Bucks New University has announced the launch of a Batchelor of Arts honours degree in Kitchen Degree, claimed to be “the only course of kind in the country”.

The decision was made to introduce the BA (Hons) course after consultation with industry, current and past students.

Course leader Jayne Hall Cunnick commented: “We found that there was a real desire to achieve further qualifications in the field, as well as a need for this kind of expertise across the sector.

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“As the only course of this kind in the country and I think globally, it is really important for the ongoing success of the industry.”

The part-time course will be taught mainly online, with residential study blocks of two to three nights at Missenden Abbey Campus in the Chilterns.

This follows on from the Foundation Kitchen Degree course, which has been running for the past seven years.

Spanning three years of flexible and distributed study, the foundation course forms an entry pathway into the additional one year top-up honours degree.

However, students can also come from a range of backgrounds, such as BTEC, HND, NHC, second year degree or foundation degree in other related subject areas, such as product design, interior design or architecture.

Jayne Hall Cunnick encouraged anybody interested in the BA (Hons) Kitchen Design degree course to get in touch to see if they qualify for the BA (Hons) top-up course or apply on the university’s website.

“On an individual basis we could even consider applicants with equivalent in depth industry experience, I am happy to discuss these requirements with applicants if they wish to apply, the application process is bespoke for each person.”

She said the course was already garnering a lot of interest and said plans for its launch may be brought forward: “We were planning to begin running the BA top-up course starting in the 2022/23 academic year, but we already have applicants who are keen to begin and with a few more applicants we may have enough to start in September 2021.”

Although Hall Cunnick admitted “it is hard to tell if and when formal qualifications will become standard”, in the kbb industry, she exclaimed: “but our graduates leave with a range of skills and in-depth knowledge of their industry.

“When a candidate applies for a job, having this degree on their CV tells the employer that they can hit the ground running, and be a dynamic member of the team.”

And she said employers can also help support and help develop members of their design team to study for a qualification, which will ultimately improve their customers’ experiences and end projects.

Jayne Hall Cunnick concluded: “I believe that our students leave with an elevated way of thinking about kitchen design and their work is therefore at an incredibly high standard; this has untold benefits for their organisation and most importantly their customers.”