Applied Degree in Culinary Operations

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The Culinary Institute of Canada is regarded by many to be the premier culinary school in Canada. The addition of the Applied Degree in Culinary Operations to the school's offerings further reinforces the CIC's commitment to providing high quality, relevant training for students and for individuals working in the food industry who want to further enhance their skills in order to assume leadership roles.

Applied degrees are undergraduate (bachelor's) degrees with an applied, hands-on focus in a particular field. They prepare people to work in a specific profession and gain practical skills in combination with relevant theory while also earning a degree. An ‘applied degree’ program provides students with an education and important skills that can be applied to a specific industry, in this case, the food industry. Whether you are hoping to manage the culinary operations of an organization, own your own restaurant, work as a consultant, or become a product development chef, many of the skills you need to advance yourself and succeed at that level are the same. By developing skills in areas such as: project management, strategic marketing, facility design, foodservice technologies, human resource management, food safety policy development, and accounting, graduates are well positioned to maximize their potential and explore many new and unique opportunities.

National Advisory Committee

The National Advisory Committee provides guidance and input into the design and delivery of our program. This committee is comprised of industry experts from across the country; culinary entrepreneurs, research and development managers, resort and restaurant operators, consultants, project managers, policy development professionals, registered dietitians, educational experts and chefs. Each year, our committee meets to oversee the program, ensure that courses are relevant, and identify emerging trends and new developments within the culinary industry.

Why Take an Applied Degree in Culinary Operations?

For chefs, cooks, and industry professionals who already know how to cook and want to advance in their careers acquiring additional skills and knowledge is essential. An Applied Degree in Culinary Operations will provide you with the skills to:

  • Communicate professionally – Give effective presentations, draft policy, and run a meeting professionally and effectively
  • Use a best-practices approach to human resource management and ‘lead’ your staff successfully
  • Employ foundational skills for planning and managing major projects
  • Interpret financial statements and use them to make good business decisions
  • Implement an efficient food safety plan for your operation and train your staff accordingly
  • Understand the key steps in the process of developing a new food product for market
  • Learn how research and evidence-based decision making can guide you to success
  • Find out how to best market a product or service: develop a marketing plan, apply pricing, and identify marketing mix

Students may enter the program upon completion of their Culinary Arts Diploma at The Culinary Institute of Canada or another recognized institution along with a minimum of 1280 documented service hours or they may enter the program directly from the workplace, providing they can attest to five years experience in the culinary industry, at least one of which must be at the supervisory level.

Courses

Applied Degree in Culinary Operations Courses

  print full list with descriptions

Take the following course(s):


Food Safety Policy Development and Implementation

Food Safety Policy Development and Implementation

This course will enable the student to become a leader in the design, implementation and review of the flow of food within an operation as it pertains to food safety risks. This course will examine ongoing and current food safety concerns in today?s food supply system. Students will critically review food safety practices of an operation and develop skills in conducting needs assessments. Students will experience the importance of written policy as a means of ensuring food safety at the managerial foodservice level.

Hours: 45
Course Code: ADCO-300

Systems for Foodservice Operations

Systems for Foodservice Operations

In this course students will use the Foodservice Systems Model as a theoretical and practical approach to understand the efficient and effective transformation of human, material, facility, and operational inputs of the system into outputs of meals, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and accountability. This measurable, hands-on approach with industry applicable outcomes remains critical for success at a management level.

Hours: 45
Course Code: ADCO-305

Management of a Diverse Workforce

Management of a Diverse Workforce

This human resource management course will explore the evolving role of strategic human resources management in diverse culinary organizations. By laying the basic framework for how HR management operates today, and illustrating some of the fundamental changes that HR practitioners can make to be more effective, students will begin to address the challenges of managing a dynamic team. Emphasis will be placed on examining essential human resource functions including: planning, recruitment, employee development, compensation and performance management and the legal environment.

Hours: 45
Course Code: ADCO-315

Foodservice Product Development

Foodservice Product Development

This course provides the student with a hands-on approach to experiencing the importance and reasoning behind new product development in today's retail and food service industry. Students will interact with the process of product development and experience the development of a potential product from concept to launch. Areas of study will include production capabilities, processing, evaluation, nutrition, marketing, and the ultimate feasibility of the product.

Hours: 45
Course Code: ADCO-320

Foodservice Workplace Health and Safety Strategies Integration

Foodservice Workplace Health and Safety Strategies Integration

Designed to enable students to develop, evolve and integrate safety risk management throughout a facility. In this course students will become familiar with relevant legislation pertaining to employee safety and will gain an understanding of the importance of workplace wellness. Students will be able to analyze safety risk and develop sound strategies to prevent occupational injuries.

Hours: 45
Course Code: ADCO-325

Functional Facility Design

Functional Facility Design

As foodservice operations designers, students will face challenges around matching a facility design with environmental issues, ergonomics of design, design regulations, customer and food flow, receiving, storage and possible disposal of food. This challenge requires solid strategy implementation so the ultimate goals of all involved in any venture are met.

Hours: 45
Course Code: ADCO-330

Foodservice Marketing Strategies

Foodservice Marketing Strategies

This timely application of best practices in an industry- based setting will allow the student to apply the principles, creative strategies and assessments of foodservice marketing. Students will learn how to conduct a market analysis, a competitor analysis, and as a result learn how to make appropriate marketing recommendations.

Hours: 45
Course Code: ADCO-335

Applications of Financial Accounting in the Foodservice Industry

Applications of Financial Accounting in the Foodservice Industry

This course provides students with the skills to apply basic financial accounting principles. Students learn the purpose and importance of accurate accounting practices, various forms of business organizations and related financial statement formats. Emphasis will be placed on analyzing business transactions by identifying the various types of accounts affected and the rules of debit and credit. Students will develop their skills by applying accounting cycle steps to their research interest or case studies.

Hours: 45
Course Code: ADCO-340

Applied Degree in Culinary Operations Internship

Applied Degree in Culinary Operations Internship

The applied degree internship opportunity has been designed as a complimentary experience to prior culinary-based internships, co-ops, work placements and field experiences. This pre-professional, paid internship will give the student the opportunity to apply course knowledge and experience related knowledge to many career paths within foodservice. Students will continue to develop as culinarians and be given the opportunity to see and be seen by possible future employers. This industry and faculty supervised position is intended to further the development of an individual146s culinary expertise in a variety of settings.

Hours: 640
Course Code: ADCO-345

Advanced Managerial Communications

Advanced Managerial Communications

This course will help students develop communication strategies and basic research skills which are crucial to success in today?s industry. Students will learn how to respond to the need for policies, proposals, and business correspondence to be composed using evidence-based and professional writing. The skills gained in this course will also help students discover methods for communicating specialized ideas to many different groups of people.

Hours: 45
Course Code: ADCO-350

Contemporary Issues in Food and Nutrition

Contemporary Issues in Food and Nutrition

Food plays an increasingly important role in people?s lives and the public has become more discriminatory about where their food comes from, how it was produced, and what has been added to it prior to consumption. This, coupled with the rising rates of nutrition-related diseases has put increasing demand on culinarians to understand and react to contemporary issues relating to food and nutrition. In this course, students will learn the basic science of nutrition and use that foundational knowledge to better understand current trends in health and disease. Students will also examine some of the significant challenges facing our food industry and explore possible solutions from an evidence-based approach.

Hours: 45
Course Code: ADCO-360

Foodservice Technologies: Needs Assessment and Implementation

Foodservice Technologies: Needs Assessment and Implementation

This course has been developed to meet demanding aspects of professional foodservice management. First, the student will experience many different technologies that are uniquely applicable to the safe and efficient operation of any foodservice establishment. Second, students will be exposed to needs assessment strategies, implementation training and systems review in order to assess the appropriateness of their research designs. Operators will also need to utilize the latest software and technology to further aspects of marketing, promotion, expansion and business development.

Hours: 45
Course Code: ADCO-400

Research Methods for Foodservice Studies

Research Methods for Foodservice Studies

This course will allow students to become familiar with research methods commonly used in the food and foodservice industry. Students will learn how to effectively search current literature and other information resources to examine industry issues, interpret current studies, and make evidence-based decisions. Students will explore the critical nature of ethics in research. The concepts of critical and analytical thinking will be incorporated into this course. The application of industry practice will create an independent, specialized learner who is ready to take on a leadership role during the degree program and beyond.

Hours: 45
Course Code: ADCO-406

Strategies for Project Management

Strategies for Project Management

This course is designed to offer professionally recognized strategies for students to partake in the creation and re-creation of food and beverage services and/or facilities. Students will experience how foodservice concept, design, organizational charting, tendering, purchasing, proposals, and timeline management have a critical effect on how concepts are transformed into reality.

Hours: 45
Course Code: ADCO-410

Strategic Crisis Management

Strategic Crisis Management

This course provides students with the skills to communicate, provide due diligence and retain public trust during a wide variety of crises for which a manager must have strategies in place for legal, moral, social and financial reasons. Students will learn how to create viable action plans and recognize appropriate and inappropriate courses of action to take through various crisis scenarios.

Hours: 45
Course Code: ADCO-415

Consulting: A Global Perspective

Consulting: A Global Perspective

In this course students will focus on consulting strategies for foodservice professionals including meeting the client, developing and maintaining professional relationships and providing accurate recommendations in a variety of areas. These areas include: culinary expertise in equipment, facility design, dietetics, concept, cost control, energy management, menu design, training, feasibility studies, food safety and legal options.

Hours: 45
Course Code: ADCO-420

Effective Service Management

Effective Service Management

Designed to enhance the direct link between the need for strong customer service strategies and the overall success of a foodservice operation, in this course students will explore topics such as the nature of service, basic service strategies, and service encounters. Students will be introduced to competitive service strategies and various technologies used to improve the overall guest experience.

Hours: 45
Course Code: ADCO-425

Directed Foodservice Study

Directed Foodservice Study

This practical, community based semester, entails the launch, execution, and review of a negotiated learning contract between the student, employer and Holland College Faculty advisor. Planning for this project will already be in place as a result of work completed in the Food Service Study Seminar course. The student will work independently, with guidance from a faculty advisor and an industry liason. This project will enable students to implement new skills, as they work to meet industry needs.

Hours: 380
Course Code: ADCO-435

PEI Occupational Health and Safety

PEI Occupational Health and Safety

An overview of the Occupational Health and Safety Act of Prince Edward Island. Students examine the legislation, how PEI employees are protected while on the job and the responsibilities of employees and employers.

Hours: 0
Course Code: SAFE-1005

All students are required to complete a 16-week internship between their first and second year of training and a Directed Foodservice Study. During the Directed Foodservice Study, the student conducts research in foodservice with both CIC faculty and employer supervision.

Graduate Opportunities

  • Research and food product development
  • Foodservice sales and purchasing, food and beverage controller
  • Managing sous chef or executive chef
  • Food and beverage management
  • Institutional operations management
  • Restaurant operator or entrepreneur
  • Foodservice Consulting - facilities design, foodservice technology, product marketing
  • Food safety training
  • Quality management in food processing
Profile Facts
Start Date:Late September
Length:2 years
Location:The Culinary Institute of Canada, Tourism and Culinary Centre, Charlottetown
Credential Issued:Applied Degree in Culinary Operations

Admission Requirements

Students entering the program in the Diploma Stream must provide:

  • Proof of successful completion of The Culinary Institute of Canada's two-year Culinary Arts Diploma program or a recognized diploma from another institution; and
  • Documentation of 1280 hours of culinary service, which may include any internship, practicum, co-op or work experience hours.

Students entering the program in the Industry Stream must provide:

  • Proof of five years of culinary work experience, including service hours and dates and a summary of skills and duties performed, confirmed by a supervisor or employer on company letterhead; and
  • Proof that at least one of those years of experience was at the supervisory level, confirmed by a supervisor or employer on company letterhead.

For all applicants, your Application Package should provide documentation to address the following:

  • Grade 12 or equivalent
  • Resumé including work and volunteer experience with applicable dates, membership in groups, associations or athletics, awards and distinctions, and any other information about yourself relevant to the program.
  • Competency in computer literacy
  • Three letters of reference
  • Preference will be given to applicants who hold a Canadian Red Seal Cook's Certificate of Qualification or equivalent.

Tuition & Fees

Tuition & Fees
Year 1 $5,800
Year 2 $5,800

View a full breakdown of costs and booklist for this program.

Articulation Agreements

For more information, see our Degree Pathways section.

Contact

If you have any questions concerning the Applied Degree in Culinary Operations program, contact: