Program Overview

Introduction to the Bachelor's Program

The Bachelor's program in Confectionery Arts & Entrepreneurship is designed to train ambitious entrepreneurs in the fields of pastry, chocolate, confectionery, ice-cream, and baking. The program is offered by the Institut Culinaire de France and is available in both French and English.

Program Details

• Location: Bordeaux
• Duration: Three years, including five months of work placement per year
• Language: 100% French or 100% English
• Next Start Date: October 2026

Program Introduction

The program includes a core curriculum during the first two years and a specialization during the third year in pastry, bakery, chocolate/confectionery, or ice-cream. The original program includes not only the mastering of production but also marketing, economics, and business management, to train autonomous entrepreneurs in all areas of the confectionery arts.

Course Content

The course teaches students:

• Nutritional aspects and dietary balance
• Challenges of sustainable development: organic produce, energy management, waste management, short supply chains, fair trade, etc.
• High-quality service right from the production stage: customer reception, customer information, sales support, tasting of new recipes, customer loyalty, etc.
• Real-life professional situations, including designing product lines, packaging, price lines, shop design, and promotion of product ranges while complying with legislation
• Design and implementation of print and digital communication tools (social media management, management of communication media, and customer relations)

Pace of Study

• The training takes place over three years, including a four-month work placement each year
• The course can be followed in French or English, with live translation by an interpreter present in the room

Course Advantages

• Multidisciplinary training: students master the techniques of pastry making, baking, chocolate making, confectionery, ice-cream making
• High-end facilities: 16 students maximum per lab, ergonomic workstations facilitating exchanges between students and chefs, high-quality ingredients, and state-of-the-art equipment
• Intensive training: six to seven hours of classes per day in the lab
• Motivated and professionally acclaimed teaching staff
• Cross-curricular teaching (management, marketing, law, hygiene, culture) enabling students to become autonomous professionals
• Work placement for five months per year
• Bachelor's degree from the Institut Culinaire de France awarded by Pierre Hermé, Chairman of the Teaching Committee

Requirements

• Admission in 1st year: Students (over 18 years of age) with a baccalaureate level or equivalent
• Admission in 3rd year: Students with a 2-year degree or a Bachelor's degree in Management

Classes

First-Year Classes

Gastronomic Engineering Module

• Cakes, chocolate, confectionery, ice-cream, and baking
• 140 hours
• 2 ECTS credits

Management Module

• General accounting: 30 hours, 2 ECTS credits
• Health & safety / forward flow: 45 hours, 2 ECTS credits
• Legal principles: 30 hours, 2 ECTS credits
• Competition and consumer law: 30 hours, 2 ECTS credits
• Sales and sales techniques: 30 hours, 2 ECTS credits
• Operational marketing and hospitality marketing: 30 hours, 2 ECTS credits

Business Environment Module

• Macroeconomics and microeconomics: 30 hours, 2 ECTS credits
• Business Economics: 30 hours, 2 ECTS credits
• Quantitative methods: 30 hours, 2 ECTS credits

Tools and Materials Module

• General office software: 21 hours
• Applied office software: 21 hours

Modern Languages Module

• Modern language 1: 30 hours, 4 ECTS credits
• Modern language 2: 30 hours, 2 ECTS credits

Culture and Cultures Module

• French gastronomic culture: 30 hours, 2 ECTS credits
• Written and oral expression techniques (Voltaire Project): 30 hours, 2 ECTS credits
• Professionalization: 4 ECTS credits

Theoretical & Practical Knowledge

• Product manufacturing: cakes, dough, creams, sugar baking, breads, pastries, chocolate, ganache, confectionery, decorations, sorbets, ice-cream, frozen desserts, etc.
• Business management: accounting, legal basics, competition and consumer law, marketing, sales techniques, business economics, statistics, office automation (software), languages, written and oral expression skills
• Quality control: checking the conformity of raw materials and products throughout the manufacturing process, checking weights and quantities, checking the appearance of finished products
• Technology: the working environment, staff, premises, and equipment, raw materials, hygiene, and food safety
• Culture: history of French gastronomy, regional specialties, evolution of tastes and customs

Admission

Candidates/Requirements

This program is open to all motivated candidates over 18 years of age with baccalaureate-level qualifications.

Fees

• €12,200 per year

Admissions Procedure

Candidates should request an admissions interview. An appointment time will be offered, and the interview can be conducted by Skype. This enables the candidate's motivation to be assessed, and their level of English to be tested if they wish to join the English-speaking program. A basic knowledge of French is necessary for the course. Candidates will be informed of the admissions decision in the days following their interview.

Our Teaching Team

• Damien Julia, Managing Director
• Kyung Ran Baccon, Executive Pastry Chef
• Damien Baccon, Baker Chef - Trainer