# Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland

Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland is a culinary school located in Switzerland and a sister school of César Ritz Colleges Switzerland.
For the first 2 years of their studies, Bachelor's students are based at the Le Bouveret campus on the shores of Lake Geneva. In their final year students transfer to the campus in Brig, also in the canton of Valais.
Le Bouveret campus also houses the Mosimann Collection, an extensive collection of culinary memorabilia provided by Chef Anton Mosimann, OBE.
As of 2024, the academy is ranked seventh in the world in the hospitality and leisure category by QS World University Rankings. Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland is the highest ranking culinary school in Switzerland.

## Academic Programs

For Undergraduate students, a dual bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts is offered in partnership with University of Derby, U.K. Students can choose between 3 pathways allowing them to focus on Pastry & Chocolate, Vegetarian cuisine, or Culinary Arts. The Bachelor's program also includes 2 internships, allowing students to gain a year's professional work experience during their studies.
Postgraduate students can undertake a dual Master's degree in Culinary Management, also offered in partnership with University of Derby, U.K.
Shorter professional programs are also available, including a 15-month Swiss Grand Diploma and 2-year Swiss Higher Diploma programs.

## History

Founded in 1991 as a hotel management college, Domino Carlton Tivoli International Hotel Management Career Centre as the school was then known, welcomed its first students to its campus in Lucerne's Carlton-Tivoli Hotel building overlooking the shores of Lake Lucerne the following year. In this location, the school grew and developed in its first years, establishing initial relationships with both Johnson & Wales University and Lynn University, as well as introducing a specialized course in the culinary arts.
In 1996, DCT International Hotel & Business Management School was formed when a group of the original Swiss founders formed a partnership to take over from its original investors. DCT also expanded its program offerings, adding courses specializing in European Gourmet Cuisine and in European Pastry and Chocolate to the initial Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma programs in Hotel & Tourism Management, as well as establishing partnerships with Florida International University and the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. DCT's European Culinary Management program was the first outside the USA to earn full accreditation by the American Culinary Federation.
In 2003, DCT moved its campus out of the 100-year-old Carlton-Tivoli Hotel building and further along the shores of Lake Lucerne to the village of Vitznau. In this setting, DCT continued to develop and grow, including the addition of an MBA in Hospitality Management program and the new Master Gourmet Culinary Arts course, plus an expanded relationship with Lynn University and its Switzerland Program. During this time, its culinary program was one of the first group of 22 programs – and the only one outside North America – designated by the American Culinary Federation as an "Exemplary Program".
In 2011, Swiss Education Group acquired DCT University Center. DCT was renamed to Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland and expanded to a campus in Le Bouveret shared with sister school César Ritz Colleges Switzerland which had launched its own culinary program in 2006.
In 2012, the Vitznau campus moved to downtown Lucerne – back to the centre of the city where the school was founded more than two decades earlier. The César Ritz Colleges/Culinary Arts Academy campus was housed in modern facilities in Lucerne near Löwenplatz, bordering the city's historical and central shopping districts.
In 2022, the Lucerne campus was closed and its programs consolidated onto the other Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland campuses in Le Bouveret and Brig, both in the canton of Valais.
In 2025, César Ritz Colleges consolidated all classes and operations to its campus in Brig, granting full use of the Le Bouveret campus to Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland.

## Partnerships & Accreditations

Industry Partnerships include:
* Ritz Paris
* Ritz Escoffier Culinary School
* Mane
* Alessi
Academic Partnerships include:
* University of Derby (at both Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels)
* THE-ICE – The International Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education
* EduQua – the Swiss national quality assurance body