HWZ University of Applied Sciences

What HWZ University of Applied Sciences does

HWZ University of Applied Sciences (legal name: HWZ Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration) is a private, HFKG-accredited Swiss university founded in 1986 and headquartered at Sihlhof, Lagerstrasse 5, Zurich. The institution specializes in part-time, practice-oriented business education for working professionals, operating entirely without state basic funding and earning revenue through tuition, corporate training, facility rental, and ancillary services. Its portfolio spans Bachelor of Science degrees (Business Administration, Business Communications, Business Psychology, Digital Business & AI), Master of Science degrees (Banking & Finance, Business Administration with Digital Strategy, Real Estate), doctoral education (Doctor of Business Administration in partnership with Audencia Business School), and a comprehensive executive education stack including Executive MBA (with a one-week module at Darden School of Business, University of Virginia), MAS, CAS, DAS, SAS, and individual seminars. The HWZ Academy sub-brand drives modular, flexible continuing education and pilot projects, while the Mindful Business Club functions as a curated leadership platform.

Core technology infrastructure includes the myHWZ portal — a Moodle-based learning management system delivered as web platform and mobile app (iOS/Android) that centralizes coursework, schedules, the job board, career services, and student benefits — alongside Microsoft 365 and Teams for collaboration and Infomaniak for Swiss-hosted cloud infrastructure. Event management runs on eyevip, and marketing relies on a multi-channel stack spanning the website, monthly and quarterly newsletters (via Brevo), social media on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok, podcasts (Podigee), and paid advertising across Google, LinkedIn, Meta, Microsoft, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, and TikTok with Meta Pixel and LinkedIn Insight Tag for analytics. The GTM motion is sales-led and direct: students enroll through the HWZ website supported by information evenings and personalized advisory, while company training is sold to corporate clients in German, English, and French. Pricing is publicly disclosed (DBA CHF 36,500, EMBA CHF 53,400, MAS from CHF 33,320, CAS from CHF 9,950, individual seminars from CHF 380), and EMBA cohorts are capped at 24 participants to maintain personalized learning.

Name

HWZ University of Applied Sciences

Legal name

HWZ Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration

Website

https://fh-hwz.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

HWZ is a private, HFKG-accredited Swiss university of applied sciences in Zurich offering part-time BSc, MSc, EMBA, MAS, CAS, and DBA programs for working professionals, plus corporate training, executive education, and consulting in German, English, and French.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zurich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Degree Programme Tuition: Tuition fees from Bachelor, Master, and doctoral programmes including BSc, MSc, EMBA, MAS, CAS, and DBA degrees. Programmes are priced at fixed rates (CHF 36,500 for DBA, CHF 53,400 for EMBA).
2. Executive Education & Professional Development: Revenue from continuing education programmes including CAS, DAS, MAS, SAS, seminars, and short courses. Flexible modular pricing starting from CHF 9,950 for individual CAS programmes.
3. Company Training & Corporate Programmes: Customized corporate training programmes delivered in German, English, and French for companies and organizations. Revenue from B2B talent development partnerships.
4. Facility Services: Room hire services at Sihlhof location for seminars, training sessions, conferences, and events. Revenue from renting out auditorium, seminar rooms, and foyers.
5. Job Market Platform: Free job board connecting companies with HWZ students and graduates. Companies post vacancies suitable for employed students working 50-80%.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HWZ is a private Swiss university of applied sciences that delivers part-time Bachelor, Master, EMBA, MAS, CAS, DBA and short programmes in business administration, banking and finance, real estate, business communications, business psychology, and digital business & AI. It supplements its degree portfolio with corporate training, applied research and project-based consulting, an alumni network, a job market, and facility rental at its Zurich Sihlhof campus.

Product overview

HWZ Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration offers a comprehensive portfolio of part-time educational programmes and services for working professionals. The core educational offering spans Bachelor of Science degrees (BSc in Business Administration, Business Communications, Business Psychology, and Digital Business & AI), Master of Science degrees (MSc in Banking & Finance, Business Administration with Digital Strategy, and Real Estate with Finance/Sustainability/Digital focus), and doctoral education (DBA in partnership with Audencia Business School). Executive education includes CAS certificates, a MAS Business Innovation, an Executive MBA (with Darden School of Business partnership), individual seminars, and SAS short programmes. The HWZ Academy sub-brand drives modular and innovative continuing education formats. Beyond degree programmes, HWZ operates the Mindful Business Club (a values-based leadership platform), provides company training services, offers applied research and project-based consulting (covering areas such as app development, design thinking, and startup projects), manages a job market for students, and rents out campus facilities. The myHWZ digital portal serves as the central online platform for students, lecturers, and staff, accessible via web and mobile apps. The institution does not offer a public or partner-facing API, nor does it hold any publicly documented third-party product integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HWZ Academy: A platform for new learning formats, modular educational paths, and pilot projects that can respond quickly to technological and societal developments. Offers seminars, SAS, and CAS programs.
• Mindful Business Club (MBC)
• alumniHWZ

Products and services

• Bachelor of Science (BSc)

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 years of operation since 1986
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• alumniHWZcoreOthers · 1 January 2003Alumni organization of HWZ with ~3,338 members as of 2024. First alumni organization of any Swiss university of applied sciences. Georges-Simon Ulrich (Director of Federal Statistical Office) serves as president. Connected to FHSCHWEIZ with ~80,000 members.
• Zürcher Fachhochschule (ZHAW)minorOthers · 1 January 1998HWZ is institutionally integrated into the Zurich university of applied sciences landscape. Part of the seven Fachhochschulen recognized by the Swiss Federal Council under the Fachhochschulgesetz.
• Mendo AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMendo AG collaborates with HWZ to organize the annual Jahrestagung Financial Consulting. Mendo ProClubs members receive free access to the event. Marco Comugnaro from Mendo AG serves as programme director for CAS Senior Financial Consultant.
• Audencia Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHWZ partners with Audencia Business School in Nantes and Paris for the DBA programme. Audencia is internationally accredited (triple accredited). On-site courses and dissertation defences take place in Nantes or Paris. Partner since establishment of the DBA programme.
• Darden School of Business (University of Virginia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHWZ EMBA students attend a one-week international module at Darden School of Business in the USA. Partnership has existed for nearly 15 years. Studies from EMBA, Executive Module - Advanced Management Programme, and MSc Business Administration participate together.
• SGO Business SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSGO Business School (Swiss Society for Organization and Management) provides seminar offerings for MAS Business Innovation programme. Offers seminars in organization, business analysis, project management, and change management.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ZHAW School of Management and Law: ZHAW's School of Management and Law is the largest public Fachhochschule business school in Zurich, offering BSc, MSc, EMBA, and executive programs — directly competing with HWZ for the same German-speaking Swiss working-professional market.
• Kalaidos Fachhochschule: Another privately organized Swiss Fachhochschule offering business and healthcare degrees with a part-time, working-professional focus — directly comparable in private structure and target segment to HWZ.
• Fernfachhochschule Schweiz (FFHS): Swiss distance-learning Fachhochschule offering accredited BSc, MSc, and executive programs in business — competes with HWZ for working professionals who need flexible study models, especially outside Zurich.
• Hochschule Luzern: One of Switzerland's seven public Fachhochschulen, with a Department of Business offering BSc/MSc/EMBA programs — comparable in scope and target audience, though regionally focused on Central Switzerland.
• FHNW School of Business: Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz business school offering part-time and executive programs for working professionals — direct competitor in the German-speaking Swiss market for business degrees.
• Ostschweizer Fachhochschule (OST): Eastern Switzerland Fachhochschule formed from FHSG, FHO, and HSR merger, offering business degrees for working professionals — comparable Fachhochschule structure and German-speaking target market.
• Berner Fachhochschule (BFH): Bern University of Applied Sciences with a Business School offering part-time BSc/MSc/EMBA programs in German and French — comparable Fachhochschule positioning and part-time study model.

Broad incumbents

• University of St. Gallen (HSG): Switzerland's leading public business university, offering BSc, MSc, MBA, and Executive Education. As an incumbent with broader brand recognition, it competes with HWZ at the executive end but operates at significantly larger scale and with state funding.
• IMD Business School: Lausanne-based global executive education and MBA provider — competes with HWZ's EMBA and executive programs at the high end of the Swiss market, with stronger international brand recognition.

Regional players

• Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin (HWR Berlin): German state-funded university of applied sciences for business and law — structurally similar Fachhochschule model with part-time and executive programs, though serving the Berlin/Brandenburg market rather than Switzerland.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hwzhochschule
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hwz-hochschule-fur-wirtschaft-zurich
• Instagraminstagram.com/hwz_hochschule

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HWZ University of Applied Sciences