Commercial and IT middle schools (HMS/WMS, IMS)

What are HMS, WMS and IMS?

These are full-time schools that lead to the same federal qualification as an apprenticeship, but organised as school. Instead of finding a host company at 15, you attend a middle school that teaches the professional and general subjects, and the practical part is covered by an integrated internship. HMS/WMS covers the commercial field (Kauffrau/Kaufmann EFZ), IMS covers IT (Informatiker/in EFZ). Most programmes include the Vocational Matura.

These schools suit students who did well at school and like working with numbers, languages, computers or organising things, but who don't want three or four more years of purely academic study — and who would rather start in a school setting than look for a host company at 15. Typical students are organised, reliable and interested in business, administration, tourism, banking or IT. They finish with the same federal EFZ certificate as an apprentice, usually plus the Vocational Matura, which opens the door to a university of applied sciences or straight into a job.

Names across Switzerland

German

Handelsmittelschule (HMS) / Wirtschaftsmittelschule (WMS), Informatikmittelschule (IMS)

French

École de commerce (EC / ESC), école d'informatique

Italian

Scuola cantonale di commercio (SCC), scuola d'informatica

Romansh

Scola da commerzi, scola d'informatica

Admission

Admission is cantonal and works much like admission to the Gymnasium or FMS: marks, a recommendation and often an entrance exam.

• School record

  Solid marks in the last year of compulsory school, especially German/French, maths and a second language.

• Entrance exam

  Many cantons hold an exam; in others good enough marks plus a recommendation are sufficient.

• Probationary term

  Programmes usually start with a probationary semester or year.

• No host company needed

  You apply to the school, not to an employer — the school organises the internship placement with you.

Duration and structure

Typically 3 years of full-time school followed by a 1-year paid internship (some cantons integrate practice differently, e.g. 3+1 or 4 years total). During the school years you cover the professional subjects, general education and, in most cases, the Vocational Matura subjects. The internship year is where you apply everything in a real company or administration.

What the three years are like

You take about 8–12 subjects per term, a mix of vocational classes (accounting, business, IT, law, economics), languages, maths and general education. Expect around 25–30 lessons per week in school, plus roughly 1–2 hours of homework or preparation each evening. Regular tests, projects and presentations keep you on track. At the end of the final year you sit the federal EFZ/CFC qualification exams: a practical assignment, a professional-knowledge written exam and an oral exam, plus school marks and the completed internship report. Pass all parts and you receive the federal diploma and, in most programmes, the Vocational Matura.

Programmes on offer

The exact offer differs by canton, but the main directions are:

• Commercial (Kauffrau/Kaufmann EFZ) — services and administration
• Commercial with a focus on international trade or languages
• IT (Informatiker/in EFZ) — application development or platform/operations
• Business informatics / mediamatics in some cantons
• Bilingual or immersion tracks (DE/EN, FR/DE)
• Vocational Matura, economics and services type

EFZ plus Vocational Matura

You finish with a federal EFZ/CFC — exactly the same qualification as apprentices in the same profession — and, in most programmes, the Vocational Matura (Berufsmaturität / maturité professionnelle). That combination gives direct access to universities of applied sciences and, via the one-year passerelle, to universities and ETH/EPFL.

What comes after

• Straight into work

  The EFZ is a full professional qualification; graduates go into administration, banking, insurance, logistics, IT support or software teams.

• University of applied sciences

  With the Vocational Matura you can enrol in a UAS bachelor in business, IT, communication and related fields.

• Passerelle to university

  A one-year passerelle exam after the Vocational Matura opens universities and ETH/EPFL.

• Higher professional education

  Federal diplomas and higher technical colleges (HF) in accounting, HR, marketing, IT and management.

Outcomes in numbers

Rough national figures for commercial and IT middle schools (HMS/WMS, IMS). They are Swiss averages — read them as a guide, not a prediction.

Middle school or apprenticeship?

Both lead to the same EFZ. The difference is how you get there.

Find an HMS / WMS / IMS near you

Pick your canton to see the commercial and IT middle schools there, listed alphabetically by town. Click a school to open its website in a new tab, or tap the heart to save it to your account.

Schools marked "Private (tuition)" charge school fees. Unmarked schools are cantonal (state) schools, generally free apart from small material costs. Some cantons have no programme of their own and send students to a neighbouring canton.

Source: berufsberatung.ch

Official sources

• berufsberatung.ch — Handelsmittelschule (HMS/WMS)
• berufsberatung.ch — Informatikmittelschule (IMS)
• orientation.ch — École de commerce
• SBFI / SEFRI — Berufsmaturität
• swissuniversities — Zulassung zum Studium