If you want to study cooking in Spain, you have two main routes: a university degree or a vocational course. The choice between a gastronomy degree or vocational training is common among international applicants, because the two systems may work quite differently from what you know at home.
Vocational training in Spain is a two-year, practice-based course in the kitchen. A gastronomy degree is a four-year university program of 240 ECTS credits that adds management, marketing and innovation. If you want to start cooking professionally soon, the vocational route fits. If you aim to lead a kitchen or a business, the degree opens more doors.
This guide compares both routes for anyone considering culinary vocational training in Spain, using official data and a few clear criteria.
Spanish vocational training is called Formación Profesional and it is organized in cycles. A medium-level cycle leads to the title of Technician in Cooking and Gastronomy. A higher-level cycle leads to Higher Technician in Kitchen Management. Both belong to the Hospitality and Tourism professional family, and each adds up to 2,000 hours over two academic years.
According to Royal Decree 687/2010, the higher-level cycle prepares you to direct and organize production and service in the kitchen. Listed job titles include head chef, sous chef, section chef and food and beverage director. Module hours and on-the-job training change from one region to another.
It is a direct, practical path into kitchen jobs.
A bachelor’s degree in Spain lasts four years and adds up to 240 ECTS credits. In gastronomy, the curriculum combines culinary training with product knowledge, business management, marketing, communication, gastronomic culture, innovation and entrepreneurship. When you finish, you earn a university degree that opens the door to master’s programs.
The main difference is focus. Vocational training prepares you to execute in the kitchen. A degree also prepares you to decide: costs, teams, brand and business model.
| Criterion | Vocational training (cooking) | Bachelor’s degree in gastronomy |
|---|---|---|
| Qualification | Technician (medium level) or Higher Technician (higher level) | University graduate |
| Length | 2 academic years, 2,000 hours | 4 years, 240 ECTS credits |
| Focus | Kitchen practice and production | Cooking plus management, marketing, innovation and entrepreneurship |
| Entry | Depends on the level; check your region’s official catalog | Completed the studies required for university access in your country |
| What comes next | The Higher Technician title gives direct access to university degrees, under the admission conditions that apply | Access to master’s programs and other university studies |
| Typical profile | Someone who wants to join a kitchen soon | Someone aiming to lead kitchens, businesses or gastronomic projects |
Neither option is better in absolute terms. They serve different goals.
Want to see how a gastronomy degree is organized?
Explore the curriculum of the Bachelor’s Degree in Gastronomy at GASMA.
Before you decide, visit the schools, ask about internships and compare the study plans.
GASMA’s Bachelor’s Degree in Gastronomy, in Castellón, follows a gastronomy plus management model. In the first year you work on raw materials and culinary production processes alongside an introduction to marketing. In the second year you add gastronomic administration and management, accounting and financial analysis, and patisserie and bread making.
The third year brings cost control applied to gastronomy, vanguard culinary techniques and an internship worth 18 ECTS credits. In the fourth year you choose between two tracks: Executive Chef, focused on innovation and research in the kitchen, and Gastronomic Business, focused on food and beverage management.
The entry profile listed by GASMA includes high school graduates, higher vocational training graduates and degree holders. The admissions process has no elimination exam.
Yes, from a higher-level cycle. The Royal Decree for Higher Technician in Kitchen Management allows access to university degrees under the admission conditions that apply, and each university sets its own.
A cooking vocational cycle lasts two academic years and 2,000 hours. A university degree lasts four years and 240 ECTS credits.
No. The Bachelor’s Degree in Gastronomy at GASMA does not require previous kitchen experience.
It depends on the role you want. Vocational training prepares you for kitchen positions. A degree adds management training to lead teams and businesses.
Compare study plans, talk to students and ask about internships. GASMA is the Gastronomic Campus of CEU Cardenal Herrera University in Castellón, Spain, and its Bachelor’s Degree in Gastronomy is built on one pillar: gastronomy plus management. International students can join an English-language track in the first year, with training in Spanish, and from the second year classes are mainly in Spanish. Request information or visit the campus to see whether it suits you.
Bachelor’s Degree in Gastronomy | International students | Request information
