Culinary Arts Major - Bachelor of Arts
Passionate about food? Study the Culinary Arts major in the Bachelor of Arts and prepare yourself for a career in culinary arts.
This culinary arts degree brings together key culinary techniques and advanced theoretical concepts in food science, technology and ethics. It’s designed to develop your creativity and provide the springboard for your career in culinary arts. It's suitable for a wide range of students - from students who are coming directly from secondary school to industry professionals wanting to further their skills.
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This is part of the Bachelor of Arts.
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In your first year, you become familiar with culinary arts as a discipline. You collaborate with your classmates to discuss culinary arts culture and explore concepts of sensory appreciation. In Year 2 and 3 you take more advanced culinary arts courses. There’s an emphasis on the cultural and social aspects of food preparation.
Apart from the courses below you also need to complete courses from your second major, your chosen minor(s) or electives. You can tailor the degree to your interests and include courses from related disciplines like food science, hospitality, tourism, event management, human resource management or marketing.
Core courses
All Bachelor of Arts students need to complete core courses that help you develop transferable skills and support your work in all other courses in the degree.
Complete one course from each of the following clusters. Each cluster aligns with one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Partnerships and Reduced Inequalities
Choose one of:
- ENGL502 Reading New Zealand
- ENGL503 A Pacific Reader
- JAPA511 Speak Japanese I
- MAOR505 Te Mānutanga Beginners Māori Language 1
- MAOR506 Te Ekenga Waka Beginners Māori Language 2
- NZSL502 Deaf Community and Culture I
- NZSL510 New Zealand Sign Language I
- NZSL520 New Zealand Sign Language II
- SPAN501 Spanish 1A
- SPAN502 Spanish 1B
Peace and Justice, Climate Action and Economic World
Choose one of:
- CRIM580 Criminology and Criminal Justice
- EVNT500 Introduction to Event Management
- HIST500 Introduction to New Zealand History
- HIST501 The Holocaust: Its Causes, Character, and Legacy
- PSYC580 Introduction to Psychology A
- SOSC582 Social Thinking
- SOSC583 Social Institutions
- SOSC585 Climate Action
- TOUR511 Global Issues in Tourism
Sustainability, Health and Wellbeing
Choose one of:
- FOOD501 Food and the Senses
- CLSY513 Organisation and Human Behaviour Perspectives
- HOSP509 Hospitality Social Enterprise
- TOUR512 Tourism and Sustainability
Quality Education, Gender Equality and Reduced Poverty
The Advanced Culinary Showcase course is at the heart of your final semester, giving you the opportunity to create an event. This practical experience helps you build further skills for the workplace and consolidate your decision on your professional career after graduation.
Final-year Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts students hosted Hope, Strength & Love; a charity fundraising dinner for Breast Cancer Cure. The dinner, a 5-course degustation, was designed with the support of celebrity chefs Ray McVinnie, Ben Baley and Des Harris. The event raised over $3,000 for the charity.
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Culinary arts major courses
If you're majoring in culinary arts, this is the main subject area you specialise in. It makes up one third of your degree and consists of five culinary arts-related courses you study throughout your degree (this includes some 30-point courses).
Year 1 courses
Complete the following course:
- CULN510 Professional Culinary Arts
Year 2 courses
Complete the following courses:
- CULN611 Anatomy of a Dish
- GAST601 Gastronomy
Year 3 courses
Complete the following courses:
- CULN702 Food Ethics and Sustainability
- CULN703 Contemporary Cuisine in Aotearoa
Ready to enrol in your courses?
Find out how you can enrol in the courses and classes for your programme, whether you’ve just joined AUT as a new student or you’re already studying with us. If you’re looking for more info on a specific course use our course search.
Build your degree
Use our online tool to build your own degree and see what your three years of study could look like.
https://www.aut.ac.nz/courses/bachelor-of-arts/culinary-arts-major
Skills you will develop
The outcomes for graduates of this major are outlined in the Graduate Profile below.
Other requirements for this major
The practical side of this programme involves using commercial kitchen tools and equipment and requires you to demonstrate a level of skill that doesn’t compromise any health and safety standards for yourself and others.
- Artisan food producer
- Consultant
- Owner/operator small business
- Food and beverage manager
- Food stylist
- Product developer
- Professional chef
- Teacher
Find out more about industry trends, job descriptions and what employers may be looking for.
Diploma study options
Other majors in the Bachelor of Arts
- Creative Writing
- Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Economics (not open to new students from 2025)
- Education
- Event Management
- Global Tourism
- History
- International Studies
- Interpreting
- Māori Development
- Māori Media
- New Zealand Sign Language & Deaf Studies
- New Zealand Sign Language - English Interpreting*
- Psychology
- Social Sciences
*This major focuses on New Zealand Sign Language and developing the skills to become a Sign Language interpreter. It doesn’t include the option to include courses from different subjects.
- The only culinary arts degree in the New Zealand university sector
- Skills to establish your own culinary business
- Emphasis on practical and professional skills in culinary arts
- Option to include subjects from across AUT in your degree
- Having a passion for preparing and cooking food
- Creative, imaginative and innovative
- A team player and good communicator
- Able to pay attention to detail
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.