Food degree world first, polytech says

Otago Polytechnic School of Hospitality programme manager Tony Heptinstall (left) and senior cookery lecturer Adrian Woodhouse, two of the staff who will deliver the new Bachelor of Culinary Arts degree. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.

Its just-approved bachelor of culinary arts course, which mixes practical cooking with a host of other food-related subjects, is a world first, its creators say.

"We found one school overseas doing a one-year diploma, but there is no-one anywhere doing a three-year degree," School of Hospitality programme manager Tony Heptinstall said.

The polytechnic will also offer a one-year diploma in culinary arts with the same content as the first year of the degree.

Both programmes will begin in 2012, with spaces for 60 students overall from 2014 onwards.

The qualifications were a response to frequent requests from prospective students for a course combining all aspects of food, head of the hospitality school Noelle Liddy said.

Most existing tertiary level courses concentrated on food science or cooking, but not both.

"We are meeting students' desire for a high-level qualification which they can't get at the moment."

Students will be able to opt for one of five specialist streams - hotel or restaurant chef, artisan food producer, kitchen, restaurant or hotel management, secondary or tertiary food technology teacher, and food media.

All students will learn to design, produce and present food, as well as studying the history and culture of food and completing research projects.

Some course content will be specific to one of the options.

That will vary from event management, accounting and human resources for management students to digital photography, web design and videotaping for food media students.

Mr Heptinstall and senior cookery lecturer Adrian Woodhouse said they were particularly excited about the artisan producer option, aimed at those wanting to make a living from small-scale food production.

Classes would include packaging, presentation, marketing, retailing, accounting and preparing a business plan.

A small number of students would be accepted into year three of the degree programme next year, Ms Liddy said.

They would be people with relevant industry experience planning to become school food technology teachers.

The polytechnic and the University of Otago are launching a joint programme next year to enable chefs, engineers, clothing designers, builders and others with relevant industry experience to complete a polytechnic degree and a postgraduate teaching diploma in two years instead of four.

The scheme is designed to fill a desperate shortage in technology teaching ranks throughout the country.

Polytechnic academic general manager Sue Thompson said yesterday it had been planned to offer the bachelor and diploma of culinary arts from 2012, but hospitality school staff had "done an absolutely stunning job" to complete their work in four months so the qualifications could be assessed by the Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics Quality Board before next year.