Professional Chef Foundation Degree in Arts - FdA

OVERVIEW\
If you aspire to work in high quality establishments – such as restaurants and pubs featured in the Michelin Guide, or those awarded AA rosettes – our Professional Chef foundation degree is a great way to gain valuable knowledge and hands-on training that will help you craft your culinary career.

Ideal for chefs qualified to Level 3 or those with relevant industry experience, this practical Professional Chef course focuses on culinary skills and will enable you to work with a wide variety of high quality food commodities, as well as developing your food service skills. Working in our industry standard training kitchens under the guidance of our expert chef lecturers, you will also learn about the use of seasonal produce and sustainability, as well as developing transferable skills which will allow you to move between different kitchen styles.

Our renowned Birmingham College of Food has outstanding links with the industry, meaning you will have access to a wide range of guest lectures, visits and other activities. You will further enhance your employability through a work placement in a top industry kitchen, while you will also be able to forge the contacts that could help shape your future career.

WHY CHOOSE THIS COURSE?

* WORK PLACEMENT – Gain valuable real-world experience on placements, with past students having worked at Michelin-starred restaurants and top establishments in locations around the globe

* ENRICHMENT – Engage with industry through activities including guest lectures, demonstrations, masterclasses, visits and further employment opportunities

* EXPERT TUITION – Learn from some of the best chefs and food professionals in the industry while studying in our state-of-the-art kitchen facilities on campus

* NO EXAMS - If you are not keen on exams, this course is for you. Unlike many degrees in this field, you will have no written exams during or at the end of the course and will be assessed through practical assessments and coursework only

* TOP FOR STUDENT SATISFACTION - We came third in the UK for overall student satisfaction among universities in the National Student Survey 2026 (when taking the average score for student satisfaction for each of the 26 questions in the NSS)

FACILITIES\
University College Birmingham is renowned for its outstanding food industry training facilities. Studying our Professional Chef cookery course means you will have access to our professional standard kitchens, award-winning training restaurant and state-of-the-art food development facilities.

In addition, we have an AA Rosette Highly Commended restaurant on campus – Restaurant at Birmingham College of Food – which is open to the public and will arm you with hands-on skills, from serving fast food to silver service.

PLACEMENTS\
You will undertake short work experience placements in the second year of your course, offering a potential stepping stone into a career and providing a valuable boost to your CV.

Employers we have worked with include Carters of Moseley, Clayton Hotel (formally Hotel La Tour), Opheem, Sky by the Water and The Edgbaston Boutique Hotel.

CAREERS AND PROGRESSION\
Examples of careers you could pursue following this course:

* Head chef

* Sous chef

* Pastry chef

* Catering manager

* Food technologist

* Product/process development scientist

You could also progress onto the final year of a full BA (Hons) degree, such as our Culinary Arts Management degree course at University College Birmingham.

* Please refer to our website www.ucb.ac.uk for the latest updates to this course