Professional Bachelor and Professional Master Title Additions Approved (Switzerland, June 2026)
The Federal Council approved amendments to vocational education law and regulation introducing the title additions Professional Bachelor and Professional Master and other changes to higher vocational education.
Source: State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, Switzerland
The Federal Council approved amendments to vocational education law and regulation introducing the title additions Professional Bachelor and Professional Master and other changes to higher vocational education.
What Changed?
The reform adds protected title supplements, protects the designation Higher Technical School, permits English as an additional examination language and makes postgraduate study at higher technical schools more flexible.
Old System vs New System
Higher vocational qualifications used the existing protected titles and examination-language rules without the new title additions and flexibility measures.
From 1 October 2026, the amended federal rules apply to covered higher vocational qualifications and institutions.
Who Is Affected?
Student Impact
Students and graduates in covered programs can use the new title additions where the legal criteria are met.
Parent / Family Impact
No direct parent-specific operational change was identified.
School / Institution Impact
Institutions and examination bodies must update qualification documents and processes to the amended federal rules.
Teacher / Staff Impact
Teachers and examiners may need to apply revised program or examination-language arrangements where institutions use the new options.
Key Dates
- 2026-06-24: Federal Council approved the amendments
- 2026-10-01: changes enter into force.
What To Do
- Institutions and graduates should verify which qualifications are eligible for the new title additions before using them.
What To Watch Next
Monitor implementation guidance, qualification-title usage and institutional updates before October.
Global Context
The reform is relevant to comparison of how vocational systems signal tertiary-level professional qualifications and support international readability.
Source Record
Source type: Regulation
Source name: State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, Switzerland