academic Research Methods
Applied Project in Luxury
General Education Elective

BSc in Luxury Business

Year 2: Strategic Leadership

SEMESTER 3

Management Practice - Internship

Reflection on Social Impact and Human Behavior
Business Report

SEMESTER 4

Strategic Luxury Leadership

Market Research and Analysis
Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate Finance
Supply Chain Management
Leadership Skills for Change Management
Business Development
Social Media and Public Relations
Academic Research Methods

BSc in Luxury Business

Year 3: The Future of Luxury

SEMESTER 5

Contemporary Luxury

Architecture, Design and Scenography
Strategic Management
Design Thinking
Sustainable Design
New Technologies in Luxury Businesses
Entrepreneurial Challenge
Business Field Trip
Bachelor's Thesis or Applied Business Project Part I

SEMESTER 6

On-The-Job Experience & Research Project

On-The-Job Experience
Bachelor's Thesis or Applied Business Project Part II

The Art of Luxury Experiences

Get closer to the industry through Luxury Discovery trips & experiences

One of our promises for this Bachelor’s degree is that it brings you closer to the international luxury industry than any other program. And nothing underlines this point more strongly than the tailor-made package of Luxury Discovery trips and experiences you’ll enjoy throughout your first semester of the experiential year.

On campus, you’ll receive the wisdom of expert guest lecturers drawn directly from the industry, while also participating in workshops that bring luxury to life.

Away from campus, you’ll visit some of the finest exponents of luxury across three countries, through a series of multi-sensory field trips that bring alive the exquisite materials and exemplary craftsmanship that are hallmarks of luxury products.

Discover a recent Luxury Discovery trip to Paris →

Secrets of Swiss luxury hospitality

Starting from our own Michelin-starred restaurant, Maison Décotterd, you’ll embark on a tour of gastronomic discovery in Switzerland, visiting some of the country’s most renowned producers and learning about the components of a fine dining experience, from art de table to flawless guest service.

Luxury in time

Switzerland is synonymous for producing watches of elegance and sophistication. You will be immersed in the world of luxury watch manufacture, where you will witness magic being made. Deep-dive into the key ingredients of a luxury product by discovering the art of excellence and craftsmanship.

Italian elegance

For many, Italy is the spiritual home of luxury. Today, the country houses some of the most important brands across the luxury product spectrum, including fashion and automobiles. Famous names will be on your agenda for this immersive Luxury Discovery trip.

France: the land of luxury savoir-faire

Your Luxury Discovery trip to France has a special emphasis on the craftsmanship – much of it passed down through generations – that goes into handmade luxury items. There will also be time to discover the fine wines and spirits for which the country is equally renowned.

“This is a degree that lets you immerse yourself in luxury, not just on campus, but also through an amazing program of field trips, site visits and professional internships in the luxury industry.

You’ll learn from world-class faculty that includes our own professors and a selection of the industry’s finest minds, who join us on campus to deliver guest lectures and masterclasses.

If you want your Bachelor studies to pave the way to a career in luxury, there really is no other program of this caliber available.” •

DR. JOSEPH KARAM

Associate Dean, Bachelor's in Luxury Business

Program entry requirements

for the Bachelor's in Luxury Business

MINIMUM AGE

17.5 years old.

EDUCATION

For students entering the Experiential Year prior to the Bachelor’s program

Holding a secondary education diploma that meets Swiss/European university entry requirements (Maturité, IB diploma, Abitur, French Bac, A-levels, high school diploma or equivalent).

For students entering the Bachelor’s program directly*

Holding a vocational baccalaureate linked to initial Vocational and Educational Training (VET) in a profession related to the field of study; or a professional or specialized baccalaureate in a specialization related to the field of study; or a secondary education diploma and a work certificate(s) demonstrating a minimum of one year work experience in the relevant field.

ADMISSIONS ASSESSMENT

Personalized assessment to ascertain motivation and review application documentation.This could include a scenario-based exercise to be completed beforehand.

MINIMUM ENGLISH LANGUAGE ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

If English is not your first language, or if you have not spent the last two years** studying in a school where English is the primary language of instruction, please enclose a copy of one of the following:

International English Language Test (IELTS)***: 5.5 overall (min. 5.0 in any subcomponent)
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): Internet-based 70 or paper-based 525
First Cambridge Exam: Grade C

Note: All English certificates must have been issued in the 12 months prior to admission. Glion offers an Intensive Hospitality English Language Program (IHELP). If your English level does not meet the levels indicated above, then please contact us for more information.

*Students not required to complete the Experiential Year prior to entering the Bachelor's in Luxury Business.

**English certificates may also be required by our authorities for permit purposes.

***Only tests taken/issued in an official IELTS testing center are accepted.