HEC Lausanne offers two bilingual Bachelor of Science degrees in French and English: the Bachelor of Science in Management and the Bachelor of Science in Economics. These two Bachelor's degree programs share a common core for the first two years, followed by a specialization in one of the two programs in the third year.
From the first week of the program, you will be exposed to interactive course formats that encourage group work and develop the skills and values of collaboration, self-management, responsibility, integrity and entrepreneurship. These programs also require a high level of rigor on your part as the training is highly quantitative from the first year, with mathematics, statistics, accounting and programming accounting for more than two-thirds of the program.
Language of instruction
It is possible to follow all the first and second year courses in French and/or English with the possibility of switching from one language to the other, several times, at any time, if you wish. NB: You must have a B1 level in French to be admitted to a course of study at Unil. Students with a Swiss high school diploma are admitted without a language certificate. The teaching materials are identical in both languages and the exams are bilingual, allowing you to answer in the language of your choice. In the third year, you have a wide choice of courses in either English or French.
After obtaining your Bachelor's degree, you will be able to enter one of our Master's programs.
Career prospects after studying at HEC Lausanne depend partly on the Master’s chosen. In general terms, these courses open the door to all kinds of jobs, businesses and organisations, both in Switzerland and abroad. They are also a crucial step for PhD studies and a career in research.
Areas of activity
Management
This stream offers you access to a wide variety of positions in industry, the service sector and public administration, as well as the option of setting up your own business. Examples include:
Business Analytics option: business analyst, data analyst, consultant, project manager, entrepreneur, digital marketing analyst, etc.
Strategy, Organisation and Leadership option: consultant, project manager, business analyst, human resources manager, etc.
Marketing option: brand manager, marketing analyst, digital marketing manager, consultant, customer and market knowledge manager, etc.
Behaviour, Economics and Evolution option: consultant, project manager, communications manager, human resources manager, etc., in sustainable development, environmental protection, management of natural resources, biotech, agrosciences, pharmaceutical industry, etc.
Economics
Economists are people who are capable of exploring economic questions using rigorous scientific analyses. This stream examines areas such as economic growth, the economics of health, international trade, financial crises, industrial organisation and macroeconomic policy. You can use the skills acquired during your course in public institutions, international organisations, financial institutions, consultancy firms and any other business operating in industry or the service sector.
Information Systems and Digital Innovation
Specialists in information systems are generally responsible for managing and/or setting up information and communications technologies in all kinds of business or organisation. This option provides access to positions where you will examine, implement and run IT projects requiring a combination of physical, financial and human resources, using both technical and managerial skills. You can also create your own start-up.
Accounting, Control and Finance
Specialists in this stream produce accounts and financial statements for businesses and advise senior managers on financial, tax and management issues. In particular, this option provides access to expert roles in accounting, control, finance, audit and taxation in audit and consultancy firms, trust funds, banks and internal audit departments in large companies or public administration. These include consultancy and management roles.
Actuarial science
Actuaries’ primary interest is in quantitative risk management. Opting for this stream offers you access to expert assessment, consultancy or management roles in insurance companies, banks, consultancy firms, pension funds, supervisory authorities or social security organisations, or as an independent consultant.
Finance
Specialists in this sector are well equipped to tackle a very wide range of finance-related technical and managerial issues. The Master’s in Finance prepares you to work in banks, insurance companies, family offices (wealth management and advice), consultancy firms, pension funds, trading companies, government and regulatory bodies, international institutions, etc.
Legal Issues, Crime and Security of Information Technologies
This stream allows you to develop cross-disciplinary skills to manage the problems posed by information technologies across the board, from a legal, IT or criminal perspective. Depending on your Bachelor’s course, it can, for example, lead to a career as a corporate lawyer or civil servant, paving the way to opportunities in the private and public sectors.
Sustainable Management & Technology
The Master’s in SMT trains the next generation of professionals to create a more prosperous, more sustainable and more inclusive society to benefit organisations, the environment and society in general. Course participants aim to help their organisation create economic and social value while preserving the company’s capital, including its environmental and social capital. Attendees will be persuaded that incorporating better economic governance and carefully considered, innovative technology is an effective means of tackling some of the world’s most difficult challenges, including technological disruptions, the fourth industrial revolution, climate change and the erosion of public trust.
The HEC Lausanne Career Centre provides a range of services to students and young graduates from the Faculty in the form of events, professional and academic advice, and activities to support them into employment. From the Career Networking Fair to the Career Starter, Workshops and CV Lunches, the events organised by the Career Centre are unique opportunities to expand your network, meet recruitment specialists and prepare yourself for life after HEC Lausanne!
HEC Lausanne cultivates long-term partnerships with businesses across all sectors working in strategic regions in Switzerland.
In figures
Every two years, the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (OFS) conducts a survey on graduate employment, one year after students have completed their course. View the results for Management graduates online:
Results of the survey for UNIL graduates specifically
Lydia Bertholet
Student, Bachelor in Management
How did you choose your studies?
"The workload is heavy and requires a lot of discipline. However, although there's always more work as the semester goes on, it gets easier because you get used to it and you know how to work and filter the information."
Initially, I wanted to study architecture, but a work placement in a practice quickly showed me that being so supervised and having so little creative freedom was not what I was looking for. So I chose to do a very general course of study that would open doors for me. Having always been very mathematical, I enrolled at the Faculté des hautes études commerciales. When choosing a university, it's important not just to rely on the ranking, but also to take a closer look at what the course consists of, particularly the courses on offer. For example, HEC St. Gallen is more focused on qualitative methods (with a lot of writing), whereas HEC Lausanne is much more focused on quantitative methods. If possible, I'd even recommend contacting a first-year student to get an overview of the courses.
German and English are essential for economics studies. From the second year there is an English course, but this is more of a refresher course for which you need a good grounding. Personally, my third year only includes courses in English, but these are electives, so not everyone has them. There are no German courses at HEC Lausanne, but it's very important to be fluent in German if you want to enter the job market afterwards, even in French-speaking Switzerland. That's why I've personally decided to do a work placement in Germany next year.
During my first year, going to HEC events such as parties, aperitifs, pétanque, etc. helped me enormously. It also gave me a social dimension. We're lucky enough to have associations that offer really good things, including conferences that help you to network, even though this isn't usually a major concern at the start of the course. I really recommend that first-year students get involved in associations, sports teams and so on. Not only does it give you a chance to meet people, but it also gives you a chance to enjoy student life from a perspective other than your studies, which is really fun!
The first year is very general, with subjects covering everything, but mainly mathematics. I strongly advise you to do the series of exercises as you go along, and to revise as if there were an exam halfway through the semester so that you're up to date. The workload is heavy and requires a lot of discipline. However, although there's always more work as the semester goes on, it gets easier because you get used to it and you know how to work and filter the information. As my father always says, "it's not a sprint, it's a marathon", so it's really about staying the course. I'd highly recommend this course because it provides a very good grounding, and allows you to specialise in what you want to do later on!
Exchanges and mobility
Going on a university exchange is a unique and highly rewarding experience, provided you prepare well. The first thing to remember is that you need to start taking steps well in advance. For example, if you're planning to go away in your 3rd year of a bachelor's degree, you should start taking steps at the beginning of your 2nd year at the latest.
