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Studies & Degrees in Gastronomy

Gastronomy is the study of food and cooking as a profession: culinary techniques, pastry, menu design, food safety, and the management of a kitchen or a restaurant business. Some programmes train cooks for daily work at the stove; others add science, innovation and business so that graduates can design products, run teams or open their own restaurant.

For an international student, the first decision is the level. Gastronomy can be studied as vocational training, as a university degree, as a postgraduate course or as a short professional course, and the entry requirements, length and type of qualification differ considerably between them.

Qualifications and levels

In Spain, the official vocational training (FP) qualifications in cooking belong to the professional family Hostelería y Turismo, described on TodoFP, the portal of the Ministry of Education.

  • Grado básico: the Título Profesional Básico en Cocina y Restauración is the entry level of the family.
  • Grado medio: the Técnico en Cocina y Gastronomía cycle lasts 2,000 hours. Applicants need the Spanish compulsory secondary certificate (ESO) or a higher qualification, or one of the alternative routes listed by the ministry. Modules include culinary techniques, food preparation and preservation, basic pastry, and safety and hygiene in food handling, and the cycle includes a training period in a company.
  • Grado superior: the Técnico Superior en Dirección de Cocina cycle also lasts 2,000 hours and requires the Bachiller or an equivalent route. It prepares for kitchen management.
  • University degree: Mondragon Unibertsitatea teaches the official bachelor's degree (grado) in Gastronomy and Culinary Arts at the Basque Culinary Center in Donostia / San Sebastián: 240 ECTS credits over 4 years, taught in Spanish and English. According to the university, graduates are also trained to develop proposals for new products, services and businesses.
  • Master's and postgraduate courses: hospitality schools offer programmes such as the Máster en Artes Culinarias, Innovación y Dirección de Cocina at the Escuela Universitaria de Hostelería y Turismo de Sant Pol.
  • Short professional courses: private academies sell courses measured in hours. At Chef Academy London, for example, the Professional Chef Course combines 75 hours in the school's development kitchen with 250 hours of live training in a partner restaurant.

Students with school certificates from outside Spain need to have them recognised before entering an FP cycle or a university degree. For a private school's own diploma or course, ask the school what official recognition the qualification has.

Where to study gastronomy

SpainExchange lists 22 active schools for gastronomy. Sixteen are in Spain, and there is one each in the United Kingdom, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, Bulgaria and the Philippines.

In Spain, the schools are spread over several regions. Examples:

  • The Escuela Superior de Hostelería Bilbao teaches the grado medio in Cocina y Gastronomía and the grado superior in Dirección de Cocina.
  • Joviat in Manresa teaches the grado medio cycles in cooking and in restaurant and bar service together, so that students obtain both qualifications in three years, and also the grado superior in kitchen management (Direcció de Cuina).
  • CETT in Barcelona offers FP, university degrees, degrees taught in English, and master's and postgraduate courses in its cooking and gastronomy area.
  • The Escuela Universitaria de Hostelería y Turismo de Sant Pol, in Sant Pol de Mar, works as a Hotel-Escuela, a hotel used for teaching.
  • ESAH presents itself as an online school of hospitality and tourism, an option for those who cannot move.

Teaching in Spain is mostly in Spanish, with Catalan or Basque also used in schools in Catalonia and the Basque Country; a few programmes are bilingual or in English. Outside Spain, HRC Culinary Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria, offers a Culinary Arts Degree and shorter certificates and has separate admission routes for EU and non-EU students.

How to choose

Compare the hours of practical work in a real kitchen, the internship arrangements, the language of instruction, the level and recognition of the qualification, and whether the school helps with accommodation. A cook who wants to work quickly may prefer an FP cycle; someone aiming at management, product development or research may prefer a university degree or a master's.

Careers

The Ministry of Education lists the jobs each FP qualification leads to. Holders of the Técnico en Cocina y Gastronomía work as cooks or section chefs (jefe de partida) in hotels and restaurants, and the associated professional card is the food handler's certificate. The Técnico Superior en Dirección de Cocina leads to posts such as head chef, kitchen production manager or kitchen director; in small establishments the same person can be owner and head of the kitchen.

University graduates in gastronomy also move into product development, consultancy and the management of food businesses. Working conditions and demand vary by country and season, so check current vacancies in the place where you want to work.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a university degree to become a chef?

No. In Spain the usual route is vocational training: the grado medio in Cocina y Gastronomía and the grado superior in Dirección de Cocina, each of 2,000 hours. A university degree adds management, science and innovation.

How long does a gastronomy degree take in Spain?

The bachelor's degree in Gastronomy and Culinary Arts of Mondragon Unibertsitatea has 240 ECTS credits and takes 4 years.

Can I study gastronomy in English?

Partly. The degree at the Basque Culinary Center lists Spanish and English as languages, and some schools abroad teach in English. Most FP cycles in Spain are taught in Spanish or a co-official language.

What do I need to enter a cooking FP cycle in Spain?

For the grado medio, the compulsory secondary certificate (ESO) or a higher qualification; for the grado superior, the Bachiller or an equivalent. Foreign certificates must first be recognised in Spain.