Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Culinary Entrepreneurship
Course Overview
-
4
Year
-
8
Level
-
US930
CAO Course Code
Why take this course?
This programme develops honours degree students in the field of culinary entrepreneurship. Participants on the programme will acquire the critical thinking and applied skills necessary to succeed in culinary business, food enterprise development and food innovation management.
You will also discover the impact of food on tourism, hone your IT skills and advance your culinary business knowledge. The course is available full time and leads to many exciting opportunities in the culinary sector.
All students in the Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, including new first years, are eligible to take part in annual international field trips. In the last few years more than 150 of our students have worked or studied abroad, including in Beijing, Shanghai, Dubai, Parma, Poznan, Paris, San Sebastian, Barcelona, Cannes, the Balearics, Ontario and Lisbon.
Students will also have the opportunity to achieve the following external accreditations:
- Environmental Health Officers (EHAI) Food Safety Level 2 Certificate – Food Handlers
- Environmental Health Officers (EHAI) Food Safety Level 3 Certificate – Head Chefs & Hospitality Managers
- Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) First Aid Responders Certificate
What will I experience?
On this course you will learn about:
- Applied Microbiology Labs – Pathogenic Growth, Identification and Enumeration skills
- Nutrition / Menu Engineering / Food Scientific Principles
- Food Product Development – Idea Generation to Commercialisation
- Showcasing the commercialisation of Innovative Food Products
- How to brand and promote food
- Showcasing the commercialisation of Innovative Food Products
- International best practice in food marketing (including an annual international European fieldtrip to notable food destinations such as Parma & Modena Italy, the Basque region in Spain, the Champagne region in France.)
- Applied Microbiology Labs (II) - Shelf Life Testing of the Innovative Food Products / FSAI Guidelines for the Interpretation of Results of Microbiological Testing of Ready-to-Eat Foods
- Sensory analysis of food;
- How to write a market research, business model canvas and business plan
- 200-hour Culinary Internship – Food Processing Facility
What opportunities might it lead to?
An honours degree (Level 8) is an effective basis for postgraduate training and research leading to Master’s and PhD (Level 9/10) qualifications. Taught postgraduate opportunities for the graduates of this programme are numerous and varied and include Master’s in food, hospitality and business management. Graduates of this course will likely work in:
- Food marketing and retail
- Food product development
- Food tourism
- Culinary arts
- Food sales
- Contract catering
Past graduates of this programme are currently working in the following roles:
- Quality Manager, Rudd’s Foods Ltd., Co. Offaly
- Specifications Technologist, Mr. Crumb Ltd., Co. Longford
- Process Improvements Technical, O’Brien’s Fine Foods Ltd., Co. Kildare
- Technical Manager, Kingsgate Investment, Kepak Group, Co. Meath
Assessment Information
We place a lot of emphasis on student support and so we aim to provide a learning environment that is both stimulating and academically challenging, whilst also supporting your learning. You will encounter a range of teaching methods - from lectures, workshops and seminars to hands-on practical sessions and lab exercises. The course is taught by experienced lecturers with a track record of success in many sectors including the hotel, restaurant and food production industries.
We appreciate that different students have different learning styles and so we provide a range of assessment approaches to suit everybody. Here are some of the ways we assess your work.
Course Details
- Course Duration:
- 4 Year
- Registration Closing Date:
How to apply to this programme at TUS Athlone Campus:
- Course Commencement Date:
September, apply via CAO.
- CAO Course Code:
- US930
- Course Award:
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
- Course NFQ Level:
- Level 8
- Department:
- Dept of Hospitality, Tourism & Leisure
- Minimum Entry Requirements:
-
Minimum Entry Requirements: Minimum O6/H7 grades in the Leaving Certificate examination. One of the six subjects presented must include English. Two of the six subjects must be at a grade of H5 or above. Level 5 QQI: Any QQI-FET level 5 qualification is acceptable but must contain a minimum of 3 distinctions.
Student Testimonial

TUS Athlone Hospitality, Tourism & Leisure Students Fieldtrip to Dubai
"Dubai was an incredible experience for us. It was a place we never thought we would have wanted to visit but now we have a whole new perspective for our future careers! We loved seeing the different cultures and learning about the history of Dubai."
Careers & Opportunities
Career Prospects
Past graduates of this programme are currently working in the following roles:
- Quality Manager, Rudd’s Foods Ltd., Co. Offaly
- Specifications Technologist, Mr. Crumb Ltd., Co. Longford
- Process Improvements Technical, O’Brien’s Fine Foods Ltd., Co. Kildare
- Technical Manager, Kingsgate Investment, Kepak Group, Co. Meath