With the growth of post-secondary schools
offering hospitality diploma and degree programs throughout the world, it has
become necessary to place a greater consideration on the academic quality of
the institutions.
Generally speaking, universities should either
be recognized by a Ministry or Department of Education in the country of
operation, or in many cases, regionally accredited in the United States. Accreditation is generally defined as a
quality assurance process administered by an outside organization that
evaluates a university's adherence to established quality standards applied to
all universities seeking to be accredited.
Accreditation is not only important in
evaluating the academic quality of an institution, but it can also be a
critical component to external recognition of the completed degree by employers
and governments. Thus, if a student
graduated from a university that was not accredited, the likelihood of
professional recognition of that degree will be limited. The reason behind this is simple, without the
quality assurance process applied in an accreditation review, potential
employers may not consider the graduate to be adequately prepared for
professional employment.
While there are many hospitality schools in
Switzerland, there are very few that are either regionally accredited
institutions or recognized by the Swiss Federal Government. Those institutions who are accredited by The Commission
on Technical and Career Institutions (CTCI), are accredited in offering "a
program of study is defined as a curriculum or sequence of course work, lab
work, independent study or other academic
endeavor that leads to a certificate or diploma." Institutions
accredited by The Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE) "offer
collegiate-level programs consisting of a curriculum
of studies that leads to a degree in a recognized field of study." The difference is critical, CTCI
institutions offer accredited certificates or diplomas while CIHE institutions
offer accredited degrees (ex. Bachelor and Masters Degrees).
When considering a hospitality education in
Switzerland, there are only three institutions who offer NEASC (New England Association
of Schools and Colleges, the US
Regional accreditation), Commission on Institutions of
Higher Education (CIHE) accredited degrees: Ecole
hôtelière de Lausanne, Glion Institute of Higher Education, and Les Roches
International School of Hotel Management. There are no other Swiss Hospitality Schools
that offer US regionally Accredited Bachelor and Masters Degrees.
Government recognition or US
regional accreditation has become one of the primary selection criteria when
considering the professional employment of hospitality graduates. This is especially true when it comes to
hospitality companies based in the United States. It is not unusual to see among the required
qualifications for employment being the 'Completion of a bachelor degree from
regionally accredited or government recognized institution.' With that, it's wise to carefully consider
the accreditation of the institution prior to spending time and money in
attendance.
Contact your nearest SUN
Education Group office or email us at consultation@suneducationgroup.com for more information.
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