Communication specialist
with federal diploma 

To be admitted to the federal examination for communication specialists, candidates must satisfy one of the following conditions:

Track A - With initial training in a related field You must have completed at least 3 years' initial training in a commercial, graphic or retail field, or have a diploma from a recognised business school, a maturité gymnasiale or vocational diploma, a diploma from a higher education establishment or a university degree, and provide proof of at least 2 years' professional experience in the fields of advertising, public relations, marketing, retail or dialogue marketing.

Track B - No formal training in the field Proof of at least 3 years' professional experience in the fields of advertising, public relations, marketing, retail or dialogue marketing.

For detailed conditions and special cases, please refer to the official admission conditions published by KS/CS Communication Switzerland, the only reference in the field.

This course is aimed at working professionals who wish to structure, validate and gain official recognition for their communications expertise. It is particularly suited to people who hold or are aiming for positions as :

• Communications or marketing manager
• Advertising or digital project manager
• Content manager
• Media campaign coordinator
• Account manager in a communications agency
• Public relations or direct marketing officer

The course is suitable for people from commercial backgrounds, ideally with experience in advertising, PR, marketing, retail or dialogue marketing. It is equally suitable for people wishing to evolve towards greater responsibilities than those seeking to legitimise expertise already built up in the field.

The exam is organised each year by KS/CS Communication Switzerland. Based on the usual timetable, the written exam is held in March and the oral exam in April, à Biel (written exam at Volkshaus, oral exam at BBZ Biel).

For the session 2027, The deadline for registration is 31 October 2026. The precise dates of the tests have not yet been announced by KS/CS Communication Switzerland. Please check the official website regularly for any updates.

Detailed examination plans and all the necessary documents will be sent to all those admitted no later than 30 days before the written exam and 20 days before the oral exam.

This course can be fully customised (content, format, language). Contact us for a free quote.

The course is priced at CHF 12 900., excluding federal examination fees.

The good news is that the Confederation can reimburse up to 50 % of your training costs. Since 2018, the Confederation has reimbursed 50 % of the costs of courses preparing for a federal certificate, up to a maximum of CHF 9,500, provided that the candidate sits the federal examination after the course. Entitlement to the subsidy is independent of the examination result. 

In concrete terms, for a course costing CHF 12,900, you can receive a reimbursement of CHF 6 450.00, bringing your net investment to CHF 6 450.00.

Qualifying conditions:

• Attend a course on the SEFRI list of preparatory courses, pay the course fees yourself and be legally resident in Switzerland at the time of taking the exam.
• The grant application is submitted after passing the federal examination, by submitting invoices and proof of payment via the SEFRI online portal.

For more information on the federal grant:  here.

You should also bear in mind that the price of the exam is not included in the preparation. It depends on the examination centre, and costs around CHF 2,000.

The exam is organised by KS/CS Communication Switzerland, under the supervision of SEFRI. It is made up of two parts :

1. Written test The written exam covers several key areas: commercial communication, media strategy, marketing, advertising law and business economics. It takes the form of practical cases and mini-cases to solve.

2. Oral test The oral test assesses the candidate's ability to analyse real-life business situations, argue their strategic choices and demonstrate their operational mastery of communication.

Detailed examination plans and all the necessary documents are sent to all those admitted no later than 30 days before the written examination and 20 days before the oral examination.

If successful, The candidate obtains the protected title of «Communication specialist with federal diploma», accompanied by a diploma supplement level 5 CNC, recognised nationally and internationally.