The University of Parma activated the first public degree course in Gastronomic Science in Italy in 2004.
The University of Parma, in fact, has over time developed specific competences in the agrifood sector, rooted not only in the socio-economic fabric of the territory, but also in the awareness that only by uniting the territory's many strengths and resources can levels of excellence be reached and maintained at international level.
As of the 2023/24 academic year, the course is included in the new class L/26 Food Science and Technology, so as to ensure a balance between scientific and humanistic content teaching; in fact, the degree course in Gastronomic Science aims to train Italian and foreign students, providing them with the skills to get to know food and wine products, both from a cultural point of view, learning how to assess the link with the territory and how to communicate and enhance gastronomy with traditional and innovative tools, and from a scientific point of view, learning the characteristics and peculiarities of animal and plant biodiversity, and how to transform raw materials, both industrially and in artisanal terms.
The structure of the course and the experience gained in the various training areas, but also the geographical location of Parma and the recent awarding of the title of UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, make the Degree Course in Gastronomic Science at the University of Parma very attractive to students, whose numbers have been growing steadily since 2004.
The courses offered can be divided into seven macro-areas: the first three basic, Mathematics and Chemistry, Memory, and Biodiversity; the next four applied, Food Production and Technology, Art and Communication, Biomedics and Nutrition, and Agrifood Economics. The Degree Course in Gastronomic Science also offers elective course units, so that students can deepen their food and wine education, develop personal cultural interests and professional orientations towards the above-mentioned applied macro-areas.
The course is spread over three years, during which students will be offered lectures, practical exercises and tastings, internships, company visits, activities to develop horizontal skills and internships in Italy and abroad for a total of 180 ECTS credits. The course is organised in 2 semesters. Classes are held during the first three months of each semester, while the remaining periods are devoted to individual study, group activities and exam preparation.
The course promotes a balanced organisation of teaching activities in such a way as to enable students to prepare for examinations on time; to this end, supplementary teaching activities are offered and written exercises, in-progress tests and personal and group reports are carried out to stimulate peer work skills. Verification of the achievement of learning outcomes is mainly through oral and/or written examinations.
The didactic activities, both face-to-face and remote, during the three years of the course are useful to the student in order to arrive prepared for the final exam, so as to demonstrate the acquired ability to apply to a circumscribed topic the knowledge and methodologies learnt during the first-cycle degree course, the ability to insert oneself in a work context, and the ability to independently structure a conceptually articulated text also using new technologies (audio-video); in addition, the training offered by the Course, also aimed at deepening the English language by spending time abroad to study or carry out job placements, enables students to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out the profession of Gastronome, but also to continue their studies with a Second-cycle Degree, both in Italy and abroad.
