Why Study Hospitality and Tourism at KDU

by StudyMalaysia.com on October 17, 2017 | Top Stories

Why Study Hospitality and Tourism at KDU - StudyMalaysia.com

What is hospitality, tourism and culinary arts about?

The hospitality, tourism and culinary arts industry is built on providing services to people who travel or go on vacation. What started out as the provision of food and accommodation to travellers is now a multi-billion dollar industry that includes entertainment, leisure, adventure, business, sports and more. Over the years, hospitality and tourism has changed with many focusing on niche markets or specialised areas. From theme parks to world heritage sites and even trips to the moon, this is an industry with many positions to fill.

What’s the difference between studying hospitality and culinary management?

An education in hospitality gives you in-depth knowledge in the areas of hospitality management and finance, sales and marketing, revenue management, and food and beverage operations. You will also learn about food preparation and sanitation, developing new hotel and resort concepts, human resources, and more. You can find job opportunities at hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, and retail.

A course in culinary arts will help you hone your cooking skills and learn a wide variety of techniques in the kitchen that will enable you to prepare and create dishes that represent flavours from around the world. Through intensive professional and practical experience, you will learn about food safety and sanitation in the kitchen, food preparation and production, menu and cost planning, and problem solving in a culinary environment.

Hospitality and tourism consists of many sectors; here are some examples:

hotels
resorts (golf, ski, beach, spa, wellness, etc.)
food services
meetings and events
travel and tourism
luxury services
others like consulting, education, training, media, etc.

What you will study

At KDU, you can choose a bachelor degree programme with a focus on hospitality management, hospitality entrepreneurship, or culinary management. There are also diploma programmes in culinary arts, and international hotel management.

The Bachelor of Hospitality Management (Hons) degree offers subjects like: Corporate Social Responsibility, Hospitality Financial Management, Hospitality Law, Hospitality & Tourism Studies, Strategic Human Resources Management, Accommodation Operations Management, Baking & Pastry Techniques, and hands-on practical subjects. Students can choose from three majors: hotel and tourism, corporate communication and events management.

In the Bachelor of Hospitality Entrepreneurship (Hons) degree, you will study subjects in both hospitality and entrepreneurship—this programme is ideal for students who’d like to venture into their own hospitality business. Subjects in this programme include: Hospitality and Tourism Studies, Enterprise Development Project, Global Entrepreneurship, Hospitality Human Resources Management, Hospitality & Tourism Law, Hospitality Management Accounting, Hotel Yield Management, Applied Entrepreneurship for Hospitality Enterprise, and others.

If you’re interested in food preparation and everything gastronomic, the Bachelor of Culinary Management (Hons) will equip you with skills and knowledge in culinary arts, nutrition, basic chemistry, arts and presentation. Subjects you will learn include: Culinary Essentials, Baking Principles and Bakery Skills, Food Nutrition, Food Production, Food Hygiene and Safety, Hospitality Financial Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, Entrepreneurship, Sales and Marketing Techniques, and more. Students can choose from three different majors: Culinary Operations, Baking and Pastry, and Italian Cuisine.

Courses offered:

Is this course right for you?

Would you enjoy working in an exciting, fast-paced environment?
Do you have strong communication skills?
Are you good at planning things and organising details?
Can you stay calm when everyone else around you is anxious or stressed?
Are you good at solving problems and correcting mistakes quickly?
Do you enjoy working with other people and in teams?
Are you comfortable with working long and irregular hours?
Do you like helping people plan and enjoy their vacation?
Would you like a job that involves discovering new places and meeting different people?
Are you patient, courteous and gracious?
When taking on a task, do you usually set high standards for yourself and stick to it?

If you answered yes to more than half of the questions above, you may be a good candidate for a hospitality and tourism course.

Career prospects

Graduates of hospitality and tourism courses can find employment opportunities in: tourism, event and conference management, sporting events and festivals, hotels and resorts, restaurants, clubs and bars, logistics, transportation (airlines, cruise ships, car rental, etc.), catering and banquet management, convention centres, event and conference management, wholesale and retail management, education and training, government agencies, and non-profit organisations.

Why study hospitality and tourism

Still deciding? Here are some great reasons why you should study hospitality and tourism:

this is a booming field—there will always be opportunities to work in a different environment, city or country!
you can work in many different fields—resorts, theme parks, cruise ship, indoors or outdoors… the options are many
if you like to travel, you’d be glad that you will very likely get great discounts for travel, accommodation and attractions
courses in hospitality and tourism equip you with transferable skills that gives you an edge in any service-oriented field
there are many jobs opportunities that start at entry level (certificate and diploma) that allow you to advance rapidly with a strong work ethic

What KDU says…

1. Why study with KDU

KDU provides its hospitality, tourism and culinary arts students an international experience during and/or after their studies. For example, students can participate in these international study opportunities:

IMI (Switzerland) international residential study trip – an optional 10-day study trip to IMI, Switzerland, for degree students.
Italian Cuisine – Semester abroad at ALMA La Scuola Internazionale, Italy – two months of classes in ALMA, and 5 months of stage (internship) at renowned and Michelin-starred Italian restaurants
IDRAC Student Exchange Programme – 6-month exchange programme at the IDRAC School of Management in Lyon, France

Students also have the opportunity to undergo their internship abroad—hospitality and culinary students can secure global placements for their internship through HOSCO, which is based in Geneva, Switzerland. There are also internships through the Hilton Class programme, a partnership with HILTON WORLDWIDE. In addition, students can choose a 12-month on-the-job experience in the United States through the J1 Visa Exchange Visitor Programme.

2. Why study hospitality and tourism at KDU

With state-of-the-art industry standard facilities covering 65,000 square feet, students are able to experience their future working environment right here on campus.

Culinary theatre
Teaching kitchens
1. Hot kitchens
2. Pastry and bakery kitchens
3. Sugar works room
4. Chocolate room
5. Culinary art and design room
6. Artist room for fruit carving, Styrofoam carving and wedding cake design
7. Butchery kitchen
8. Molecular kitchen
9. Cold kitchen
10. Beverage laboratory
Restaurants and coffee lab
1. Saveur & Mirabelle
2. Dewakan
3. 8ighty 7even by Coffex – Coffee Laboratory
Hospitality suite (Equatorial Suite – mock suite)

References:

Source: Studymalaysia Research Team

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