Having a formal education in hospitality is essential for anyone who desires to join a restaurant or hotel. There are several certificates, diplomas, and graduate, postgraduate, and doctorate courses in hospitality and tourism. To understand which course is better, it is important to get the knowledge and understand the career options and scope of the courses.

Two courses that usually stay on a student’s mind when deciding to go for a career in the hospitality industry are hotel management courses and culinary arts courses. While both the courses are closely related, it is important to understand which course to have opted for higher studies.

Culinary Arts courses involve the study of food production and service which includes food preparation, cooking skills, presentation skills as well as serving skills. These highly specialized courses mostly turn around the operations captious to a restaurant or catering company. These programs focus on building exceptional preparation and cooking skills, while hotel management programs focus on administrative tasks. An organized culinary arts program teaches culinary skills, which include:

• Knife skills

• Mise en place

• Kitchen organization

• Fundamentals of baking

• Cooking methods such as searing and braising

• Principles of cooking, such as the use of heat management

• Fabricating meat, poultry, and seafood

Hotel Management courses focus on the administration and operations involved in running a hospitality organization. The variety of subjects and skills taught in a hotel management course is broader than the culinary arts course. It involves the study of complete hotel operations, from front office operations to the business management of hotels to the regulations involved with the hospitality industry. The degree program of study basically includes:

General Management of a Restaurant/Hotel/Resort etc.

• Operations Management

• Cruise Ship Hotel management

• Club management

• Hospitality and Travel

• Airline Catering and Cabin Services

• Catering Services in Forest Lodges, etc.

• Sales & Marketing

• Human Resources

• Accounting

• Cost Control

• Economics

Courses:

Culinary Arts Courses in India

Diploma & Certificate Programmes

Certificate in Culinary Arts

Diploma in Culinary Arts

Bachelor’s Programme

B.Sc. in Culinary Arts

BA in Culinary Arts

Bachelor of Catering Technology & Culinary Arts

Master’s Programme

Post Graduate Diploma in Culinary Arts

MSc in Culinary Arts

Hotel Management Courses in India

Diploma Programme

• Diploma in Hotel Management

Bachelor’s Programme

• Bachelor of Hotel Management

• Bachelor of Hotel Management & Catering Technology

• B. Sc. in Hotel Management

• B. Voc. in Hotel Management

• BA in Hotel Management

• BBA in Hotel Management

Master’s Programme

• Master of Hotel Management

• MBA in Hotel Management

• M. Sc. in Hotel Management

• MA in Hotel Management

• Master of Tourism and Hotel Management

• M. Phil. in Hotel Management

Doctorate Courses

• Ph.D. in Hotel Management

Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for culinary arts and hotel management courses are mostly the same. Colleges follow the NCHMCT/AICTE-specified eligibility criteria for hotel management courses. A summary of the eligibility can be found given below.

• Candidates must have cleared Class 10th, 12th, or Graduation (depending upon the course) from a recognized board.

• Candidates from any stream are eligible to apply for these courses.

• Candidates must have scored 36% - 45% marks in the qualifying examination (applies to undergraduate courses).

• Candidates applying to postgraduate courses must have completed graduation in a relevant stream.

Career Scope

Mostly the same places hire graduates of culinary arts and hotel management. However, the areas of work available for culinary arts graduates are limited as compared to hotel management. A hotel management graduate can be hired to work in most of the job profiles available in the hotel industry, but a culinary arts graduate mostly stays in kitchen and restaurant operations. However, a culinary arts graduate is much more skilled in their area of work i.e., food production. Therefore, he/she is much more capable of doing well for themselves in a career as a chef.

Job Options

In Culinary Arts

• Chef

• Catering Manager

• Food Executive

• Baker

• Food Stylist

• Catering Manager

In Hotel Management

• General Manager

• Front Office Manager

• Food & Beverage Manager

• Receptionist

• Supply Manager

• Chef

• Restaurant Manager

• Marketing Manager

• Sales Executive

Opt Hotel Management Course if:

• You have a keen interest in the operations or management part of a hotel.

• You are not sure about the area of the hospitality industry you want to join.

• You want to go for higher education.

Opt Culinary Arts Course if:

• You love food and are passionate about cooking.

• You want to be an expert in food production and delivery.

• You want to start your own restaurant or catering company.