Foundation Degree in Bakery and Patisserie Technology

This course is aimed at students who wish to pursue a career in bakery or patisserie, either within a craft or industry setting, in roles such as quality management, food marketing or new product development.

It is designed to give students a fundamental understanding of food science and food safety, progressing to specialist knowledge of cereal, flour, sugar and chocolate technology, delivered in a vocational setting.

University Centre Reaseheath is an academic partner of the University of Chester. Foundation degrees, Honours degrees, and Cert Ed are awarded by the University of Chester.

UCAS Entry Points

A minimum of 64 UCAS points

Start Date

September 2021

Course Length

Full-time: 2 years

Student are taught in the £7.4 million Reaseheath Food Centre – an industry-leading academy with an international reputation in the food and drink sector. The state-of-the-art facilities include a commercial dairy, butchery, commercial bakery, and innovation rooms for new product development (NPD) and scale-ups. As a college, we pride ourselves on our partnerships with the food and dairy industry, and work with businesses to create bespoke courses and training programmes to meet a wide range of industry needs.

Upon successful completion students may progress on to the BSc (Hons) Food Manufacturing with Operations Management (Top-Up).

What will I study?

Modules are delivered through practical work and theoretical lectures. There is a compulsory 4 week work placement* in the chosen specialism module. Modules include:

Level 4

Food Materials and Product Manufacture
Food Safety in Manufacturing
Introductory Bakery Skills
Sugar and Chocolate Technology
Artisan Bakery Skills
Food Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Click here to view the module descriptors.

Level 5

Food Innovation and the New Product Development
Weddings Cakes and Entremets
Research Methods
Artisan Patisserie and Desserts
Work Based Learning
Processing and Quality Assurance of Baked Goods

Click here to view the module descriptors.

Level 6 (BSc Top-Up)

Upon successful completion of the Foundation Degree, there is an option to progress onto the one-year BSc Top-Up to gain a BSc (Hons) Food Manufacturing with Operations Management.

Teaching and Learning

Overall workload

Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, independent learning and assessment activity, plus field trips. Your actual contact hours may depend on which optional modules you select, but the following information gives an indication of how much time you will need to allocate to different activities at each year of the course:

Year 1: 26% of your time is spent in timetabled teaching and learning activity

Teaching, Learning and Assessment: 306 hours

Independent Study: 894 hours

Year 2: 22% of your time is spent in timetabled teaching and learning activity

Teaching, Learning and Assessment: 268 hours

Placement: 100 hours

Independent Study: 832 hours

Assessment and Feedback

Percentage of course assessed by coursework

The balance of assessment by examination and assessment by coursework depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose. The approximate percentage of the course assessed by coursework is as follows:

Year 1

71% coursework

21% written exams

7% Practical

Year 2

69% coursework

13% written exams

18% Practical

Feedback is supplied via Turnitin or directly from the module tutor. The majority of submissions are made via Turnitin and feedback for coursework is provided four working weeks after the submission date. If for unforeseen reasons this is not possible, the reasons will be communicated to the students within 2 weeks and the feedback prioritised within the department.

Written feedback will be supported verbally should the student require clarification. Formative assessment feedback will be provided at the time of completion where possible, with more detailed summative feedback for reports.

Additional Qualifications

To offer graduates a leading position in the jobs market, students are given the opportunity to enhance their career prospects by taking additional qualifications during their course of study. These could include a range of qualifications such as:

Highfield Level 3 Award in HACCP for Food Manufacturing
Highfield Level 3 Award in Food Safety Management for Manufacturing

Students are encouraged to join the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST) as an associate (student) member.

*Travel arrangements at your own cost.

Entry requirements

A minimum of 64 UCAS points which may be obtained from GCE A Levels, or one of the following qualifications in a relevant subject:

Level 3 Extended Diploma / Diploma
BTEC National Certificate / Diploma
OCR National Diploma / Extended Diploma
Irish / Scottish Highers in relevant subject
Advanced GNVQ
QAA recognised Access to HE Diploma, Open College Units or Open University Credits
For mature students (aged 21+) substantial work experience will be considered, as well as, or in place of, formal qualifications.

Further study

One year top-up route to BSc (Hons) Food Manufacturing with Operations Management (Top-Up) or related subject.

Career Options

The combination of practical and academic training you will gain during your degree will equip you with the skills required to enter a graduate career in food-related industries, or to undertake further training or research.

New Product Development
Research and development
Food marketing
Buying
Laboratory Analysis & Testing
Bakery entrepreneur.

Useful Information

How much will this course cost?

Tuition Fees

As a Higher Education student you will have two main costs to meet; your tuition fees and living costs.

Our full-time tuition fees for UK and EU students, entering University, can be found on the student finance page. These fees are charged for each academic year of a course and are set by the college annually.

If you are an international student or for the latest information on tuition fees visit the student finance page on our website.

Additional financial support

University Centre Reaseheath is committed to providing additional financial support to those who need it. To find out about the bursary schemes available visit the additional financial support pages on our website.

Accommodation

All Higher Education students are given the opportunity to apply for residential accommodation. First year students are guaranteed accommodation and this offer is made to all applicants who live more than a reasonable daily travelling distance from Reaseheath and who apply before 31st July of the year they intend to start their course. For full details on our halls of residence visit the accommodation pages.

Student support

We have a team of dedicated professionals on hand to offer you support when and if you need it during your time with us. These include our Student Services team, Higher Education Support Team (HEST), Library and Learning Resources and the Reaseheath Careers Service. You will find more information on the support provided at Reaseheath here.

How do I apply?

Before you apply you can come and visit us at one of our HE Open Events to see what we have to offer. Once we have received your application we will invite you to attend an Offer Holder Day.

Applications for full-time Degrees and Foundation Degrees are made through UCAS. Applications for all other full-time courses such as Access to HE and Level 4 Diplomas should be made directly to Reaseheath via the online application form. You can find out more here.

Student contract

For students to get the best out of their time at University Centre Reaseheath, we must both recognise that we owe obligations to each other. These obligations are set out in our Higher Education Student Contract. Before you accept an offer of a place at University Centre Reaseheath, it is important that you read these contract conditions. If you are going to be living in Halls of Residence, you will also need to read the Student Accommodation Licence Conditions. Both of these contracts can be found here.

Click here to view the University Centre Reaseheath Student Protection Plan.

This course will open so many doors for me, hopefully in the product development department of a major company.

Sharn Byng FdSc Bakery and Patisserie Technology

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