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Professional Chef

University College Birmingham

UCAS Code: D500 | Foundation Degree in Arts - FdA

Entry requirements


UCAS Tariff

32-56

A relevant level 3 qualification in Chef Catering, Professional Chef/Cookery or Food Preparation and Cooking (NVQ, VRQ, VTCT etc.)

About this course


Course option

2years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Food and beverage production

**OVERVIEW**
**If you aspire to work in high quality establishments – such as restaurants and pubs featured in the Michelin Guide, or those awarded AA rosettes – our Professional Chef foundation degree is a great way to gain valuable knowledge and hands-on training that will help you craft your culinary career.**

Ideal for chefs qualified to Level 3 or those with relevant industry experience, this practical Professional Chef course focuses on culinary skills and will enable you to work with a wide variety of high quality food commodities, as well as developing your food service skills. Working in our industry standard training kitchens under the guidance of our expert chef lecturers, you will also learn about the use of seasonal produce and sustainability, as well as developing transferable skills which will allow you to move between different kitchen styles.

Our renowned Birmingham College of Food has outstanding links with the industry, meaning you will have access to a wide range of guest lectures, visits and other activities. You will further enhance your employability through a work placement in a top industry kitchen, while you will also be able to forge the contacts that could help shape your future career.

**WHY CHOOSE THIS COURSE?**
- **Work placement** – Gain valuable real-world experience on placements, with past students having worked at Michelin-starred restaurants and top establishments in locations around the globe

- **Enrichment** – Engage with the industry through a variety of activities including guest lectures and demonstrations, masterclasses and visits, as well as further employment opportunities

- **Expert tuition** – Learn from some of the best chefs and food professionals in the industry while studying in our state-of-the-art kitchen facilities on campus

**FACILITIES**
University College Birmingham is renowned for its outstanding food industry training facilities. As a student on our Culinary Arts Management course, you will have access to our professional standard kitchens which are used regularly for prestigious competitions, as well as our Food Science and Innovation Suite which features the latest food testing and diagnostic technology, state-of-the-art development kitchen facilities and a bespoke sensory evaluation room.

In addition, we have an AA Rosette Highly Commended restaurant on campus – Restaurant at Birmingham College of Food – which is open to the public and will arm you with hands-on skills, from serving fast food to silver service.

**PLACEMENTS**
You will undertake short work experience placements in the second year of your course, offering a potential stepping stone into a career and providing a valuable boost to your CV.

Employers we have worked with include Carters of Moseley, Clayton Hotel (formally Hotel La Tour), Opheem, Sky by the Water and The Edgbaston Boutique Hotel.

**CAREERS AND PROGRESSION**
Examples of careers you could pursue following this course:
- Head chef

- Sous chef

- Pastry chef

- Catering manager

- Food technologist

- Product/process development scientist

You could also progress onto the final year of a full BA (Hons) degree, such as our Culinary Arts Management degree course at University College Birmingham.

- **Please refer to our website www.ucb.ac.uk for the latest updates to this course**

Modules

**YEAR 1**

- Advanced Culinary Skills
- Specialist Patisserie
- The Gastronomist
- The Science of Food

**YEAR 2**

- Advanced Culinary Techniques
- Innovative Patisserie
- Kitchen Management Techniques
- Profitable Menu Development

Assessment methods

**Note: Indicative information only. Actual timetables and assessment regimes will be issued at your induction. Please be aware that methods of delivery for this course may be altered due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic – for the most up-to-date information, please refer to our website: www.ucb.ac.uk**

**ASSESSMENT**

Estimated breakdown of assessment for this course:

- **Coursework** – 50%
- **Practical assessment** – 50%

Our teaching and assessment is underpinned by our Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategy 2021-2024.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£9,250
per year
EU
£13,500
per year
International
£13,500
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University College Birmingham

Department:

Birmingham College Of Food - FdA/FdSc

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What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

68%
Food and beverage production

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Food and beverage production

Teaching and learning

65%
Staff make the subject interesting
77%
Staff are good at explaining things
73%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
85%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

73%
Library resources
81%
IT resources
92%
Course specific equipment and facilities
69%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

63%
UK students
37%
International students
58%
Male students
42%
Female students
60%
2:1 or above
17%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
D
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Food and beverage production

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£21,000
med
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

31%
Food preparation and hospitality trades
12%
Other elementary services occupations
10%
Managers and proprietors in hospitality and leisure services

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Food and beverage production

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£19k

£19k

£23k

£23k

£26k

£26k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here