Perfecting your practical skills while exploring the science behind your creations is a recipe for success in the bakery industry.
Whether your goal is to travel the world as an artisan baker, become an award winning cake maker with your own business, or be the next celebrity chef, our Foundation degree will ensure you leave with all the skills and knowledge you need for a rewarding career.
By studying the FdSc Bakery and Patisserie Technology at UCR, you will be equipped with a well-rounded knowledge of the bakery and patisserie industry, in preparation for employment within the artisan or industrial sectors when you graduate.
A key focus of your studies will be on the development of the theoretical knowledge and key practical skills in the first year, followed by gaining a good understanding of industrial automated production methods in the second year.
You will learn in our Reaseheath Food Centre, which is an industry leading academy and the only one of its kind in an academic setting. Featuring industry standard food processing halls, a bakery and innovation rooms for new product development and scale-ups, we are confident you will not find a better place to begin your bakery career.
Once you have successfully completed this course you can transfer to Level 6 of our Food Science and Technology course to gain a full honours degree.
Modules are delivered through practical work and theoretical lectures.
There is a compulsory 100 hours work placement in the chosen specialism module. Travel arrangements for this are at your own cost.
A minimum of 64 UCAS points from one of, or a combination of, the qualifications below, ideally in a science-based or relevant subject:
Please note: we accept a maximum of 20 UCAS points from GCE AS Levels and that the Welsh Baccalaureate (core) and A Level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs.
Non-standard entry: applicants aged 21 years of age or over without standard academic qualifications may be able to demonstrate considerable vocational experience and transferable skills. Their applications will be viewed on an individual basis to assess suitability. Any applicant who has not received certification for prior learning experiences, but has worked within the discipline, will also be considered. In some instances, applicants may be asked to attend an interview or complete a written assessment to support their application.
Contextualised Admissions: to support access and participation in Higher Education, University Centre Reaseheath operates a contextualised admissions policy, which allows reduced offers to be made to students with certain characteristics and/or social background. Further information can be found in the UCR Contextualised Admissions Policy, available on the website.
International Students: This course is not accepting applications from students requiring sponsorship for a Student visa. If you do not require sponsorship please contact UCRAdmissions@reaseheath.ac.uk for further information.
There is a compulsory 100 hours work placement in the chosen specialism module. Travel arrangements for this are at your own cost.
Overall workload
Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, independent learning and assessment activity, plus field trips. 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 Methods
Assessments are designed to encourage both academic skills and skills valued in the workplace. They include a combination of coursework, practical assessments, and time constrained online assessments. Coursework may take many forms including essays, reports, data processing, presentations, academic posters, seminar discussions, interviews, critical reviews, portfolios of evidence and practical competency assessments. In your practical assessments you will demonstrate your ability to design and produce products. These assessments are designed to ensure you are building the skills and professionalism required for a successful career in the sector.
The approximate percentage of the course assessed by coursework is as follows:
Year 1
71% coursework
21% online time constrained assessments
8% Practical
Year 2
69% coursework
13% online assessments
18% Practical
Feedback
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.
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:
Students will be able to access course timetables for the academic year in September.
Timetables are subject to change, but full-time students can expect to spend 2-3 days per week on campus. Part-time students will only attend for summative assessments or required workshops.
There is a compulsory 100 hours work placement in the chosen specialism module. Travel arrangements for this are at your own cost.
Tuition Fees
As a student at UCR, 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 our student finance page. These fees are charged for each academic year of a course and are set by the college annually.
Tuition fees for international students can also be found on our student finance page.
Equipment Costs
Prices of equipment are subject to change dependent on retailer.
Full-time: Apply directly through UCAS
Part-time: Apply directly through Reaseheath
4D43
A minimum of 64 UCAS points
September 2025
September 2026
Full-time: 2 years
Part-time: 4 years by blended learning
Here you will find useful information about the services and support available at University Centre Reaseheath. Click to expand each item:
University Centre Reaseheath is committed to providing additional financial support to those who need it. To find out about the bursary schemes available visit our additional financial support page.
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 UCR 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.
All UCR 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 (providing you have applied before the UCAS equal considerations deadline. For full details on our halls of residence visit our accommodation page.
We have a team of dedicated professionals on hand to offer you support. These include our Student Services Team, Inclusive Learning Team, Library and Learning Resources Team and the Reaseheath Careers Service. You can find more information on the support provided at Reaseheath on our support page.
University Centre Reaseheath is proud to welcome international students. For more information, please visit our international students page.
