What is the vocational baccalaureate and what is it good for? What does BM2 mean?

The vocational baccalaureate builds on the 3- or 4-year apprenticeship with a federal certificate of proficiency (EFZ) and serves to expand general education.
This opens up the following possibilities:

• The vocational baccalaureate enables students to study for a Bachelor's degree at a university of applied sciences in the field of the apprenticeship profession without having to take an examination.
• After passing the Passerelle examination, the vocational baccalaureate opens up access to a university of teacher education (without restriction in terms of subject area) as well as to Swiss universities and the ETH.

There are 3 routes to the vocational baccalaureate:

1. Independently, through individual preparation and direct completion of the Federal Vocational Baccalaureate Examination (EBMP)
2. by attending classes at a state-subsidized vocational baccalaureate school during basic vocational training (BM1)
3. through a preparatory course at a state-subsidized or private vocational baccalaureate school after completing the vocational apprenticeship (BM2)

Target group and skills: Who is the vocational baccalaureate suitable for after the apprenticeship? What qualities and skills are required?

The BM2 courses are aimed at:

• Ambitious professionals with a federal certificate of proficiency (EFZ) who wish to qualify to study at a university of applied sciences or possibly at a teacher training college or university.
• High-achieving professionals who have completed an apprenticeship with an EFZ and would like to improve their general education in order to move into more demanding positions.

Candidates who wish to take the vocational baccalaureate should have the following personal qualities and skills:

• Enjoy acquiring new knowledge
• Willingness to perform and learn
• Quick comprehension
• Self-motivation and determination
• Organizational skills
• Communication skills
• Problem-solving ability
• Ability to work in a team
• Flexibility, adaptability

Requirements for admission to the BM2 preparatory course (vocational baccalaureate after the apprenticeship):

A federal certificate of proficiency (EFZ) is required for admission to the BM2 vocational baccalaureate courses.

Please note: Admission to vocational baccalaureate further education is regulated by canton. Some cantons require an entrance examination (so-called "central entrance examination, ZAP"). Under certain conditions, admission without an examination is also possible, for example if the average grade of the school subjects is at least 4.75.

The vocational baccalaureate schools provide detailed information here. You will find a helpful link in the answers.

Subject matter and content of the training

The vocational baccalaureate course prepares students for the Bachelor's degree programs at universities of applied sciences that are related to their profession.

The vocational baccalaureate after the apprenticeship (BM2) is available in five different tracks:

• Technology, architecture and life sciences
• Nature, landscape and food
• Economy and services
• Design and art
• Health and social affairs

The lessons mainly serve to expand general education. The subjects taught in all five specializations are divided into three areas: the foundation area, the focus area and the supplementary area.

TheBasic areaincludes:

• 1st national language
• 2nd national language
• 3. language
• Mathematics

TheFocus areasfrom which two are generally to be chosen (according to the specifications of the chosen field of study in accordance with the framework curriculum):

• Finance and accounting
• Design, art, culture
• Information and communication
• Mathematics
• Natural sciences
• Social sciences
• Economy and law

In theSupplementary areatwo of the following three courses must be chosen (depending on the chosen field of study, two subjects are already allocated):

• History and politics
• Technology and environment
• Economy and law

In addition to teaching subject-specific content, the vocational baccalaureate also aims to promote methodological skills as well as social and personal skills. This is achieved through interdisciplinary project work (IDPA). In the project work, students independently write a paper on a project that also makes reference to at least two of the vocational baccalaureate subjects and the world of work.

Good to know:

Some vocational baccalaureate schools offer bilingual teaching (so-called "billingual teaching"). This means that some subjects are taught in German and English in the basic curriculum.

In addition, it is sometimes possible to take the final examination in two languages, which is also noted accordingly on the grade card ("multilingual vocational baccalaureate")

Costs and financing of further training

The vocational baccalaureate counts as basic education and is therefore financed by the cantons - provided that the training takes place at a state-subsidized school. If you meet the admission criteria and complete the course at a subsidized school in your canton of residence, you only pay the registration fee and the costs for teaching materials/teaching aids, any project weeks, language stays or external language certificates, i.e. a total of around CHF 1,700 - CHF 3,200.

Students who live outside the canton in which the vocational baccalaureate course is located must expect higher costs, as they have to pay the school fees: approx. CHF 18,000.

If you complete the BM2 preparatory course at a private school, you will also have to expect higher costs: between CHF 12,500 and CHF 18,500.

In addition: Think about the costs of the journey to school and any meals out.

Duration of study, training options, number of teaching hours, teaching format and learning effort

• The vocational baccalaureate course (BM2) comprises at least 1440 lessons. It is available in two different versions:
  • 1 year full-time with 36 lessons plus an average of 8-12 hours of self-study per week
  • 3-4 semesters part-time (part-time) with 15-25 lessons per week in day, evening or Saturday courses. The time required for homework and exam preparation is approx. 4-6 hours, depending on the course model and previous education. It is not advisable to work more than 50% of the time while studying.
• The course is usually offered in classroom teaching. However, there are also offers in distance or online format (e.g. online teaching or hybrid teaching). Please contact the school of your choice directly to find out which teaching formats are offered.

Degree, diploma and title

The final examination differs depending on which vocational baccalaureate school you attend:

• With theState-subsidized vocational baccalaureate schoolseach subject (written, partly oral) is examined at the end of the training with an "in-house vocational baccalaureate examination". The preliminary grades are often added to the final grade.
• Withprivate vocational baccalaureate schoolsWith an in-house vocational baccalaureate examination, it is sometimes possible to complete certain subjects beforehand.
• Persons who have aPrivate vocational baccalaureate school without in-house vocational baccalaureate examinationas well as persons who have independently prepared for the BM2 examination must take the so-called "Federal Vocational Baccalaureate Examination (EBMP)" (external).
  There are fixed registration and examination dates for the federal examination, which can be found on theWebsiteof the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). The subjects are examined on the basis of two partial examinations (written, partly oral). Any previous marks from the BM2 school are not taken into account in the federal examination. A list of the examination parts according to the respective orientation (form and duration) ishereto find.

Diploma and title

Successful graduates receive the federally recognized "vocational baccalaureate certificate".

• In French: Certificat de maturité professionnelle
• In Italian: Attestato di maturità professionale
• In Romansh: Attestat da maturitad professionala

The recommended English designation is: Federal Vocational Baccalaureate.