Diploma in Culinary Arts
Do you love working with food and want to become a creative professional in this field? The Diploma in Culinary Arts is an advanced professional cookery qualification that covers the theoretical and practical skills to work in a professional culinary environment.
Courses cover the professional cookery concepts and systems essential for managing a professional kitchen. You study in AUT’s outstanding facilities, which are rated among the best in Australasia and resemble a professional culinary arts environment.
Download programme guides
Minimum entry requirements
If you have New Zealand qualifications
- Completion of Year 12
- NCEA: 48 level 2 credits or higher including eight level 2 credits in any one subject from Classical Studies, Drama, English, Geography, Health Education, History, Art History, Media Studies, Social Studies, Te Reo Māori, Te Reo Rangatira, Business Studies, Economics, Physical Education
- CIE: 60 points on the UCAS Tariff, including any one subject similar to the NCEA subjects listed above
- IB: Completion of Year 12
If you have qualifications from another country
See entry requirements for students from other countries. Select your country from the dropdown menu.
English language requirements
- IELTS (Academic) of 5.5 overall with all bands 5.0 or higher; or equivalent.
Other requirements
The practical side of this programme involves using commercial kitchen tools and equipment and requires you to demonstrate a level of skill that doesn’t compromise any health and safety standards for yourself and others.
Year 1
Courses this year lay the foundation of professional cookery concepts and systems essential for managing a professional kitchen.
Complete the following courses
- CULN408 Culinary Fundamentals
- CULN409 Produce to Plate
- CULN410 Patisserie
- CULN411 Commercial Production Kitchen
Year 2
Courses in Year 2 build on from Year 1 and help you develop confidence in your culinary and supervisory skills.
Complete the following courses
- CULN508 Advanced Patisserie
- CULN509 Kai Pacifica - Food of the South Pacific
- CULN511 Commercial Culinary Practice
- CULN512 Contemporary Kitchen Management
- CULN515 Advanced Culinary Techniques
- FOOD501 Food and the Senses
Skills you will develop in the Diploma in Culinary Arts
The outcomes for graduates of the Diploma in Culinary Arts are outlined in the Graduate Profile below.
- Professional chef
- Product development
($7,289 - $7,308 tuition fees + $1,146 student services levy)
($34,900 tuition fees + $1192 student services levy)
- Fees shown are based on a full-time workload for the points indicated next to the fee. The exact fee charged will depend on which courses you select at the time of enrolment.
- Fees are subject to change year to year. If you are planning for study beyond the current year, fees may vary from those stated.
- There may also be other fees and charges you need to pay.
- International students' tuition fees reflect the full cost of tuition. Domestic students' tuition fees are less due to a proportion of the tuition fees being funded by the New Zealand Government.
- Fees-free study may be available for domestic students
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.