The culinary programs at Varna University of Management are the only ones in Eastern Europe that allow acquisition of higher education in the field of hospitality and culinary arts, combining theoretical and practical training.
✔️ The language of instruction is English and students complete their education with two degrees. Upon successful graduation and meeting the requirements of our strategic academic partner Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK, along with their Bulgarian degree from VUM, they are awarded a British Degree BA(Hons) International Hospitality Management.
✔️ Students acquire important theoretical knowledge in economics, finance, accounting, pricing, marketing, business communications, human resources management and more, studying more specialized modules such as culinary arts technology, innovation and creativity in hospitality and culinary arts, international F&B management, special event management as well.
✔️ Their practical training takes place in the professional environment of the Culinary Arts Institute at VUM under the guidance of an international team of Chef Instructors with extensive practical experience in premium-class restaurants in Europe, Asia, North and Latin America.
✔️ In the course of their studies, students undertake practical internships of up to 12 months. Thanks to the extensive and sophisticated network of active international partners of VUM, our students get the opportunity to work with some of the best Chefs in the world, to gain valuable experience into high-classed restaurants and to work in “Michelin” starred ones. Thus, they get a real opportunity to create contacts, gain skills and experience in a real environment and lay the foundations for their future successful business realization.
The courses are taught entirely in English. Classes are small and encourage crosscultural dialogue and personal connections. As a leading business school in Eastern Europe, VUM has the exceptional privilege to educate students from start to graduation in programs leading to Cardiff Metropolitan University’s British degree. And this is without the usual requirement for students to spend a year in the UK.
You can find detailed information on scholarship opportunities, semester tuition fees and student loans here.
We at VUM offer short and clear steps for admission of candidates. The main requirements for students are high motivation, good results from the high school diploma and a good level of English language proficiency.
In the process of admission Varna University of Management strictly follows the rules and regulations of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria.
You can find information here.
There are many benefits of studying in Hospitality and Culinary Arts Program and the most significant one is the numerous career opportunities, both in Bulgaria and abroad.
An important advantage of studying in the Culinary Arts Institute at VUM is the opportunity our students to join the teams of some of the best restaurants in the world. We believe that working with world-famous and recognized chefs in Michelin-starred restaurants is the best way not only for professional growth but also for creating useful business contacts.
VUM`s graduates find successful realization within all the sectors of the hospitality and tourism industry. By completing the Hospitality and Culinary Arts Programme they are practically prepared for professional and career development as executive chefs, sous chefs, chefs de partie, pastry chefs, restaurant managers, F&B managers, sommeliers, business consultants and entrepreneurs in the fields of gastronomy and culinary arts and more.
At VUM we prepare our students for the highly competitive global labour market and provide them with practical advice and expertise. VUM maintains excellent contacts with business partners in Bulgaria, Europe, the USA, and more, thanks to which our graduates have the opportunity to spend up their practical training and to successfully start their career in various partner institutions and organizations all over the world.
The program is made in a regular form of training. The classes are held from Monday to Saturday, combining lectures and intensive practical training in the modern kitchens of the Institute of Culinary Arts at VUM according to a pre-approved schedule.
• Economics (10 ECTS)
• Fundamentals of the Kitchen and Culinary Arts (10 ECTS)
• Food Safety and Hygiene (5 ECTS)
• English (5 ECTS)
• Commodities and Nutrition (5 ECTS)
• Kitchen Skills Laboratory 1: Basic Culinary Skills (5 ECTS)
• Information Technologies (5 ECTS)
• Marketing and Business Environment (10 ECTS)
• Second foreign language (5 ECTS)
• Internship I/ Culinary Internship Placement 1 (10 ECTS)
• Business communications (5 ECTS)
• Management (5 ECTS)
• Accounting (5 ECTS)
• Food Costing (5 ECTS)
• Kitchen Skills Laboratory 2: Event Management and Implementation (5 ECTS)
• English (5 ECTS)
• Finance (5 ECTS)
• F&B Operations Management (5 ECTS)
• Research and Statistics (5 ECTS)
• Second foreign language (5 ECTS)
• Internship II / Culinary Internship Placement 2 (10 ECTS)
• Innovation and Creativity in Hospitality and Culinary Arts (5 ECTS)
• Human resource management (5 ECTS)
• Introduction to hospitality and tourism (10 ECTS)
• Hotel operations management (5 ECTS)
• English (5 ECTS)
• Entrepreneurship and project management (5 ECTS)
• Tourism intermediaries (5 ECTS)
• Hotel practice (5 ECTS)
• Technologies in travel, tourism and hospitality (5 ECTS)
• Second foreign language (5 ECTS)
• Strategic management in the hospitality (10 ECTS)
• International F&B management (10 ECTS)
• English (5 ECTS)
• Conferences, exhibitions and corporate events (10 ECTS)
• Second foreign language (5 ECTS)
• Diploma project (10 ECTS)
• Diploma seminar
Block 1:
• F&B Software (Inventory Management) (5 ECTS)
• F&B Software (Point-of-sale) (5 ECTS)
Block 2:
• Introduction to Molecular Kitchen Techniques and Tendencies (5 ECTS)
• The World of Coffee and Tea (5 ECTS)
• Hotel chains management (5 ECTS)
• Eco and rural tourism (5 ECTS)
• Spa and wellness tourism (5 ECTS)
• Agrotourism (5 ECTS)
• Cultural tourism (5 ECTS)
Block 1:
• Branding in THE industries (5 ECTS)
• E-commerce in the tourism (5 ECTS)
Block 2:
• Employability (5 ECTS)
• Corporate finance in the hospitality (5 ECTS)
*Note: Elective modules are subject to availability and demand; as such, not all elective modules may run in one academic year.
Optional modules* provide students with the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills in various scientific fields. Optional modules are not related to the degree and they are not a compulsory component of the programme of study.
*Note: Optional modules are subject to availability and demand; as such, not all optional modules may run in one academic year.
Students must normally satisfy the minimum entry criteria for admission of students at VUM (see admission requirements at VUM’s webpage). For enrolling on the Programme (Level 6/Year 4) with Accreditation to Prior Learning, students must have successfully completed all modules on their Programme curriculum for the preceding academic years at VUM.
September (applies to Level 6/Year 4 only)
Students whose first language is other than English will need to provide evidence of fluency to at least an IELTS 6.0 standard or equivalent. This is evidenced either by a valid IELTS certificate or equivalent, or by equivalent results in the English language module achieved during the first two/three years on the Programme at VUM.
The Programme is based on the Cardiff Met’s model for modular degrees in that students are required to successfully pass 360 British credit points (180 ECTS) for an honours degree. Since this is a one year top-up Programme all students will be credited with 240 British credit points (120 ECTS) following Cardiff Met’s procedures for Accreditation to Prior Learning upon successful completion of all modules on their Programme curriculum for the preceding academic years at VUM.
| Module Name | British credit points |
| International Food and Beverage Management | 20 |
| Strategic Management for THE | 20 |
| Employability and Career Development | 10 |
| Branding and Advertising | 10 |
| Conferences, Exhibitions and Corporate Events | 20 |
| Dissertation or Enterprise Project | 40 |
| Final Award – BA (Hons) International Hospitality Management | 120 |
* Disclaimer: Programme and module changes could be triggered by a number of reasons; such as validation and revalidation, developments in the subject area, responsive changes in light of student feedback, changes to the academic staff, external requirements from regulators or accrediting bodies or updates in teaching and assessment methods.
We make every effort to ensure that information on this website relating to our degree Programmes is as accurate as possible, however, it is suggested that applicants request updated Programme information during their application process.
