GASTRONOMY AND CULINARY ARTS
Today, we all know that there is an intense and rapid change in social, political, industrial, economic, scientific and cultural fields. People want comfort and convenience. Accordingly, the need for production and consumption has increased, and recognition and promotion have become more important. The pursuit of communication with high aesthetic quality creates new needs and professions.
Apart from cooking and preparing food and beverages, gastronomy, which examines the differences between cultures including the supply of materials, storage, hygiene and artistic presentation, and which is seen as a new science today, is increasing day by day and the demand for this science is increasing.
The number of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts departments, the first of which was opened in 2003 and providing undergraduate education, has exceeded 100 today. Graduates of these departments of both state and foundation universities have started to serve in different areas of the Gastronomy world. However, Gastronomy and Culinary Arts departments in Turkey could not complete their academic structuring in real terms. The most important reason for this is the inadequacy of the academic staff who have master's and doctorate degrees in this field. The trainings are carried out with the contribution of academicians from disciplines close to gastronomy and chefs who have gained experience in the market. In our country, postgraduate education has started to be given in a limited number of universities. Especially in Istanbul, which has a great potential in the field of Gastronomy, it is imperative to increase the number of departments providing graduate education.
The opening of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Master's Programs with and without thesis within the Istanbul Aydın University Graduate Education Institute was discussed and accepted at the Higher Education Executive Board meeting on 06.04.2022. The Department has started to accept students as of the Fall Semester of the 2022-2023 Academic Year.
Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Master's program (with thesis) is a multidisciplinary program. Candidates applying from other departments such as Food Engineering, Nutrition and Dietetics, Tourism Management are also accepted to the program, apart from those who graduated from the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Undergraduate Program. However, candidates applying from outside the field must take 2-6 courses (determined by the jury) from the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Undergraduate Program within the scope of preliminary preparation and be successful in these courses.
Gastronomy and Culinary Arts master's program with thesis is a program of 120 ECTS (60 ECTS part courses, 60 ECTS part thesis) and the normal completion period is 2 academic years consisting of 4 semesters.
The curriculum, which has a modular structure, has been determined in a way that will provide the necessary knowledge and skills, and all elements of gastronomy have been included as much as possible. In the lesson plan, a large pool of elective courses has been created in order for the students to develop themselves better in the field they want to study. The student can also take an elective course from another field with the approval of the advisor. Students enrolled in the program will be able to connect with the faculty members continuously and will be provided with the necessary support in the subjects they are interested in.