Frequently Asked Questions

1. What career opportunities are available once I graduate?
2. Are there scholarships for study in the Le Cordon Bleu Graduate Program in Gastronomy?
3. Can I get financial aid?
4. Can I start the Program at any time?
5. Can I get credit for courses I've completed elsewhere?
6. Can I combine online and on-campus study?
7. Can I study two units online at the same time?
8. Which method of study, online or on-campus, is most enjoyable and rewarding?
9. I don't have a bachelor degree but I love reading cookbooks and anything about food - can I apply for admission?
10. I'm an international student with a bachelor degree, but my IELTS result is only 6.0 - can I apply?
11. How do I apply?
12. When are applications due?
13. Do I need a visa to study online?
14. Can you give me some information about living in Adelaide?
15. What are the lists of books I need to read during the course so I can start reading now?
16. If I study on-campus in Adelaide can I work part-time?
17. What is involved in the coursework?
18. What is the dress code for classes?
19. How do I write a dissertation?
20. When can I graduate?
21. Is my award recognised in other countries?

1. What career opportunities are available once I graduate?
Graduates from the program have careers in many different fields (for full details go to Student Careers). The Master of Arts in Gastronomy does not necessarily prepare you for a particular career but rather helps you to succeed in the career path you wish to follow. The coursework provides a solid grounding in the history and culture of food and drink, and the dissertation allows you to research a topic that will be relevant to the career direction you choose for yourself.

The Program adopts a multidisciplinary approach to the study of gastronomy, which encompasses history, anthropology, sociology, geography and many other disciplines within the general area of humanities and social sciences, as well as nutrition, agriculture, wine studies and tourism. Students who graduate with the degree of Le Cordon Bleu Master of Arts in Gastronomy will have a broad understanding of food history and culture and a thorough appreciation of current issues relating to food and drink, together with sound research and writing skills (refer to Graduate Attributes).

2. Are there scholarships for study in the Le Cordon Bleu Graduate Program in Gastronomy?
Yes, a number of partial scholarships are available to students in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.  For further information contact australia@cordonbleu.edu. Australian citizens can take advantage of low-interest loans through FEE-HELP.

3. Can I get financial aid?
You should make enquiries in your own country in the first instance. If you are a US citizen studying at the University of Adelaide you are eligible to apply for a Federal loan (for further information, go to www.adelaide.edu.au/student/finance/usgov/). If you are an Australian citizen you can apply for FEE-HELP when you enrol. www.adelaide.edu.au/student/finance/feepaying/assistance/feehelp

4. Can I start the Program at any time?
Since the courses are sequential there is only one intake each year for both on-campus and online students, with classes starting at the end of February.

5. Can I get credit for courses I've completed elsewhere?
No credit is given for previous academic study outside this Program.

6. Can I combine online and on-campus study?
Certainly - in certain combinations. For example, some students choose to study the first course, Principles of Gastronomy, on-campus in Adelaide, and then switch to online mode for the remaining courses. In this way they get to know the instructors and become familiar with the requirements and the standards of the courses before commencing distance learning. It is also possible to study the first two or three courses online and come to Adelaide in either June or August to complete the remainder. Please refer to Timetable for further details.

Students who complete their coursework on-campus can choose to remain in Adelaide for the dissertation component or to enrol as an online student and research and write the dissertation wherever they choose.

7. Can I study two units online at the same time?
Once you complete the first course, Principles of Gastronomy, it may be possible to do two units of study online simultaneously, so long as you have adequate time to devote to what is the equivalent of tull-time studies; please consult the Program Manager and the online timetable http://www.gastronomy.adelaide.edu.au/timetable/

8. Which method of study, online or on-campus, is most enjoyable and rewarding?
Different students have various commitments which make either online, part-time or on-campus, full-time study preferable. Both coruses contain the same content and the online course includes a support website and a virtual classroom which allow activities similar to those that take place on campus, as well as access to all electronic library resources. Increasingly students are combining the two options by beginning on-campus and returning home to complete the degree online, which they find allows them to emaximise the benefits of both forms of study.

9. I don't have a bachelor degree but I love reading cookbooks and anything about food - can I apply for admission?
Yes, you can apply, but if you are admitted to the program it will be a provisional enrolment, and you will need to achieve a result of 65% in the first course, Principles of Gastronomy, to be able to continue. We have had quite a few students without any tertiary education who have been in the top 25% of their class. Ideally, students applying for this Program will have some knowledge of food, will have an abiding interest in all aspects of food, cooking, and eating, and will be able to understand and synthesise a wide range of information contained in the readings for each course. For information on assessment methods for each course, refer to Program Structure.

10. I'm an international student with a bachelor degree, but my IELTS result is only 6.0 - can I apply?
Yes, so long as you apply early enough for additional English language tuition to be scheduled before classes start at the end of February. The cost of this English language program will be additional to the fees for the gastronomy program.

11. How do I apply?
Please check this website by mid-2009 for details on applying for the 2010 intake.

12. When are applications due?
The closing date for applications to study in 2010 is yet to be determined; check back here for more details.

13. Do I need a visa to study online?
No visas are required for online study as you will remain resident in your home country.

14. Can you give me some information about living in Adelaide?
If you go to the university of Adelaide website (specifically, www.international.adelaide.edu.au/living/) you will find a great deal of helpful information for international students.
The North Terrace campus, where all classes are taught, is easily accessible by public transport.

15. What are the lists of books I need to read during the course so I can start reading now?
Please see http://www.gastronomy.adelaide.edu.au/reading/ for recommended readings for all gastronomy students.

16. If I study on-campus in Adelaide can I work part-time?
If you are an international student, your student visa allows you to work up to 20 hours per week.

17. What is involved in the coursework?
If you are studying on-campus you will attend lectures, tutorials, and seminars or excursions, all of which require student attendance and participation for five hours per week. In addition, you will probably spend a number of hours per week on independent study - reading, research and written assignments. A full-time student should expect to spend, on average, a total of 48 hours per week on their studies during the teaching periods.

As a student in a postgraduate program, you will be expected to read and analyse a series of seminal readings concerning food studies by authors such as sociologists Anne Murcott and Stephen Mennell, anthropologists Mary Douglas and Roland Barthes, and historians Felipe Fernandez-Armesto and Warren Belasco. You will also be expected to offer independent opinions and contribute to lively debate with your instructors and fellow students.

Your grade for each course is based on a series of written assignments, typically 6 short assignments and a final essay of 3000 words. In all written work you are expected to demonstrate appropriate standards of scholarship. Guidance in writing assignments and essays is offered at the start of the Program, and the Language and Learning Service of the University of Adelaide offers assistance through a series of free lectures and seminars and its daily helpdesk.

Online students complete the same written assignments and participate in online discussion and activities. The time commitment for online students during the teaching period ranges from 8-20 hours per week, depending on the student's background, skills, and other commitments.

18. What is the dress code for classes?
There is no uniform or dress code for classes, and dress in Adelaide is generally very casual.

19. How do I write a dissertation?
The four courses that you study will help prepare you for researching and writing a dissertation. In addition we offer an intensive Dissertation Preparation week when you finish your coursework. For on-campus students, this is a two-week course in October; for online students, this is an online course run over two weeks in the second half of January. Students must achieve an average of at least 70% in coursework in order to commence the dissertation.

At the end of the Dissertation Preparation, each student will have chosen an area of research, formulated a research question, planned how to do the research, and set a series of deadlines. Each dissertation student works under the guidance of an academic supervisor, either one of the gastronomy staff or a qualified external supervisor working according to University of Adelaide guidelines, selected by the Program Manager. If you are an external (online) student, we will attempt to find an appropriate supervisor somewhere near you.

Once the dissertation is submitted it is examined by two assessors, at least one of whom is external to the University. Your supervisor cannot mark your dissertation. The Program Manager decides your final mark, based on their reports, and you are notified of the mark and sent copies of the assessors' reports.

We try to find the most appropriate assessors for each dissertation, and since they are often busy academics, final results are typically received 2-3 months after submission.

20. When can I graduate?
The University of Adelaide has two series of graduation ceremonies in Adelaide, one at the start of August and the other in mid-December. There are also off-shore graduations in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and/or Beijing, usually in April. You can choose to graduate in person or in absentia at any of these ceremonies.

21. Is my award recognised in other countries?
The University of Adelaide is a world-ranking university, and is included in the Top 100 Universities of the Times Higher Education Supplement. For exact equivalence you should check with the education authority in your home country. In those countries with which Australia has signed a free trade agreement that includes mutual recognition of academic qualifications, your University of Adelaide award should be duly recognised.

The program is accredited in the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Coruses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).