About Culinary Arts in Malaysia
Culinary arts is suitable for students who desire to be a part of the dynamic and rewarding career, whether a student plans to work in a 5 stars hotel or running their own bakery in the future.
With so many culinary arts schools in Malaysia, finding the right one is not easy, let along the course fees, student or parents also looking at the employability and recognition of the cert. If the chefs from the school participate in competitions and won, it also indicates their quality in the particular field.
A good culinary university or college, other than having experienced chefs and excellent kitchen facilities for a student to learn, industry internship opportunity is also important to the student. Culinary arts school, Instead to act as a medium to transfer knowledge and skills to the student, it provides hands-on experience to the student.
How Does Your Education Pathway Looks Like?
Upon completing your high school or equivalent (eg. SPM, IGCSE), you can head straight into a Diploma in Culinary Arts.
Upon completion of the course, you can either progress to employment or progress to a Degree in Culinary Arts.
Do you want to become a celebrity chef?
Culinary arts has been growing popular in Malaysia due to the media industry consistently broadcast cooking related programs on TV and Internet. Chefs can now have broader careers other than working inside a kitchen. Example of celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay from “Kitchen Hell”, Chef Wan from Malaysia, Nicholas Tse from Hong Kong and Jamie Oliver from “Naked Chef” have increased the awareness of successful culinary careers.
What Can you learn from Culinary School?
Many culinary art schools in Malaysia teach a choice of cuisines and preparation methods. A student will take subjects ranging from basic through advanced levels of pastry, boutique style desserts, confectionery craft and delicious decorating techniques.
At Culinary Arts School, students will acquire important skills in culinary, organising and management. Students will begin with basic culinary skills such as knife skills, cooking methods, timing, preparation prior to service, plate decoration & presentations, flavour & seasoning, cooking on the line and others. Here are some of the subjects that you may learn:
- Essential Cuisine Techniques
- Kitchen Operations & Management
- Food Nutrition & Sanitation
- Patisserie & Baking
- Cost Control & Financial Management
- Menu Design & Creation
Besides, being well organised is key to running a successful kitchen, from ordering, scheduling, food costing, and dealing with suppliers are just some of the work involved. Chefs need to work as a team, and the management skills with the other kitchen staff well. The complexities of motivating staff and getting the best out of them are important. Ultimately, a chef will become a mentor to other chefs and having people skills is important to impart his or her skills to the next generation.
Who should study Culinary Arts in Malaysia
The culinary, patisserie and hospitality service management industries are ideal for people who enjoy experiential learning and being able to apply their skills and knowledge gained immediately to practice. They are people who:
- Love to cook or bake
- Are hands-on workers
- Are service oriented
- Able to react quickly to different kinds of challenges
- Work in flexible hours
- Customer service Oriented
Nature of the work for culinary chefs in Malaysia
- Long hours
- Usually required to work on the weekend
- High pressure at peak periods
- Customer service-oriented – provide a high level of services
- Dynamic – on-the-go
- Able to adapt to changes and stress
It is important to choose a culinary arts college in Malaysia that has years of experience or that can provide students with excellent exposure to the industry. The best colleges in Malaysia in culinary arts can help prepare students with the necessary knowledge and skills for a successful career.
Being a Pastry Chef or Patisserie Chef
- Pastry chefs have the enviable job of creating a multitude of baked good and confections from cookies and cakes to chocolates, beignets… or any dessert you can think of.
- The Pastry Chef has to be In creative and well-versed in dessert tastes and flavours. Create a multitude of baked goods and confections — everything from cookies and cakes to chocolate involves the preparation of pastries, such as cakes, candies, chocolates, and other specialty dessert items in retail and commercial settings.
- Pastry chefs with sound business experiences can move on to opening their own pastry shop or bakery.
Comparing the world-class Le Cordon Bleu with other culinary arts college in Malaysia
Other than the fee (1-year diploma of patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu costs around USD20,000 compared to Diploma of Culinary Arts with Berjaya University College, at about USD 12,000). If a student is looking forward to work at 5 -6 stars hotel in the global market, go for Le Cordon Bleu; If a student is after fast graduation and doesn’t matter to work at anywhere or perhaps, start their own bakery shop, other culinary arts school should be sufficient. Below here is the course structure for reference.
Le Cordon Blue Malaysia Course: Diplôme de Cuisine Duration: 9 months Course fee (2019): RM 101,800 | Berjaya University College Course: Diploma in Culinary Arts Duration: 2 years Course fee (2019): RM 47,160 |
Basic Pâtisserie Certificate French culinary terms and definitions:
Intermediate Pâtisserie Certificate The focus will be refining and developing those skills previously learned.
Superior Pâtisserie Certificate Variety of classic pastries and cakes
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The program listed are provided as a general guide only, the course fees were captured base on the publicly available information on the internet. Please consult with our education advisor for further assessment.
Written by Excel Education, For more information on intake date, student visa, scholarship, chat with us online
Employment Pass for foreign students looking for a job in Malaysia after graduation
(For international students)
If you are considering to work in Malaysia after graduation, you can either request an extension of your internship with the school, so that you can use your student visa to work. Or get an employment pass. The Employment Pass (EP) is a work permit that enables a foreigner to take up employment with an organisation in Malaysia. The pass is subject to the contract of employment (up to 60 months).
Salary outlook of a chef in Malaysia
Ever wondering how much can a chef earn in Malaysia, according to Indeed (https://www.indeed.com.my/salaries/Chef-Salaries), a fresh graduate can earn about RM2,000 per month, while a chef with 3 – 5 years experiences can earn about RM4,000 per month. If you have 10 years working experience or an award-winning chef, your potential earning might be about RM6,000 and above.
Level of study for Culinary Arts
There are generally three levels of culinary arts to study in Malaysia, mainly
- Certificate Culinary Arts
- Diploma of Culinary Arts
- Bachelor of Culinary Arts
Top Universities & Colleges in Malaysia for Culinary Arts
Here are some of the popular universities and culinary schools that offer Culinary Arts in Malaysia.
University | Course name & duration | Indicative annual course fee 2018/2019 |
Le Cordon Bleu Malaysia | Diploma in Cuisine Duration: 9 months | RM 101,800 |
Taylor’s University College | Diploma in Culinary Arts Duration: 2 years | RM 26,881 |
Bachelor of Culinary Arts & Foodservice Management (Hons) (1+2), with Manchester Metropolitan University Duration: 2-3 years | RM 68,773 | |
Sunway University | Diploma in Culinary Arts (Accredited by Le Cordon Bleu) Duration: 2 years | RM 22,000 |
BSc (Hons) in Culinary Management (Accredited by Le Cordon Bleu) Duration: 2-3 years | RM 29,533 | |
INTI University | Diploma in Culinary Arts Duration: 2 years | RM 21,623 |
Berjaya University College of Hospitality | Diploma in Culinary Arts Duration: 2 years | RM 24,905 |
Bachelor of Culinary Arts Management (Honours) Duration: 2-3 years | RM 26,267 | |
City University | Diploma in Culinary Arts Duration: 3 years | RM 10,550 |
UCSI University | Diploma Culinary Arts Duration: 2 years | RM 14,780 |
SEGI University College | Diploma in Culinary Arts Duration: 2 years | RM 16,600 |
HELP College of Arts & Technology | Diploma in Culinary Arts Duration: 2 years | RM 24,850 |
Nilai University | Diploma in Culinary Arts Duration: 2 years | RM 15,766 |
The program listed are provided as a general guide only, the course fees were captured base on the publicly available information on the internet. Please consult with our education advisor for further assessment.
Written by Excel Education, For more information on intake date, student visa, scholarship, chat with us online.
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Michelle is a freelance content writer graduated from Curtin University with a degree in Communication (Commercial writing). Michelle loves to travel and enjoys walking on the beach. Michelle also feeds on psychology quote and will give away just about anything to cuddle with furry felines.