New Zealand Diploma in Culinary Practice (Level 5) (Cookery)
Are you ready to elevate your culinary career? In this Level 5 programme, you will learn how to balance dishes for all the senses, as well as how to lead and deliver a food event. Develop a deep understanding of sustainable and culturally responsive dish design and ensure you excel in both the theory and practice of kitchen management.
Domestic
Distance (Work Integrated Learning or Assessment of Prior Learning)
About the programme
Designed for junior chefs who are looking to unleash their cooking creativity, this programme will also teach you the skills you need to manage everyday kitchen activities.
Taught via project-based learning and portfolio-based assessment, this programme is offered both on campus and via a work-integrated learning mode.
The flexibility of this programme allows it to be tailored to meet your individual career aspirations or specific workplace needs.
If you have prior relevant cookery experience or previous related study credits, you may be eligible for full or partial credit recognition towards this qualification. Please contact us at FoodDesign@op.ac.nz who will be in touch to discuss this option with you.
Work Integrated Learning Pathway
If you are currently working in the industry, you will be able to complete this programme through our Work Integrated Learning (WIL) pathway. This allows you to further your education while remaining in work. This pathway provides the benefits of lower fees, career advancement, flexibility, and tailored projects that align with your career aspirations and workplace needs.
Through this pathway, we will work closely with you and your employer to establish a mentoring arrangement. As part of this learning agreement, the workplace will provide a mentor for you and opportunities to extend your culinary design skills and management capabilities. Course project work is negotiated through a meeting held between the learner, workplace representatives, and lecturers. During these meetings, we discuss what new learning needs to occur and what possible workplace activities could facilitate this learning. The intention of these meetings is to ensure that learners have project work that provides them with opportunities to gain new skills and capabilities while bringing benefits to the workplace.
International
Distance (Work Integrated Learning or Assessment of Prior Learning)
About the programme
Designed for junior chefs who are looking to unleash their cooking creativity, this programme will also teach you the skills you need to manage everyday kitchen activities.
Taught via project-based learning and portfolio-based assessment, this programme is offered both on campus and via a work-integrated learning mode.
The flexibility of this programme allows it to be tailored to meet your individual career aspirations or specific workplace needs.
If you have prior relevant cookery experience or previous related study credits, you may be eligible for full or partial credit recognition towards this qualification. Please contact us at FoodDesign@op.ac.nz who will be in touch to discuss this option with you.
Work Integrated Learning Pathway
If you are currently working in the industry, you will be able to complete this programme through our Work Integrated Learning (WIL) pathway. This allows you to further your education while remaining in work. This pathway provides the benefits of lower fees, career advancement, flexibility, and tailored projects that align with your career aspirations and workplace needs.
Through this pathway, we will work closely with you and your employer to establish a mentoring arrangement. As part of this learning agreement, the workplace will provide a mentor for you and opportunities to extend your culinary design skills and management capabilities. Course project work is negotiated through a meeting held between the learner, workplace representatives, and lecturers. During these meetings, we discuss what new learning needs to occur and what possible workplace activities could facilitate this learning. The intention of these meetings is to ensure that learners have project work that provides them with opportunities to gain new skills and capabilities while bringing benefits to the workplace.
What You Study
What you will learn
Overview
During this hands-on programme, you'll learn to design innovative dishes and menus perfectly suited for rolling out in a professional setting. Stay at the forefront of culinary trends with a focus on regional, national, and global influences, ensuring your skills are always cutting edge.
Fine tune your organisational skills as you manage food supplies, production schedules, and staff training within a commercial kitchen.
Sustainability takes centre stage as you learn to enhance dish quality, optimise kitchen economics, and minimise environmental impact in your design processes.
This programme is not just about cooking; it's about equipping you with the expertise needed to thrive in the competitive and evolving landscape of the culinary industry. You will focus on areas such as food design for all the senses, bakery and desserts, sustainable and culturally responsive cuisine, and kitchen management and leadership.
Towards the end of the programme, you'll be able to showcase your newly acquired skills by applying them to the design, planning, and delivery of a food event.
Courses
| Course name | Level | Credits |
|---|---|---|
|
Deliberate Practice for Kai Learn the skills of cooking and reflective practice to take your cooking to the next level. |
5 | 15 |
|
Sweet Kitchen Pūmanawa Learn to design and create dishes suitable for bakery and dessert contexts. |
5 | 30 |
|
Contemporary Haka Kai In this course you will learn about contemporary cuisine and how to design dishes that are sustainable and culturally responsive. |
5 | 30 |
|
Sensory Design In this course you will learn to design and produce culinary items that are balanced from a sensory perspective. |
5 | 15 |
|
Culinary Leadership and Management In this course you will acquire a broad overview of the principles, theories and practices of kitchen management and leadership. |
5 | 15 |
|
Implementing Manaakitaka In this course you will apply leadership skills to contribute to the planning and delivery of a food event. The emphasis will be on applying the leadership principles of hospitality and effective teamwork. |
5 | 15 |
| Total | 120 |
Further study options
When you graduate, you'll be able to gain direct entry to Year Two of our Bachelor of Culinary Arts programme (offered at our Dunedin Campus).
Workload
Your workload
All of your studies will be highly structured, guided, and self-directed and you'll need to have good time management skills.
A full-time student should typically aim for around 30-40 hours of study per week including work-based learning (and therefore a part-time student would need to aim for 15-20 hours).
You'll need to engage with the online resources and activities, and complete assessments and work placements.
Entry
Entry requirements
Academic requirements
- New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 4) OR equivalent OR relevant culinary work experience or equivalent.
- International students will be individually assessed to ensure they are ready for this study.
International requirements and equivalence
To enter Otago Polytechnic's undergraduate certificates, diplomas and degrees, you need to have achieved a secondary school qualification that is equivalent to New Zealand's NCEA levels (National Certificate of Educational Achievement).
This information is available by country on our Equivalent academic entry requirements page.
English Language requirements
If English is not your first language, you must provide:
- New Zealand University Entrance OR
- Overall Academic IELTS 5.5 (academic, no band score lower than 5.0) achieved in one test completed in the last two years, OR
- Acceptable alternative evidence of the required IELTS (see here for internationally recognised proficiency tests and proficiency outcomes for international students).
If you need to improve your English Language skills, we offer a wide range of English programmes.
Selection process
If the number of applicants exceed the available places, a waitlist will be used to ensure preference is given to applicants in order of application.
More about the APL process
If you've been working in a supervisor position within a kitchen and want your skills formerly recognised, this is a great option for you.
We offer an APL process (Accreditation of Prior Learning) which matches your existing experience and knowledge against this programme.
This process will drastically reduce the time taken to gain this qualification. It's especially valuable for those who are currently employed as you don't have to leave your job to achieve it!
If you have experience in staff development; purchasing; operating procedures; finance; and creating dishes and menus; please email Programme Leader, Adrian Woodhouse (FoodDesign@op.ac.nz attn: Adrian Woodhouse) or give him a call to discuss your situation - 0800 762 786.
All fees and costs are approximate.
Fees
Domestic fees
International fees
Tuition fees
The tuition fees shown above are approximate only. There may be a slight fee increase per year once Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) rules and guidelines are applied. These fees also don’t include additional costs or living costs.
Studylink
Visit Welcome to StudyLink studylink.govt.nz to apply for a student loan to cover your course fees, course-related costs or living costs, or to apply for a student allowance.
Fees Free
Starting tertiary study or work-based learning for the first time? You may be able to get Fees Free after you complete your first eligible qualification or programme.
Fees Free covers the cost of your fees for the final year of study or final two years of work-based learning, up to $12,000.
When you enrol, you will need to pay your fees. To help you cover this cost, you may wish to apply for a student loan. Find out more at Student loan – StudyLink.
For more information on the eligibility requirements and when it is best to apply for Fees Free, visit Fees Free – Inland Revenue.
Student Services Fee
For most students, your tuition fee shown above includes a Student Services Fee – also known as the Student Levy. This compulsory fee covers your access to the student services we offer. This cost is tailored depending on how you're studying.
The international tuition fee does not include your Student Levy. This will be calculated when you enrol with us.
Click below to find out more about the Student Levy costs and services provided.
