The Chef John Folse Culinary Institute will soon offer a master’s program in the areas of culinary product development and culinary education.
With a master’s degree in the culinary product development concentration, students will be able to focus on food sciences as well as the business component of the culinary field. The culinary education master’s degree will enable students to teach on the high school and college bachelor’s level.
There is no concrete date for the establishment of the master’s program thus far, but a letter of intent is being drafted to present to the Nicholls Board of Supervisors. At least one more faculty member with a doctorate degree is needed to move the process of implementation along.
“For the master’s degree, I think there is a demand for it and student interest in culinary arts as a field of study continues to grow,” Robert Harrington, dean of the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute, said.
Depending on the number of faculty members able to teach at the graduate level, Harrington estimates that about 15 students per year will be allowed into the master’s program. The requirements for eligibility into the program will consist of a bachelor’s degree and certain foundation courses that must have already been taken prior to entrance into the program, or which can be taken as part of the program before being officially accepted.
The Chef John Folse Culinary Institute leads the way as the only University to offer a culinary master’s degree in different areas of concentration. Several other universities offer a master’s degree in hospitality management; yet no other university in the country gives students a choice of concentration on culinary arts at the graduate level.
“It (the master’s program) will give us (the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute) additional notoriety across the United States as the program offering a master’s degree in culinary,” Harrington said. “It will allow us to further develop research related to culinary arts, which is one of our main missions as a culinary institute.”
The new culinary master’s program has many students enthusiastic about the change.
“I’m so excited about the new master’s program,” Aimee Griffin, culinary freshman from Thibodaux, said. “This will give me the opportunity to further my skills right here where I’m comfortable. I think it’s awesome that Nicholls is one of the only universities that offer this. That says a lot about the institute as a whole.”