Programs
Embracing a multidisciplinary and hands-on exploration of food’s many roles in culture and society, Boston University’s Metropolitan College (MET) is a pioneer in food studies, straddling the worlds of food scholarship and culinary arts practice.
Established in 1989 by innovative food luminaries Julia Child and Jacques Pépin in collaboration with MET food and wine programs founding director Rebecca Alssid, the unique, hands-on Professional Culinary Arts Program is taught by working chefs and serves as a pipeline into the food industry. In 1991, Child and Pépin were instrumental in developing the first academic food studies program in the United States with BU MET’s master’s degree in Gastronomy.
Today, BU MET’s trailblazing Food Studies programs have grown to include the Graduate Certificate in Food Studies and an array of hands-on programs that include Professional Pastry Arts, Cheese Studies, and Wine Studies, among others.
Gastronomy Master’s and Food Studies Graduate Certificate
For credit
Available on campus and online, our academic graduate degree and certificate programs in food studies provide unique opportunities to develop, refine, and master your understanding of food and the many needs it fulfills in the world around us.
Culinary Arts
Noncredit or for credit
BU MET’s chef-led, hands-on Professional Culinary Arts Program was established to help aspiring chefs learn essential techniques necessary to excel in the food industry. In addition to this one-of-a-kind, semester-long program we offer two online culinary arts offerings.
Pastry Arts
Noncredit or for credit
BU MET’s Professional Pastry Arts Program is an intensive, hands-on, 14-week course of study that provides the foundational skills and sensory knowledge necessary to launch a career in the pastry arts field.
Wine Studies
Noncredit or for credit
BU MET’s Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource Center offers a multi-course, hands-on Wine Studies curriculum that provides personal enrichment and enhances wine expertise for a range of students, from industry professionals to consumers, collectors, and explorers.
Cheese Studies
Noncredit or for credit
The Cheese Studies program at BU MET offers an in-depth exploration of international and local cheese varieties, as well as hands-on cheese production techniques—from farm to table.
“What was great about my time in the Gastronomy program was how interdisciplinary it was. We learned about various aspects of the industry—from anthropology, to history, to the senses—and I also took food marketing classes. We got a better understanding of the industry as a whole. And now I’m able to use that to understand how consumers interact with their food when I’m advising entrepreneurs on what their packaging and product will mean to a consumer.”—Natalie Shmulik (MET’13), CEO, The Hatchery