Hospitality and tourism
Hospitality and culinary arts management
BA, BSc or foundation degree
Overview
Hospitality degrees study how hotels, restaurants and events are run, sometimes with practical kitchen or service time. A chef's route is more often an apprenticeship or a practical culinary course than a three-year management degree. The two should not be confused. Students who enjoy hospitality management like service, operations and people, and they should check how much time is actually spent in a kitchen or hotel rather than in a classroom.
You want the management of hospitality, or a course that is honest about how much cooking it contains.
A chef apprenticeship is the common craft route. Business management does not teach service operations in the same way.
People who like operations, service and working with the public.
What you will study
Universities do not teach the same modules. The lists below are a general shape, not a syllabus.
Across the course
- Operations
- Food and service, where included
- Customers and finance
Skills
Useful before you start
- Communication
- Organisation
- Stamina if the course is practical
Developed during the degree
- Service operations
- Teamwork
- Basic commercial awareness
Teaching and assessment
Teaching often includes Lectures, Training kitchens or restaurants on some courses, Sometimes a placement.
Assessment often includes Reports, Practical assessments, Exams.
Typical weekly commitment
Estimate. Kitchen courses have longer practical days.
Entry requirements
Indicative patterns from published UK admissions information. Not an offer. Actual requirements vary by course, university and year. Pearson Edexcel International A Level and Cambridge International A Level are not treated as the same qualification as GCE A level.
Indicative requirements by qualification
The A-level band is the catalogue reference. IB and American lines come from the named university guides under the table. They are not a conversion every university uses, and they are not an offer.
| Qualification | Indicative requirements |
|---|---|
| A Levels | CCC–BBC. No specific A-level is universal. |
| IB Diploma | No UCL figure is stored for CCC or BBC. The stored UCL table runs from ABB to A*A*A. A required A-level subject must be Higher Level in UCL's rule. Each Higher Level subject in that table is at least 5. UCL equates A* to 7, A to 6 and B to 5. This is one university's table. |
| American curriculum | No Manchester social-sciences AP example is stored for CCC or BBC. Bristol publishes a GPA of 3.2, or 3.4 for competitive courses, and does not use one AP pattern for every degree. |
- University College London: Undergraduate entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, School of Social Sciences: Americas country guide. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, Civil Engineering: USA country entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Bristol: USA international qualifications. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
A-level subjects
No specific A-level is universal.
Often recommended: Business.
GCSE and IGCSE
English and mathematics are commonly expected. Grades vary.
Indicative only. Many people enter kitchens and hotels without this degree.
Other ways in
- Chef training is commonly an apprenticeship or a practical diploma. A management degree is not required.
Admissions tests and extra requirements
No admissions test is stored as usual for this course. A university can still set one for a particular year.
Course costs
For many standard full-time courses in England, the home-fee maximum in 2026 to 2027 is Up to £9,790. This is the maximum standard full-time fee published for approved English providers with a TEF award and an access and participation plan. It is not the fee a named university charges, and it does not decide whether you pay home or international fees.
Clinical, laboratory and studio courses are not given a different home-fee figure here, because the regulated maximum is not the same thing as an international or clinical fee.
International tuition is set by each university and is not stored here. Clinical courses are often much higher than classroom-based courses. A school in Qatar does not decide home-fee status.
Source: Changes to tuition fees: 2026 to 2027 academic year. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Living costs, field trips and professional fees are not included.
Where you could study
UK degrees in this subject are numerous. This page does not list every university, because a list without a checked entry requirement would look more certain than it is.
No individual UK course page is stored yet for this subject. Use the university site.
No overseas course has been checked for this subject yet.
Where could this degree take you?
Chef
Alternative route
A degree is not the usual route. Apprenticeship and practical training are. Some management courses include kitchen work, but that is not the same as chef training.
Explore your pathway
A course sits between school subjects and a career. It does not guarantee either admission or a job.