Chocolates & Business Bachelor's

Program Overview

The Bachelor's degree in Chocolate/Confectionery & Entrepreneurship from the Institut Culinaire de France is a three-year program that combines culinary arts with business management. Students learn all aspects of chocolate-making and confectionery, including production, marketing, economics, and business management. The program emphasizes incorporating high-quality service into all stages of production and includes professional immersion through masterclasses, workshops, and work placements. Graduates are well-prepared for careers in the chocolate and confectionery industry, including starting their own businesses or working in management positions.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Bachelor's degree in Chocolate/Confectionery & Entrepreneurship from the Institut Culinaire de France is a three-year program designed to train students in the field of chocolate-making and confectionery while leveraging the strengths of the Galileo Global Education Group. The program aims to produce autonomous entrepreneurs who are well-versed in all aspects of the confectionery arts, including production, marketing, economics, and business management. Additionally, students are educated in nutritional aspects and dietary balance, as well as the challenges of sustainable development, such as organic produce, energy management, waste management, short supply chains, fair trade, and more. The program also emphasizes incorporating high-quality service into all stages of production, including customer reception, information provision, sales support, tasting of new recipes, and customer loyalty.

Outline:

First and Second Year Curriculum:

Gastronomic Engineering Module:

• Cakes, chocolate, confectionery, ice cream, baking
• 140 hours
• 2 ECTS credits

Management Module:

• General accounting
• 30 hours
• 2 ECTS credits
• Health & safety / forward flow
• 45 hours
• 2 ECTS credits
• Legal principles
• 30 hours
• 2 ECTS credits
• Competition and consumer law
• 30 hours
• 2 ECTS credits
• Sales and sales techniques
• 30 hours
• 2 ECTS credits
• Operational marketing and hospitality marketing
• 30 hours
• 2 ECTS credits

Business Environment Module:

• Macroeconomics and microeconomics
• 30 hours
• 2 ECTS credits
• Business economics
• 30 hours
• 2 ECTS credits
• Quantitative methods
• 30 hours
• 2 ECTS credits

Tools and Materials Module:

• General office software
• 21 hours
• ECTS credits
• Applied office software
• 21 hours
• ECTS credits

Modern Languages Module:

• Modern language 1
• 30 hours
• 4 ECTS credits
• Modern language 2
• 30 hours
• 2 ECTS credits

Culture and Cultures Module:

• French gastronomic culture
• 30 hours
• 2 ECTS credits
• Written and oral expression techniques (Voltaire Project)
• 30 hours
• 2 ECTS credits

Third-Year Curriculum:

Specialization in Chocolate/Confectionery:

Throughout their training, students are immersed in real-life professional situations as chocolatiers. They are required to design their product line, packaging, price line, shop design, and promotion strategies while adhering to industry regulations. They also develop and implement print and digital communication tools, including social media management and customer relations management. Students engage in professional immersion through masterclasses and workshops with renowned chefs and Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, such as Pierre Hermé, Johanna Le Pape, and Jean-Thomas Schneider. Educational excursions to industry professionals and local producers in the renowned gastronomic and wine-growing region of Bordeaux are also organized.

Teaching:

The program features a highly experienced and esteemed teaching staff with a wealth of industry knowledge and practical experience. The teaching methods include a combination of theoretical lectures, hands-on practical sessions, masterclasses, workshops, and industry visits. The program also incorporates a strong focus on cross-curricular teaching, integrating management, marketing, law, hygiene, and culture into the curriculum to equip students with the necessary skills to become successful entrepreneurs.

Careers:

Graduates of the Bachelor's degree in Chocolate/Confectionery & Entrepreneurship from the Institut Culinaire de France are well-prepared for a wide range of career opportunities in the chocolate and confectionery industry. They possess the skills and knowledge to start their own businesses, work in management positions within chocolate and confectionery companies, or pursue careers in culinary arts, research and development, or product development.