Diploma in Culinary Excellence Level 5

Diploma in Culinary Excellence Level 5

Diploma in Culinary Excellence Level 5 (incorporating the New Zealand Diploma in Cookery (Advanced) (Level 5) with strands in Cookery and Patisserie and the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery Level 3 and 4)

THIS COURSE IS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ONLY.

The Diploma in Culinary Excellence Level 5 incorporates the New Zealand Diploma in Cookery (Advanced) (Level 5) with strands in Cookery and Patisserie and the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery Level 3 and 4.

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Key Details
Invercargill
Qualification:
Diploma
Level:
5
Credits:
301
Duration:

Two years full-time

Study Modes:
On Campus
Dates:

17 Feb 2025

14 July 2025

THIS COURSE IS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ONLY.

The Diploma in Culinary Excellence Level 5 incorporates the New Zealand Diploma in Cookery (Advanced) (Level 5) with strands in Cookery and Patisserie and the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery Level 3 and 4.

The purpose of this qualification is:

  • To provide competent employees for the hospitality sector who are able to work as chefs in intermediate positions producing advanced dishes in a professional kitchen.
  • To provide for those individuals who are employed as chefs in intermediate positions, a credential that will enhance their employment opportunities in a professional kitchen across the hospitality sector.
  • To establish standards of professional practice for advanced cookery that can provide customers with confidence in a range of hospitality environments.

This strand in the qualification will allow graduates to have advanced general cookery skills.

Year One

US167 Practise food safety methods in a food business under supervision

NZC301 Monitor and maintain core skills and knowledge of health, safety and security practices within a hospitality operation

Students will identify and apply health and safety, food safety and security practices to ensure own safety and minimise potential hazards for others.

NZC302 Conduct and apply effective workplace communication and professional practices within hospitality operations

Students will communicate effectively and behave in a professional manner with colleagues, managers and customers.

NZC303 Comply with, maintain, implement and evaluate standard operating procedures within a kitchen operation

Students will follow standard operating procedures to deal with familiar problems in a commercial kitchen.

NZC304 Prepare and cook basic stocks, sauces and soups

Students will prepare to cook and cook and present basic stocks, sauces and soups, in a commercial kitchen.

NZC305 Prepare and cook basic vegetable dishes in a commercial kitchen  

Students will prepare to cook and cook and present basic vegetable dishes, in a commercial kitchen.

NZC306 Prepare and cook egg dishes in a commercial kitchen   

Students will prepare to cook and cook and present basic egg dishes, in a commercial kitchen.

NZC307 Prepare and cook rice and farinaceous in a commercial kitchen  

Students will prepare to cook and cook and present rice and farinaceous dishes, in a commercial kitchen. 

NZC308 Prepare and cook basic pasta dishes in a commercial kitchen   

Students will prepare to cook and cook and present basic pasta dishes, in a commercial kitchen.

NZC309 Prepare and cook basic fish dishes in a commercial kitchen  

Students will prepare to cook and cook and present basic fish dishes, in a commercial kitchen. 

NZC310 Prepare and cook basic meat dishes in a commercial kitchen

Students will cook and present basic meat dishes in a commercial kitchen.

NZC311 Prepare and cook basic hot and cold dessert items in a commercial kitchen 

Students will prepare to cook and produce and present basic hot and cold dessert items, in a commercial kitchen.

NZC401 Demonstrate knowledge of food costing and portion control in a commercial kitchen

Students will gain knowledge of skills required to monitor and maintain specific standard operating and budgeting procedures in a hospitality workplace.

NZC402 Monitor and maintain staff performance and interactions with customers to meet service delivery outcomes

Students will gain knowledge of skills required to monitor and maintain staff performance and customer interactions to ensure service delivery outcomes are met in a hospitality workplace.

NZC403 Monitor and maintain the application of standard operating policies and procedures in a service delivery organisation

Students will gain knowledge of skills required to monitor and maintain the application of specific standard operating procedures and code of conduct in a hospitality workplace.

NZC404 Monitor and maintain health, safety and security practices for a service delivery organisation

Students will gain knowledge of skills required to monitor and maintain specific health, safety and security practices in a hospitality workplace.

NZC405 Prepare and present cold cocktail food in a commercial kitchen

Students will have an advanced understanding of preparation practices and cooking techniques. The students credited with this paper are able to prepare and present cold cocktail food for service in a commercial kitchen.

NZC406 Prepare and present cold larder products in a commercial kitchen

Students will gain the understanding of preparation practices and advanced preparation and presentation techniques in cold larder work.

NZC407 Prepare and cook hot cocktail food in a commercial kitchen

Students will have an understanding of preparation practices and advanced cooking techniques, including the use of advanced preparation and cooking methods, multiple ingredients, and differing flavours and textures. This involves preparation from fresh ingredients and cooking hot cocktail food.

NZC408 Prepare and cook complex sauces in a commercial kitchen

The students will have an understanding of preparation practices and advanced cooking techniques, including the use of advanced preparation and cooking methods, multiple ingredients, and differing flavours and textures. People credited with this paper are able to prepare to cook, and cook and present complex sauces, in a commercial kitchen.

NZC409 Prepare and cook complex fish dishes in a commercial kitchen

Students will have an understanding of preparation practices and advanced cooking techniques, including the use of advanced preparation and cooking methods, multiple ingredients, and differing flavours and textures.

NZC410 Prepare and cook seafood dishes in a commercial kitchen

Students will have an understanding of preparation practices and advanced cooking techniques, including the use of advanced preparation and cooking methods, multiple ingredients, and differing flavours and textures. People credited with this paper are able to prepare to cook, and cook and present seafood dishes, in a commercial kitchen.

NZC411 Prepare and cook complex pasta dishes in a commercial kitchen

Students will have an understanding of preparation practices and advanced cooking techniques, including the use of advanced preparation and cooking methods, multiple ingredients, and differing flavours and textures. This paper is for preparation and cooking of pasta and pasta dishes from fresh ingredients and does not include the use of pre-prepared or dried pasta. People credited with this paper are able to prepare to cook, and cook and present complex pasta dishes, in a commercial kitchen.

NZC412 Prepare and cook complex meat dishes in a commercial kitchen

Students will have an understanding of preparation practices and advanced cooking techniques, including the use of advanced preparation and cooking methods, multiple ingredients, and differing flavours and textures. People credited with this paper are able to: prepare to cook; and cook and present complex meat dishes in a commercial kitchen.

NZC413 Prepare and cook complex soups in a commercial kitchen

Students will have an understanding of preparation practices and advanced cooking techniques, including the use of advanced preparation and cooking methods, multiple ingredients, and differing flavours and textures. This paper is for preparation and cooking of soups from fresh ingredients. People credited with this paper are able to prepare to cook, and cook and present complex soups, in a commercial kitchen.

NZC414 Prepare and cook complex poultry dishes in a commercial kitchen

Students will have an understanding of preparation practices and advanced cooking techniques, including the use of advanced preparation and cooking methods, multiple ingredients, and differing flavours and textures. People credited with this paper are able to prepare to cook, and cook and present complex poultry dishes, in a commercial kitchen.

NZC415 Prepare and cook complex pastry dishes in a commercial kitchen

Students will have an understanding of preparation practices and advanced cooking techniques, including the use of advanced preparation and cooking methods, multiple ingredients, and differing flavours and textures. People credited with this paper are able to prepare to cook, and cook and present complex pastry dishes, in a commercial kitchen.

NZC416 Prepare and finish marinades, dressings, cold sauces, and dips in a commercial kitchen

The students will have an advanced understanding of preparation practices and larder work.

People credited with this paper are able to prepare and finish marinades, dressings, cold sauces and dips in a commercial kitchen.

NZC417 Prepare and produce complex hot and cold desserts in a commercial kitchen

Students will have an understanding of preparation practices and advanced cooking techniques, including the use of advanced preparation and cooking methods, multiple ingredients, and differing flavours and textures. This paper is for preparation and production of desserts from fresh ingredients.

People credited with this paper are able to: prepare to cook; and produce and present complex hot and cold desserts, in a commercial kitchen.

NZC418 Prepare and bake dough products in a commercial kitchen

Students will have an understanding of preparation practices and dough development and baking techniques. Ingredients used in this paper must be fresh. People credited with this paper are able to prepare to bake, and bake and present dough products, in a commercial kitchen.

NZC419 Prepare and bake complex dough products in a commercial kitchen

Students will have an understanding of preparation practices and advanced cooking techniques, including the use of advanced preparation and cooking methods, multiple ingredients, and differing flavours and textures. People credited with this paper are able to prepare to bake, and bake and present complex dough products, in a commercial kitchen.

NZC420 Prepare and bake complex cakes and sponges in a commercial kitchen

Students will have an understanding of preparation practices and advanced cooking techniques, including the use of advanced preparation and cooking methods, multiple fresh ingredients, and differing flavours and textures. People credited with this paper are able to prepare to bake, and bake and present complex cakes and sponges, in a commercial kitchen.

 

Year Two

NDC501 Larder Production

The student will plan and produce a broad range of larder dishes employing advanced preparation, cookery and presentation techniques.

NDC502 Food Preparation

The student will plan and produce a broad range of meat, poultry and fish dishes employing advanced preparation, cookery and presentation techniques.

NDC503 Menu Design

The student will plan, develop and design advanced dishes and menus suitable for implementation in a commercial hospitality environment.

NDC504 Culinary Operations Supervision

The student will select and apply staffing strategies to meet performance targets and manage staff relationships for operational roles.

NDC505 Culinary Operations Management

The student will manage operating procedures and compliance requirements, including developing maintenance schedules, and will be able to demonstrate knowledge of purchasing and stores management in the hospitality industry.

This programme leads to employment opportunities in the hospitality industry in a broad range of hospitlaity establishments, including fine dining, functions and commercial kitchens, including specialist and commercial catering. Graduates may also progress to further study towards a Bachelor of Culinary Arts and hospitality management.

     

School Leavers

Applicants under the age of 20 years at the time of enrolment should be a minimum of 16 years of age with a minimum of three year’s secondary school education, and have achieved 10 credits at NCEA Level 1 in Literacy, and 10 credits at NCEA Level 1 in Numeracy.

Mature Applicants 

Applicants over the age of 20 years at time of enrolment will be considered where they can demonstrate an interest in working in the hospitality industry, and the ability to succeed in a programme.

  • Examples of demonstration of interest in working in the hospitality industry are the provision of a letter of intent and/or curriculum vitae.
  • Examples of demonstration of ability to succeed are the provision of evidence of successful completion of a programme of study at Level 2 or above and/or employment in the related sector for one or more years.

Personal commitment and a belief in one’s own ability to succeed are important personal traits and will always be taken into consideration during the selection process.

Applicants may be required to attend an interview, or if they live at some distance from the campus, complete a telephone interview. Applicants must produce copies of applicable supporting certificates and/or evidence of prior achievements prior to interviews. 

Personal commitment and a belief in one’s own ability to succeed are important personal traits and will always be taken into consideration. 

Notwithstanding the above admissions categories, in exceptional circumstances, a mature aged applicant who can show evidence of ability to succeed in (examples would include someone with experience within the hospitality industry or current working in the industry) the programme may be considered for admission provided the applicant has successfully completed an approved course or programme, which is deemed to prepare graduates for the required academic standard for entry.

English Language Requirements

Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following

NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance, or

an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A- level qualification for which the teaching and assessment was conducted in English; or

Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA),or Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL);or

Successful completion of all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand,,Australia,Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States one of the countries listed in Rule 18.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or

Successful completion of at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction; or

Successful completion of a Bachelor's Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters' Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States or

Successful completion of one of the following internationally recognised proficiency tests listed below to the level required of the programme of study and with all scores achieved in a single test during the two years preceding the proposed date of enrolment


IELTS test - Academic score of 5.5 with no band score lower than 5 
TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 550 (with an essay score of 5 TWE) 
TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 46 (with a writing score of 14) 
Cambridge English Examination - B2 First or B2 First for schools with a score of 162. No less than 154 in each skill 
OET - Minimum of Grade C or 200 in all sub-tests 
NZCEL - a) Expiring Level b) Current: a) Level 4 (General) or (Workplace) b) Level 4 (General) or (Employment) 
Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE (Academic) score of 42 with no band score lower than 36 
Language Cert - B2 Communicator International ESOL Written (LRW) HIGH PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASS 
Trinity ISE - ISE II with no less than merit in any band

* New versions of some NZCEL qualifications, and in some cases new qualifications, were published on 13 June 2017. These are intended to replace pre-existing versions and qualifications, which have been given expiring status until discontinued on 31 December 2019. (a) denotes expiring (b) denotes current

The student will normally be expected to complete the Cookery strand of the New Zealand Diploma in Cookery (Advanced) (Level 5) with strands in Cookery and Patisserie full-time over 92 tutorial weeks, which includes NZ2100 New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 3) and NZ2101 New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 4).

To satisfactorily complete the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 3), and be awarded this qualification the student must successfully achieve:

  • A minimum of 60 credits in accordance with the programme schedule for the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 3)
  • The student will normally be expected to complete the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 3) full-time within 17 weeks.

To satisfactorily complete the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 4), and be awarded this qualification the student must successfully achieve:

  • A minimum of 120 credits in accordance with the programme schedule for the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 4)
  • The student will normally be expected to complete the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 4) full-time within 34 weeks. 

To satisfactorily complete the New Zealand Diploma in Cookery (Advanced) (Level 5) with strands in Cookery and Patisserie and be awarded the qualification the student must successfully achieve: 

Cookery Strand

  • Achieve all of the graduate profile outcomes for that strand showing competence to a minimum of 120 credits in accordance with the programme schedule for the New Zealand Diploma in Cookery (Advanced) (Level 5) with strands in Cookery and Patisserie.
  • Complete required theoretical and practical course work and assignments.

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