The "Betriebswirtschafter / Betriebswirtschafterin HF" and "Betriebswirtschaft NDS HF" courses can be distinguished as follows:

• HF courses, such as Business Administration HF, provide generalist specialist and management knowledge within the respective specialist area.
• Postgraduate courses in HF offer the opportunity for further specialization and in-depth study as well as the acquisition of additional specialist knowledge.
• HF courses generally last between 2 and 4 years.
• NDS-HF courses usually last 1 year.

What both have in common is that they are recognized by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

A Business Administration NDS-HF or a CAS Business Administration is not an in-depth further education course, but a business administration course that provides you with basic knowledge and skills in business administration. In many postgraduate courses, both NDS and CAS, this includes topics such as financial management (accounting), leadership, system-oriented management, marketing, law and economics. For exact admission requirements and course content, please contact the relevant universities of applied sciences or universities of applied sciences directly.

In an NDS-HF Business Administration you learn roughly the following:

• Corporate management
• Marketing & Public Relations
• Procurement & Logistics
• Accounting, financing & investment
• Personnel management
• Leadership
• Process and production management
• Organizational design and development
• Quality and sustainability management
• IT management
• Project management
• Self-management

What was previously known as a postgraduate degree NDS is now known as a Master of Advanced Studies MAS at most universities of applied sciences following the Bologna reform. These Master's courses require a university degree and are very specific further education courses. Nevertheless, there are still business administration NDS-HF courses that are offered at universities of applied sciences (not at universities of applied sciences FH).

Postgraduate studies CHE are possible continuing education, further training at a business school, for example as a certified business economist NDF CHE, certified expert in organizational development NDS CHE, certified logistics manager NDS CHE, certified marketing and sales manager NDS CHE.

No, you do not need to have a specific degree for a Business Administration NDS-HF, but you do need to have a higher education qualification. This can be a federal professional certificate with a professional examination (BP), a federal diploma from a higher professional examination (HFP), a diploma from a higher technical college, a university degree or a comparable degree in any subject area. However, a degree in business administration is excluded.

• Introduction to business administration
• National economy
• Accounting and controlling
• Presentation and negotiation techniques
• Marketing
• Human Resource Management
• Business plan
• International Management
• Company simulation
• Financial Management
• Contract theory and legal theory
• Corporate Communications

Postgraduate studies in Higher Education are continuing education, Vocational Education and Training courses that build on a Federal Diploma of Vocational Education and Training (VET Diploma), while postgraduate studies in Higher Education are postgraduate studies. This requires a higher professional qualification, such as a federal certificate, a diploma from a technical school TS, College of Higher Education, Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE) or an equivalent qualification.