Agreement With Toronto School Eases Transition to Penn College

Pennsylvania College of Technology and a Toronto college have established an agreement that will offer graduates of the Canadian school's two-year culinary program a smooth transition to complete their bachelor's degree in Penn College's School of Hospitality.

Recipients of a diploma in culinary management at Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (Humber College) may transfer their culinary arts courses to Penn College and apply them toward a bachelor's degree in culinary arts and systems. The diploma is equivalent to an associate's degree in the United States.

Depending on the general studies courses taken at Humber, those credits may also be transferred, allowing a student to enroll with full junior-year status at Penn College. In some cases, additional Penn College math or English classes may be required.

This is the first such agreement Humber has established with another school for its culinary management graduates. Bachelor's degrees in culinary arts are not available in Canada.

"The curriculum in the third and fourth year of Penn College's degree provides students with a broader range of business and management skills," explained Alister Mathieson, dean of the School of Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism at Humber. "(Humber graduates) have received all of the training in advanced culinary skills. This agreement broadens the spectrum of what they may do with those culinary skills."

"It'll be great to have Humber students with their diverse backgrounds join our culinary program at Penn College," said Frederick W. Becker, dean of the School of Hospitality at Penn College.

Humber College has two campuses in Toronto and offers diplomas and certificates that give students practical, hands-on experience and theoretical knowledge in their chosen field. It also offers bachelor's degrees. Study is offered in business, community services, health, hospitality, technology and the arts. More information is available online.

Career opportunities for graduates of Penn College's culinary arts and systems degree may include kitchen manager, sous chef, banquet chef, chef de cuisine, restaurant chef, personal chef, food service director, food stylist or research and development chef.

The Penn College students get real-world experience through internships and by working in the School of Hospitality's fine-dining restaurant, Le Jeune Chef, which serves the public.

For more information about the academic programs offered by the School of Hospitality at Penn College, call (570) 327-4505, send e-mail or visit on the Web.