The training course leading to the Higher Business Diploma HWD/VSK qualifies you as a Certified Business Specialist VSK (Association of Swiss Management Schools).

If you have successfully completed all seven modules, you are entitled to use this title.

As an admission requirement for a Higher Business Diploma (HWD) with a VSK certificate, prospective students must have completed basic commercial vocational training, i.e. an apprenticeship. Or a degree from a commercial school at commercial diploma level. Persons with other basic vocational training and several years of commercial work experience are also admitted.

The continuing education, further training for the Higher Business Diploma HWD / VSK takes two semesters at most schools until you graduate as a Certified Business Specialist VSK.

All schools that offer the Advanced Business Diploma HWD / VSK are guided by the specifications and regulations of the Association of Swiss Management Schools (VSK), which clearly define the content. The 2018 regulations specify 7 modules that are examined and to which the individual schools align their course content. These modules are

• Business administration (incl. economics and law)
• Accounting
• Personnel management (incl. law)
• Process management
• Project management
• Marketing
• Communication, sales and negotiation techniques, rhetoric

Some schools also offer other modules, such as leadership, accounting or German law, but these are optional subjects that are not included in the degree.

The following skills can be acquired through a Higher Business Diploma course with a VSK certificate:

• understand, analyze and interpret business contexts and derive corresponding action requirements and options for their management level
• Ability to obtain and evaluate information on current economic and economic policy issues and to make decisions based on this information
• provide meaningful figures and financial data for individual projects/products or areas for the team or group they manage
• understand, analyze and interpret the figures and derive corresponding needs and options for action from them
• successfully apply modern systems and instruments of personnel management in their daily management work in the team/group by incorporating the company's existing guidelines and resources or (co-)designing them themselves
• design processes and changes within their management area in line with tasks, individuals, teams/groups, resources and the company
• Ability to include or plan the most important marketing instruments in the sales program
• Ability to lead meetings and discussions/negotiations competently and master the targeted use of communication tools

The Higher Business Diploma HWD / VSK, which trains you to become a Certified Business Specialist VSK, includes the following examination modules: Accounting; Project Management; Marketing; Process Management; Human Resources Management; Business Administration with Law and Economics (VWL), Negotiation Techniques / Rhetoric and Sales / Communication. In addition, a diploma thesis must be written and presented orally in a final presentation.

If you are looking to enter the office or would like to specialize in administration, we recommend the following courses: Commercial Diploma (VSH or edupool). The commercial diploma is a commercial further education course. In contrast to a commercial apprenticeship or an office diploma, you do not make up for a missing apprenticeship diploma, but expand your knowledge of business topics. In Switzerland, there are two different commercial diplomas with recognized qualifications: The edupool.ch commercial diploma (Kaufmännischer Verband Schweiz) and the VSH commercial diploma (Verband Schweizerischer Handelsschulen) from private schools.

Continuing education, further training to become a certified business specialist VSK / HWD requires a basic commercial education, such as the VSH commercial diploma, Federal VET Diploma in Business Administration, HMS. If you have other qualifications but sufficient practical experience, the school management can still approve admission.