Explore the origin of sweet and master its intricacies.

At the tip of one's tongue, sweetness is recognized. To truly understand it, one must decode its sugary secrets. In the program, students specialize in restaurant pastry, mastering the basics of formulation. They perfect essential and cutting-edge sweet kitchen techniques guided by industry experts. Throughout the program, students immerse themselves in the captivating world of desserts. They gain the skills and knowledge to excel in gastronomic pastry. From precise recipe formulation to creating artistic desserts, they become professionals in restaurant pastry.

Practical information

• Start Date: october 2024.

• Number of credits: 60 ECTS

• Campus Based Learning

• Duration: 9 months in total

  • 6 months of campus based training (October 2024 to March 2025)

  • 3 months of external internships

• Schedule: 

  • Monday to Friday from 15:30 to 20:30h (CEST)

• 18 Spots Available

• Master's degree awarded by MONDRAGON UNIBERTSITATEA and offered by the Faculty of Gastronomic Sciences at Basque Culinary Center

• For inquiries and more information, contact cursos@bculinary.com

​Master'S Objectives

• Enhance and advance essential knowledge of traditional pastry techniques, as well as master the application of cutting-edge cooking.

• Gain in-depth knowledge of raw materials and their derivatives, including their gastronomic properties, pairings, and the incorporation of new ingredients applicable in sweet preparations, such as spices, herbs, flowers, and other elements.

• Acquire a solid foundation in formulation and understand how ingredients interact with techniques, applying creative and innovative processes to address new culinary proposals in restaurant pastry and sweet cuisine.

• Create a unique menu of sweet preparations, allowing you to meet the demands of contemporary cuisine and offer distinctive and enticing choices to diners.

Career Opportunities

We understand that professional opportunities may vary based on geographic location and individual preferences. However, with this program, participants can pursue roles and positions in the following areas:

• Head of the pastry section in restaurants and hotels.

• Trainer or instructor in educational centers.

• Pastry chef in a bakery or pastry workshop.

• Head of a bakery or pastry workshop.

• Research chef for sweet food industry brands.

• Entrepreneur in businesses related to bakery, pastry, and ice cream.

Listen to our students

10+1 Reasons

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The Master's program is designed for individuals with the following profiles:

• Professionals in the field with experience in pastry shops, workshops, cold sections, and related areas, who aim to innovate and enrich their pastry and dessert offerings, taking their skills and knowledge to the next level. 

• Cooks with experience in savory cuisine who wish to broaden their culinary horizons and delve into the exciting world of sweet cuisine, exploring new techniques and trends.

• Entrepreneurial professionals seeking to specialize in restaurant pastry and expand their repertoire of sweet preparations with the goal of offering exceptional culinary experiences to their customers. 

Previous work experience is highly regarded, and having at least one year of experience in the industry is recommended.

If you don't see your profile reflected in the above points but are interested in the Master's program, don't hesitate to apply. We will assess your education and experience and get in touch with you.

Programme

The Master's Degree study programme gives students overall competencies, supplemented with a period of work placement during which the final project is prepared.

Master's thesis

Design, Development, and Execution of a Unique Sweet Gastronomic Concept.

Program outline

Upon completing the academic period, there will be a 3-month internship to put what has been learned into practice and gain further knowledge. These internships will take place in renowned establishments nationally and internationally:

Restaurants known for restaurant desserts Pastry shops and bakeries Catering companies R&D Units of the food industry or other businesses where students can apply their skills. The management of internships is a personalized process in which, with the guidance of the master's coordination and tutoring, students select the internship placement.

Calendar

• Total Duration: 9 months

• Number of Credits: 60 ECTS 

• Academic Period: october 2024 to march 2025

• Schedule: monday to friday from 3:30 PM to 8:30 PM (CEST)

• Curricular Internships: april to july 2025

Methodology

The Master's program is delivered using the "learning by doing" methodology, which is based on the concept that the best way to learn is through practical experience and direct action. Instead of solely focusing on theory and passive instruction, this methodology promotes students gaining knowledge and skills by actively participating in practical activities and real projects.

The learning process encompasses the following elements:

• Demonstrative explanations of the application of each technique, accompanied by insights from a food technology expert, helping students understand the underlying principles of applying each technique.

• Learning sessions: these sessions cover the theoretical concepts of each module within the program.

• Raw ingredient tastings and sensory analysis classes, supporting the development of the students' tasting abilities.

• Practical workshops for each technique and creativity sessions for the development of restaurant desserts. The importance of concept and the consistent thread in creating a dessert menu will be emphasized.

• Seminars and masterclasses with renowned chefs and pastry chefs specializing in restaurant dessert creation and pastry.

• Learning journeys: the Master's program includes a 2-3 day visit to a renowned destination in the world of sweets. In previous editions, visits to destinations like Paris, Lyon, or Barcelona have been conducted. These activities outside the classroom may include visits to sweet industry production centers, pastry shops, and representative workshops at the destination.

• Master's Final Project: students will work on designing their Master's Final Project, developing creations that will be defended and evaluated by an external panel. One of the exercises in this project will involve designing and offering a sweet menu comprising snacks, plated desserts, petit fours, or a box of chocolates.

• Curricular Internships: curricular internships with companies are conducted after the completion of in-person classes and the Master's Final Project. The internship management is a personalized process, with the guidance and supervision of the Master's program coordinators. Students have the opportunity to choose internship placements where they can apply their knowledge for a duration of 3 months in establishments such as:

  • Restaurants known for their restaurant desserts

  • Pastry shops and workshops

  • Catering companies

  • R&D units in the food industry or other businesses where students can utilize their skills.

*Students have the option to validate internships based on their professional experience.

Teachers and guests

Learn from Accomplished Industry Experts!

You will have the opportunity to learn from accomplished professionals in the field, recognized for their academic, intellectual, social influence, and impactful contributions.The program boasts a faculty panel composed of seasoned culinary experts with specialized knowledge in the realm of sweet Gastronomy.

Professors

Additionally, you will benefit from the expertise of other faculty members from the Faculty, including:

• Maria Mora from BCC Innovation: Sensory tastings

• Alfredo Taboada: Fermentations

• Adela Balderas: Personal skills management

• Edorta Lamo: Bread

• Patxi Troitiño and Koro Santos: Sweet cuisine and pairing

• Iñaki Álava: Culinary chemistry

During the Master's program, master pastry chefs, restaurant chefs, and esteemed Chefs will conduct pastry and restaurant dessert masterclasses in which they will create some of their most representative creations. They will explain the application of techniques, methods of creation, as well as their vision and philosophy. Some of the past guest instructors include:

• Jordi Puigvert: Seminar on "New pastry products." Author of a key book for understanding modern pastry concepts and techniques and owner of Sweet N go.

• Yann Duytsche: Seminar on "Avant-garde in pastry." Author of a key book bridging the transition from pastry to dessert cuisine, Diversiones dulces, and owner of the Chocolatería Dolç in Barcelona.

• Josep María Rodríguez: Seminar on "Bakery pastry." Owner of the Pastisseria Barcelona.

• Oliver Fernández and José Romero: Seminar on "Pastries." Pastry professors from the Barcelona guild.

• Miquel Guarro: Professor at the prestigious Chocolate Academy of Spain.

• David Gil: Pastry chef for Albert Adriá in various establishments within the El Barri Adriá group.

Fees / Grants

The total cost of the Master's program is 12.375 €, which will be paid as follows:

• 150 € upon application (fully refundable in case of non-admission).

• 25% of the total, 3.056,25 € upon admission confirmation as a reservation fee.

• The remaining amount is 3 installments of 3.056,25 € in October, December, and February.

The master's price includes:

• Academic materials

• Basque Culinary Center uniform

• Access to the online learning platform

• Seminars and masterclasses included in the Master

• Study trips (transport to the destination, visit arrangements, and accommodation A/D)

• Management of curricular internships

• Issuance and delivery of the degree/diploma

• Enrollment in the Basque Culinary Center alumni service: Bculinary Alumni

Admission

Basque Culinary Center has an admissions system aimed at ensuring that our students have the academic level and personal competencies necessary to successfully complete an innovative and demanding curriculum. After completing the application process, the Admissions Committee will select the admitted candidates.

For any queries or further information, please contact admisiones@bculinary.com 

Student service

Accommodation

More information about accommodation here

Other accommodation options

Religious residences

These types of residence are small and have restricted entrance times. The rooms can be single or double and they do not always have an ensuite bathroom. Those that offer full board may not offer all the meals at weekends. Admission to these residences entails a personal interview with the families. The prices given below are approximate.
 

Female residences

Male residences

Secular residences

These are mixed and are larger than the religious residences. As a general rule, they do not have entrance times.

Mixed residences

Accommodation in shared flats

Prior authorisation from interested parties, the BCC Students'Office favours contact among admitted students so that they can organise themselves to share flats. Traditionally, students have created groups in social media to contact each other. The BCC also informs students about rented flat offers that the owners send us. The average price per student in a shared flat in Donostia-San Sebastian is around €300 per month.

Procedures before travelling

Students from European Union member countries, Norway, Switzerland. Liechtenstein and Iceland will not require a visa to reside in Spain.

Other international students will have to request a long-term student visa which will allow them to reside in Spain for a period longer than 180 days.

Visas should be requested from, and issued by the Diplomatic Missions and Spanish Consul Offices abroad.  It is important to obtain information on the required documentation and gather it as soon as possible, since the relevant authorities may take up to two months to notify that visas will be granted.

Once students have arrived in Donostia-San Sebastian, they have one month from the time of their arrival to request the foreign students’ card at the Foreign Residents Office in Donostia-San Sebastian. The students’ office of the BCC will provide the necessary information to students in this matter.

Sport service

Through the MU Sports Service, students can access team sports as well as individual sporting activities and Group trips (weekend skiing, surfing trips….).

Donostia-San Sebastian also has an extensive offer of municipal sporting facilities. The Kirol Txartela (sport card) permits access to all the city’s municipal facilities at a very economical price. For more information, go to the following link.

Cost of living info

Information on the COST OF LIVING in San Sebastian is given below:

Donostia - San Sebastián

Donostia-San Sebastian is the administrative capital of Gipuzkoa, one of the territories that integrates the Basque Country. There are two official languages: Spanish and Basque.

On the banks of the Bay of Biscay,, Donostia-San Sebastián is a small town within a natural framework of incomparable beauty. A holiday destination for monarchs and nobles during the Belle Epoque, Donostia-San Sebastian arose as a lordly city where tradition and modernity exist side by side.

If there is something that can compete with its spectacular beauty that is its gastronomy: cradle of the “new Basque cuisine”, Mecca of culinary avant-garde and the world capital of the pintxo, Donostia-San Sebastian is the city with the most Michelin stars per square metres in the world. The importance of its restaurants, its famous gastronomic societies and the quality of its raw material convert Donostia-San Sebastian into a gastronomic reference in the world. Not in vain, the British magazine, “Which”, chose Donostia-San Sebastian as the best gastronomic destination in the world.

Over the last few years, innovation and sustainability have been the two main pillars for the development of Donostia-San Sebastian, which has fostered an ideal city of pedestrians and bicycles.

Why study gastronomy in Donostia-San Sebastian?:

• ecause in Donostia-San Sebastian, as in the rest of the Basque Country, gastronomy forms part of society and good food is present at any event and celebration. Donostia-San Sebastian, a city of 185,000 inhabitants, has 120 gastronomic societies.
• Because four of the eight restaurants with three Michelin stars in Spain are in the Basque Country, three of them in Donostia-San Sebastian.
• Because of its cultural offer, which includes internationally renowned film and jazz festivals. Donostia-San Sebastian has been named as European Capital of Culture for 2016.
• Due to its beaches, ideal for practicing surf all year round.
• Due to its mountains, just 2.5 hours from the Pyrenees.
• Because it is a safe, accessible and welcoming city.

How to reach Donostia-San Sebastian

Donostia-San Sebastian is connected to the main Spanish cities by bus, train and plane. The airport of Donostia-San Sebastian is 20 kilometres from the city. It is a small airport with direct flights from Madrid and Barcelona. It has a bus service to the city centre. The international airport of Bilbao is one hour from Donostia-San Sebastian, and it is connected to the city with a frequent bus service from the actual airport. The international airport of Biarritz is 45 minutes away although it only offers a direct bus to Donostia-San Sebastian once a day. DISTANCE IN KMS.

• Bilbao – 99 km
• Biarritz – 50 km
• Madrid – 450 km
• Barcelona – 570 km

BCulinary Alumni

You can access all the information in the following link.