Culinary Arts Diploma

his two-year course is designed to equip students with the skills necessary for a career in culinary arts. The programme puts particular emphasis on food production skills as well as managerial aspects. The two industry placement semesters as well as the practical duties during the theory semesters make Alpine's graduates highly employable in the catering, food and beverage related industries.

The Swiss Alpine Diploma in Culinary Arts at Alpine Center consists of two academic semesters (October to April) and two paid industry placements (May to September) and is delivered in an actual hotel campus, in order to offer students opportunities for learning by doing, i.e. the reputed Swiss formula. Equal emphasis is given to acquiring knowledge on operations and management and to applying it in a real working environment.

In their first year of studies, students of the culinary arts diploma become familiar with essential knowledge in the cooking profession such as food safety, hygiene, the HACCP system, culinary theory, menu planning and design etc. In parallel with the theoretical classes, the culinary arts diploma students work in an actual hotel kitchen in Alpine's hotel campus, and are involved in the mass production of food from several different cuisines on a daily basis. This ensures not only a thorough introduction to culinary theory, but a familiarization with real-life situations and challenges.

During the second year, students continue to develop their theoretical and technical knowledge by studying advanced aspects of nutrition, menu engineering, Mediterranean cuisine and advanced cooking methods and culinary techniques, but also build their management skills by studying subjects such as bar and beverage theory, restaurant management, food and beverage planning and control and managerial accounting.

Particular emphasis is placed on developing professional competences such as effective communication, information technology, customer care, teamwork, leadership etc. by incorporating relevant 'professionalism seminars' into the curriculum and assessing students on their professional attitude as well as academic performance.

This combination of learning approaches expertly epitomized by Alpine for more than 27 years has led to the professional success and recognition of more than 3000 graduates, who are employed in distinguished managerial positions in the worldwide hospitality industry.