Glion Institute of Higher Education has introduced a new graduate degree program specifically aimed at hospitality industry professionals who need career progression. The Executive Master of Advanced Studies in Hospitality and Business Leadership is the latest attempt by the school to respond to the changing demands of mid-career professionals working in the global hospitality industry.
The part-time, 12-month program features a hybrid model of learning through online courses and an intensive residential stay in Switzerland. Designed for business professionals with three or more years of experience, the curriculum spans four main areas: strategic leadership, digital transformation, sustainable operations, and financial management. The program duration is designed to permit learners to continue working on a full-time basis while studying.
“We created this program as a response to unequivocal industry need for adaptive, relevant leadership training,” commented Dr. Antonina Santalova, Glion Academic Dean. “The curriculum is geared towards practical applications and not purely theoretical concepts.”
The course involves 60 ECTS credits (30 U.S. credits), with students committing 14-18 hours a week to study. A unique aspect involves a required residential week at Glion’s Montreux campus, where students will attend workshops, case studies, and behind-the-scenes tours of hospitality operations. The capstone project entails solving an actual business problem from each student’s professional environment.
This launch follows a time of major transformation in hospitality education. Recent surveys of the industry have shown increasing demand for flexible executive education, especially among mid-career professionals. The pandemic accelerated this trend, with 62% of hospitality managers in a 2024 PwC survey showing interest in hybrid learning programs that reduce career disruption.
Admission requirements involve professional experience instead of test scores, indicative of the practical nature of the program. The institute has not released tuition amounts, although similar executive programs in Switzerland cost between CHF 25,000 and CHF 40,000.
The inaugural cohort is to start study in September 2025, and applications are being accepted at present. The program administrators are expecting to recruit students from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, indicating the international orientation of the hospitality sector.
Industry observers will be closely monitoring enrollment figures, as they could determine whether professionals are willing to commit to lengthy hybrid learning experiences in the post-pandemic environment. The success of the program has the potential to shape how other hospitality schools organize their executive education programs in the future.