Foundation Degree in Bakery and Patisserie Technology (Part-time)

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.

As well as developing your practical skills in bread making, sugar and chocolate work and patisserie and desserts, the course explores the science behind each of the product sectors, equipping you with a rounded knowledge of the bakery and patisserie industry. A key focus is the development of practical skills in the first year and then gaining an understanding of industrial automated production methods in the second year. You will be well equipped to enter within the artisan or industrial sectors of the industry.

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.

How to apply

Apply directly to Reaseheath

Typical Entry Requirements

Level 3 qualification in food

Start Date

September 2021

Course Length

Part-time: 4 years blended learning

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 new, 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 and 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

Level 6 (BSc Top-Up)

Teaching and Learning

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:

Level 4:

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

Teaching, Learning and Assessment: 306 hours

Independent Study: 894 hours

Level 5:

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

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. The time constrained online assessments vary, depending on the nature of the module, but may take the form of multiple-choice questions, essays, practical assessments, data handling questions, short answer quizzes, and in class assessments.

The approximate percentage of the course assessed by coursework is as follows:

Level 4

71% coursework

21% written exams

8% Practical

Level 5

69% coursework

13% written exams

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.

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.

Entry requirements

A minimum of 64 tariff points from A and AS levels to include a Food or Science subject
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) – a minimum grade MPP in Applied Science or in a Hospitality and Catering subject
Pearson BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) a minimum of grade MM in Applied Science or a Hospitality and Catering subject
City & Guilds Level 3 Technical Advanced Extended Diploma (1080 – first awarded in 2019) – a minimum of grade MPP in Applied Science or a Hospitality and Catering subject
City & Guilds Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma (720 – first awarded in 2019) – a minimum of grade MM in Applied Science or a Hospitality and Catering subject
Mature students (aged 21+) will be considered on an individual basis on their prior knowledge and experience. This may be assessed by interview, completion of coursework/essay or other methods. There may be a requirement for a formal qualification to be completed first e.g. Access to HE course.

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 Costs

Whites for the kitchen and processing halls cost approximately £115
Laundering of the whites’ costs approximately £50 per year

Equipment Costs

£115 for chef’s whites
£50 per year for laundry

Prices of equipment are subject to change dependent on retailer.

Additional financial support

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

How do I apply?

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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