Hotel Management vs Culinary Arts: Courses, Colleges, Eligibility, Scope

Hotel Management vs Culinary Arts: The hospitality industry is spread in the vast spectrum which often creates confusion about which discipline interests them from Hotel Management and Culinary Arts. These two courses stand as pillars in the domain of hospitality and each brings different pathways into the rich world of hotels, restaurants, and resorts. Hotel Management courses highlight the complete management of hospitality facilities comprising areas such as operations, guest services, administration, and marketing. On the other hand, Culinary Arts courses focus on the art and science of cooking, honing skills in culinary techniques, menu development, food safety, and kitchen management. So, it becomes important for the students to understand these two courses before choosing one, check out this article to learn more about these courses.

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Culinary Arts vs Hotel Management: Overview 

Hotel Management and Culinary Arts are part of the same domain offering different inputs. So, to know about each one of them check below:

What is Culinary Arts?

Culinary Arts courses are all about making and serving food. Students pursuing this course learn about food preparation, cooking it just right, presenting it nicely, and serving it with style. These courses are focused on everything needed to run a restaurant or catering business smoothly. This course is a specialisation of Hotel Management courses, where students learn about managing hotels and also get a taste of cooking skills. So, whether you intend to study Culinary Arts alone or as part of a Hotel Management program, the scope to grow in this domain is great. 

What is Hotel Management?

Hotel Management courses are all about running hotels and other hospitality places smoothly. These courses cover a wide range of topics and skills. Students learn everything from managing the front desk to handling the business side of hotels and dealing with the rules in the hospitality industry. While Hotel Management courses also include some culinary arts study, however, it is not as detailed as in a separate Culinary Arts course.

Culinary Arts vs Hotel Management: Courses

There is a good number of culinary arts and hotel management courses available at every level of study. Certificate, Diploma, Degree, PGD and Master's courses are offered by hotel management colleges in India as well as by culinary arts colleges in India.

Here is a comparison of courses available in each stream.

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Culinary Arts vs Hotel Management: Eligibility

The first step before applying for either a hotel management or culinary arts course is to check out the eligibility criteria. The basic requirements are regarded to be the same for both these courses. However, some colleges follow the AICTE-specified eligibility criteria for hotel management courses. Check out the generic requirements for both below:

• Candidates must have cleared Class 10th, 12th or Graduation (depending upon the course) from a recognized board.
• Candidates from any stream are eligible to apply for these courses.
• Candidates must have scored 35% - 45% marks in the qualifying examination (applies to undergraduate courses).
• Candidates applying to postgraduate courses must have completed graduation in a relevant stream.

Culinary Arts vs Hotel Management: Top Colleges

Significant fewer colleges offer Culinary Arts than Hotel Management colleges in India. This is because comparatively fewer students take up culinary arts courses.

Plus, since the study of culinary arts is also a part of the hotel management course, some colleges where hotel management courses are offered also offer culinary arts courses. Here are some of the top colleges of both streams

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Culinary Arts vs Hotel Management: Career Scope

Mostly the same places hire graduates of culinary arts and hotel management. However, the areas of work available for culinary arts graduates are much more limited as compared to hotel management. A hotel management graduate can be hired to work in most of the job profiles available in the hotel industry but a culinary arts graduate mostly stays limited to kitchen and restaurant operations.

However, a culinary arts graduate is much more skilled in their area of work i.e. food production. Therefore, candidates are much more capable of doing well for themselves in a career as a chef.

Here is how the career scope and job options of both these courses compare:

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Culinary Arts vs Hotel Management: Which is Better?

While at first glance it may seem like hotel management is the better course, the specialized and focused curriculum of culinary arts helps it even out the difference. So, here are a few concluding points on whether you should pursue Culinary Arts or Hotel Management.

It is not just a coincidence that there are a higher number of courses and colleges in hotel management than in culinary arts. This is because more students opt for hotel management courses as the course fits a wider range of requirements.

You should go for Hotel Management if:

• You are interested in the operation or management of a hotel.
• You are not sure about which area of the hospitality industry you wish to join.
• You want to pursue higher education in the field.

You should opt for Culinary Arts if:

• You are passionate about food and cooking.
• You want to become an expert in food production and delivery.
• You want to start a restaurant or catering company.

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Ultimately, the choice will depend upon your career goals, inherent skills and preferences. If you wish to know which career you are best suited for, try our Career Profiling Test. For any queries, contact our experts on the CollegeDekho QnA Zone.

If you want help with admissions to hotel management colleges in India, please fill our Common Application Form (CAF) or call 1800-572-9877 for FREE student counselling.