Hotel Management vs Culinary Arts: Courses, Colleges, Eligibility, Scope

Having a formal education in hospitality is necessary for anyone who wants to join a restaurant or hotel. However, students are often left confused about which pathway to take to make a career in the hospitality industry. There are a number of different courses in hospitality and tourism after class 12th which a student can take up. But students often fail to understand the difference between these courses. They need help in deciding which hospitality course to choose after class 12th.

Two of the courses that 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. To make a decision at this point, it is important that any student closely study the difference between culinary arts and hotel management. While the two courses are closely related and share many common factors, it is important to understand why a student should take up hotel management or culinary arts course.

Culinary Arts vs Hotel Management

Culinary Arts courses are courses that involve the study of food production and service. This includes food preparation, cooking skills, presentation skills as well as serving skills. These are highly specialized courses and they have a detailed and holistic curriculum that mostly revolves around the operations critical to a restaurant or catering company. Culinary Arts is often offered as a specialization of hotel management courses and is even studied as part of a hotel management course.

Hotel Management courses, on the other hand, focus on the administration and operations involved in running a hospitality establishment. The range of subjects and skills taught in a hotel management course is wider than the culinary arts course. In 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 study of culinary arts is also involved in a hotel management course but in much less detail.

Culinary Arts vs Hotel Management: Courses

There is a good number of culinary arts and hotel management courses available at every level of study. Certificate, Diploma, Degree, PGD and Master's courses are offered by hotel management colleges in India as well as by culinary arts colleges in India.

Here is a comparison of courses available in each stream.

Culinary Arts vs Hotel Management: Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for culinary arts and hotel management courses is mostly the same. Colleges follow the 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 35% - 45% marks in the qualifying examination (applies to undergraduate courses).
• Candidates applying to postgraduate courses must have completed graduation in a relevant stream.

Culinary Arts vs Hotel Management: Top Colleges

Significant fewer colleges offer Culinary Arts than Hotel Management colleges in India. This is due to the fact that comparatively fewer students take up culinary arts courses.

Plus, since the study of culinary arts is also a part of the hotel management course, some colleges where hotel management courses are offered also offer culinary arts courses. Here are some of the top colleges of both streams

Culinary Arts vs Hotel Management: 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 much more 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 limited to 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 the career as a chef.

Here is how the career scope and job options of both these courses compare:

Culinary Arts vs Hotel Management: Which is Better?

While at first glance it may seem like hotel management is the better course, the specialized and focused curriculum of culinary arts help it even out the difference. So, here are a few concluding points on whether you should pursue Culinary Arts or Hotel Management.

It is not just a coincidence that there are a higher number of courses and colleges of hotel management than culinary arts. It is because more number of students opt for hotel management courses as the course fits a wider range of requirements.

You should go for Hotel Management if:

• You are interested in the operation or management of a hotel.
• You are not sure about which area of the hospitality industry you wish to join.
• You want to pursue higher education in the field.

You should opt for Culinary Arts if:

• You are passionate about food and cooking.
• You want to become an expert in food production and delivery.
• You want to start a restaurant or catering company.

Here are some related articles to help you out.

Ultimately, the choice will depend upon your career goals, inherent skills and preferences. If you wish to know which career you are best suited for, try our Career Profiling Test. For any queries, contact our experts on the CollegeDekho QnA Zone.

If you want help with admissions to hotel management colleges in India, please fill our Common Application Form (CAF) or call 1800-572-9877 for FREE student counselling.