FAQs Frequently Asked Questions about the Bachelor of Science in International Sustainable Tourism

The choice of the two locations is quite simple: Madrid is home to the UN Tourism's head office, while Lucerne is home to the HSLU. Both cooperation partners can thus have a reasonable amount of impact on the program, e.g., with experts and infrastructures on site. In addition, the changing locations promote intercultural experiences and multi-layered perspectives, which is becoming increasingly important in a globally interlinked industry.

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So far, the Madrid campus is our first campus abroad. However, there are various Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes at the HSLU in Switzerland that are offered in English. 
In general, our degree programmes are not restricted to Swiss students. Students can also acquire complementary knowledge and skills while studying abroad in our exchange programmes. We are maintaining partnerships with a broad range of partner universities.

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We are aware that it can be difficult for foreign students to organise a suitable housing solution from abroad. In addition, some may have to move at least twice. Therefore, our student administration is looking into different options in Madrid and Lucerne and will assist students as best they can in finding housing. More information will be available later on our website.

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The lessons are held exclusively in English. Students must have a language certificate at level C1 for enrolment.

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UN Tourism expertise: several modules are designed with and partly taught by the UN Tourism with first-hand content

Internationality: two different study locations and highly diverse classes

Practical focus (applied knowledge): one full semester is dedicated to an accompanied internship

Integrated approach: sustainability is part of every module

Orientation: it is clearly a tourism instead of a business administration programme and goes beyond the hospitality aspect of tourism

Flexibility: the second year of study offers the greatest possible individuality in terms of study location

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Through the typical elements of a University of Applied Sciences, such as projects with industry partners, case studies or the "Professional World" modules, especially the internship, we do not simply remain on a theoretical level, but see hypothetical models applied directly in practice, and therefore allow our graduates to do the same in their future jobs.

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The competitor analysis has shown that only one English Bachelor's degree programme is clearly positioned in the field of sustainable tourism. Many programmes focus on the hospitality industry, are business administration programmes with a corresponding focus on tourism, or are master's programmes that specialise in sustainability - or they are not available in English. Moreover, UN Tourism's cooperation with an academic institution in the scope of a degree programme is unique in the market.

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Teaching in the second year will be completely remote with methods that allow students for participation from all over the world: with synchronous and asynchronous and thus even time-zone-independent online lessons. The workload will be the same as for on-site lectures. 

The internship in the fourth semester is an important part of the programme, allowing students to gain valuable experience in the field of tourism. The possibility to complete this internship anywhere again creates the flexibility that many students nowadays desire. The internship will be accompanied by online-sessions. 

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We have also asked ourselves this question. Very likely, our students will have to travel once to Madrid and at least from Madrid to Lucerne. There is most likely also one visit per year at home and we further motivate them to complete the second year of their studies, especially the internship, in a place that excites and interests them. Of course, these movements are less sustainable than those of our Swiss students who are staying permanently in Switzerland. Nevertheless, we are convinced that we can only make a difference in terms of sustainability if we approach the issue broadly and bring it to the world. That's the only way we can make a difference. Our lecturers are usually engaged locally in Madrid or Lucerne or, in exceptional cases, teach online.

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The trends in tourism show a steadily growing industry. Therefore, we believe it makes sense to raise awareness for more sustainable action in destination management, tourism product development or business operations and to contribute to a better future. Many things can be drastically improved along the entire tourism value chain.

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You can find all information about the admission requirements here.

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Application fee: CHF 200.-
(due once when registering for the programme)

Admission exam fee: CHF 280.-
(only due if necessary based on previous qualifications)

Tuition fee: CHF 44’760.- for the entire programme
(charged in six equal instalments of CHF 7’460.- at the beginning of each semester. Additional semesters (e.g. due to repetition) will each be charged CHF 7’460.-)
Swiss students are entitled to additional subsidies from governmental institutions. For Swiss citizens the tuition fees are CHF 800.- per semester. 

Study week: approx. CHF 1’500.-
(due once in last semester)

Additional study-related costs: approx. CHF 1’000.- per semester
(covers course materials, excursions, individual expenses for student projects, etc.; costs may differ depending on semester and personal needs)

These fees already include subsidies for all students, including foreign students, thanks to Swiss government authorities.

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Yes, Swiss students are entitled to generous additional subsidies from governmental institutions. This means that if you are a Swiss citizen, you only have to pay tuition fees of CHF 800.- per semester. The difference to the normal tuition fee is directly settled by us with the authorities. All additional fees (immatriculation fee, admission exam fee - normally not necessary with a Swiss school education, study week, additional study-related costs) are to be paid by you.

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If you do not have Swiss nationality but have been living in Switzerland for at least 2 years, you are entitled to generous additional subsidies from governmental institutions. This means that you only have to pay tuition fees of CHF 800.- per semester. The difference to the normal tuition fee is directly settled by us with the authorities. All additional fees (immatriculation fee, admission exam fee - if necessary, study week, additional study-related costs) are to be paid by you.
 
If you have been living in Switzerland for less than 2 years, we have to check your individual case. Please contact bachelor.ist@hslu.ch. Under certain circumstances, we may receive a partial subsidy for you and your tuition fees will be reduced accordingly.

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Currently, only Swiss students (or non-Swiss students who have lived in Switzerland for at least 10 years) are eligible for a scholarship. One requirement is insufficient financial means. For further information, please contact urs.wagenseil@hslu.ch. 

We also hope to soon find options for foreign students who are not able to study with us without a scholarship.

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There is no special format. It is a classic Bachelor thesis, i.e., a comprehensive research report, usually conducted as a case study in coordination with an industry partner and closely supervised by HSLU-staff.

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The programme starts once a year in September.

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Students who meet any of the following criteria are not required to submit an English Certificate at the C1 level or higher:

• Native speakers.
• Students who have completed at least 30 ECTS in English, equivalent to 900 hours of English study (e.g., one exchange semester or a full degree programme). This also includes students who have followed the British A-system.
• Students who have completed an International Baccalaureate or bilingual Matura programme in English within the last 5 years.

Students who do not meet any of the requirements listed above must provide an English certificate at the C1 level or higher. Acceptable exams include IELTS (minimum score of 7.0), TOEFL-IBT (scores between 95 and 120), Cambridge (advanced - CAE), or TOEIC (scores of 490+ in listening, 455+ in reading, 200+ in speaking, and 200+ in writing). Other English certificates, such as those from Duolingo, will not be accepted.

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Students who meet any of the following criteria do not need to submit an English Certificate at the C1 level or higher:

• Native speakers.
• Students who have completed at least 30 ECTS in English, equivalent to 900 hours of English study (e.g., one exchange semester or a full degree programme). This also includes students who have followed the British A-system.
• Students who have completed an international baccalaureate or bilingual Matura in English in the last 5 years.

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• Students with an IB Diploma Programme (IB DP) certificate are exempt from taking any additional admission tests.
• For students who possess an IB Career-related Programme (IB CP) certificate, it is necessary to provide a transcript of the courses completed. HSLU will assess the transcript to determine whether the student qualifies for automatic admission, is required to take all general admission tests, or only needs to complete the mathematical test.

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Yes, you can apply to the programme even if you haven't completed your high school degree. In such cases:

• Provide the transcript of completed high school courses.
• You can apply to the programme. If admitted, you will receive conditional admission, subject to providing your high school degree upon completion. You will not be able to start the programme until you provide this certificate.

Note that, in addition to the high school certificate, you must meet other requirements, such as one year of professional experience. You can apply to the programme even if you don't meet all these requirements, but you will receive conditional admission, contingent on meeting all requirements. e Zulassung, wenn Sie alle Voraussetzungen erfüllen.

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If you have less than one year of professional experience, you can still apply to the programme and receive conditional admission. This means you cannot commence the programme until you gain the required experience. If you are admitted to the programme, we will provide support to help you gain the necessary experience.

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During the second semester of the second year, you will work as an intern. For the rest of the programme, please consider the following:

• The programme is highly demanding, requiring a minimum weekly commitment of at least 50 hours.
• You may be able to work for up to 10 hours per week on top of your studies, but exceeding this limit may hinder your ability to successfully complete the programme.

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UN Tourism identified shortages of well-trained professionals in various regions of the world. The programme is therefore aimed at the global market, young people from all over the world who are highly motivated to make a lasting impact on the truly fantastic, diverse, and multi-layered tourism industry. 

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It is expected to start with a class of 50 international students.

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Although this is the first time UN Tourism is involved in a study programme, they already have extensive experience in education through their UN Tourism Academy.

Each module of the new Bachelor's degree programme in International Sustainable Tourism is led by qualified instructors and has been developed under the guidance of HSLU.

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In 2022 UNWTO (today UN Tourism) and HSLU already worked together with the successful launch of the online course on "Sustainable Destination Management" for the UN Tourism Academy. Prof. Urs Wagenseil (HSLU) was involved in the development and execution of this course, thus successfully laying the groundwork for this partnership. UN Tourism later approached HSLU with the idea of an even more intensive joint project that became the Bachelor of International Sustainable Tourism. 

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