Professional Undergraduate Study Program in Gastronomy Management and Food Culture
Duration: 3 years, (6 semesters)
Professional title: Professional Bachelor of Gastronomy Management and Food Culture (bacc. oec.)
Credits: 180 ECTS
Filed of education: management, organization, entrepreneurship
The Professional undergraduate study Gastronomy Management and Food Culture is a link between hospitality, hotel and tourism, and agriculture with the aim of valorizing Istrian gastronomy.
Students are enabled to apply the acquired knowledge and skills on top-of-the-line equipment in modernly equipped laboratories: biotechnical, chemical, genetic, pedological, food-biotechnical, wine, as well as laboratories for phenotyping and plant protection.
Students have the opportunity to feel and explore all the elements of food and thus design a tourist offer and raise the value of Istria as a gastronomic and tourist destination important for the development of the entire community.
PROFESSIONAL PART OF TEACHING – EXERCISES IN LABORATORIES
The professional part of classes in the Gastronomy Management and Food Culture program will be held as part of:
- the laboratory of the Istrian University of Applied Sciences (Metris Research Center)
- Educational and Gastronomic Center of Istria in Pazin (Agency for Rural Development of Istria – AZRRI) and
- Laboratories of the Institute for Agriculture and Tourism in Poreč
as a link between the agricultural and hospitality-tourism sectors in order to valorize Istrian gastronomy.
PROFFESIONAL PRACTICE:
Students of the Istrian University of Applied Sciences complement the theoretical knowledge gained in classes during their studies with high-quality practical work that they perform as part of their professional practice, with the aim of quality preparation for the end of their studies and easier inclusion in the labor market.
Student practice is a mandatory part of the study programs at the University.
Advantages of the study program:
- individualized work in small groups enables students to easily acquire and apply knowledge through concrete examples from practice,
- cooperation with the Research Centre for Metal Industry in Istrian County – METRIS enables the application of acquired knowledge and skills on state-of-the-art analytical equipment in modernly equipped chemical, mechanical, and biotechnical laboratories,
- a modern approach to education.
Direct classes of each course are held in the form of:
- lectures and/or (L)
- exercises and/or (E)
- seminars (S)
according to the table that follows.
| NAME OF THE COURSE | Weekly teaching load | ECTS | |||
| L | E | S | |||
| 1. semester | Basics of Accounting | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Microeconomics | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| Management | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| Entrepreneurship in Gastronomy and Tourism | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| Business Informatics | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| Basics of Hospitality | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |
| 2. semester | Marketing in Gastronomy | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Financial Management | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| Vegetables, Medicinal and Wild Herbs as Functional Food | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
| Basic Nutrition Knowledge | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| English Language in Gastronomy | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| Rural Entrepreneurship (elective) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| Italian Language in Gastronomy 1 (elective) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3. semester | Applied Food Technology 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Fruit Species as a Source of Phytonutrients | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | |
| Winemaking | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
| Basics of Agricultural Management | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| Economics of Tourism | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| Management of Entrepreneurial Projects | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 4. semester | Applied Food Technology 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Production, Knowledge and Culture of Using Virgin Olive Oil in Gastronomy | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |
| Wine Sensory | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |
| Food Chemistry 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |
| Business English in Gastronomy | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| Professional Practice 1 | 0 | 130 | 0 | 4 | |
| Italian Language in Gastronomy 2 – elective course | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| Sustainable Development – elective course | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
Learning Outcomes of the study program:
- Apply financial and accounting regulations to the operations of the company or one of its parts
- Carry out financial planning of the company based on the collected information and its analysis
- Analyze the microeconomic environment, models and policies with the purpose of making optimal business decisions
- Create a plan of marketing activities respecting modern approaches and strategies
- Apply the conclusions of the business project analysis through the creation and monitoring of the implementation of the business plan
- Adapt the form and operation of the company to the most important external conditions (business infrastructure, market needs, legal regulations)
- Connect the basic principles of economic theory with the main features of management in gastronomy with a special emphasis on tourism
- Organize the operation of the catering facility and the functioning of the catering offer, respecting contemporary world trends
- Create contemporary entrepreneurial projects in the field of gastronomy and tourism
- Apply knowledge of Croatian and other foreign languages in business communication
- Apply modern information and communication technologies in business
- Plan the application of modern technological processes in the field of food and beverage production and processing, in accordance with the highest sanitary standards
- Independently classify and distinguish different groups of chemical ingredients and
- nutritional characteristics of foods used in the gastronomic offer
- Identify trends and propose innovative solutions to improve the gastronomic and tourist offer
- Valuing indigenous and local products and stating their advantages when designing the gastronomic offer
- Communicate in an appropriate way with stakeholders in the tourist destination, respecting the rules of intercultural communication
- Take personal and team responsibility based on the principles of ethics and socially responsible business
- To value the role of heritage, identity and authenticity in the development of a sustainable offer of a tourist destination
- Ensure ecological sustainability of business in the field of gastronomy
- Design a business plan for the gastronomic offer and business in rural areas
- Interpret the role of food as a sociological and cultural phenomenon.