The Basque Culinary Center expands the range of training offered with the launch of a new Master’s Degree in Gastronomic Communication and Journalism. The launch of this master’s degree adds to the eight courses that the Faculty of Gastronomic Sciences at Mondragon University currently provides, in addition to the Degree in Gastronomy and Culinary Arts and the Doctorate in Gastronomic Sciences.
 
The gastronomic boom demands specialised professionals in the field of gastronomic journalism and communication, and this master’s degree provides the skills necessary to design, produce and promote gastronomic content and initiatives from a global and contemporary perspective. A vision that reinforces the 360° Gastronomy concept of the Basque Culinary Center.
 
The very first Master’s Degree course in Gastronomic Communication and Journalism begins on 4 October 2021 in a blended learning format (six months of online training and one month of face-to-face training at the Basque Culinary Center facilities) with the aim of training professionals in the field of gastronomic communication and offering a global and modern vision of gastronomic journalism at a national and international level, presenting the current trends in food in order to manage in-depth and up-to-date content in gastronomy, food and catering.
 
As the director of the Basque Culinary Center, Joxe Mari Aizega, explains, “From the very beginning we have aimed to be a tractor project for the specialisation and professionalisation of the gastronomic sector. We are very excited about the launch of this master’s degree course which aims to cover the current demands of communication and journalism professionals who want to specialise in the creation of gastronomic content. We firmly believe in the importance of professionals in the sector specialising within the current ecosystem of gastronomic communication in a strategic way, with a multi-channel practical focus and an international perspective, in order to improve and broaden the horizons of the sector.”    
 
PRESTIGIOUS TEACHING STAFF
 
The master’s degree, for which the enrolment period has already started, brings together a very diverse panel of teachers and collaborators of different nationalities and from different disciplines to provide a global vision of the sector. This includes: the Coordinator of the Master’s Degree Course Rafael Tonon, journalist, writer and culinary researcher with international experience; Andoni Luis Aduriz, chef and owner of Mugaritz, one of the most renowned and award-winning restaurants in the world; Sasha Correa, Venezuelan journalist and writer who has spent more than 15 years dedicated to communication issues; Ryan King, editor-in-chief of Fine Dining Lovers; Matt Goulding, American food journalist, book author and content producer; Diego Salazar, journalist who was also professor of the Master’s Degree in Journalism offered by the Spanish newspaper ABC, associate editor of Etiqueta Negra (Peru), multi-platform editor of Peru21 and who currently contributes to The New York Times en Español; Rodrigo Varona, executive director of Brandelicious, one of the most renowned gastronomy communication agencies in Europe; Harold McGee, American writer on gastronomy with an emphasis on food chemistry; Andrés Rodríguez, president and editor of SpainMedia (Tapas, Forbes, etc.); and Emily Takoudes, who has been the executive editor of Food & Drink at Phaidon since 2014 and has been publishing books for over twenty years.
The course also has teachers from the Basque Culinary Center, including Pablo Orduña, PhD in Modern History from the University of Navarre, who has worked as a research fellow for the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Fundación José Miguel de Barandiarán; Jorge Bretón, chef trained in leading restaurants and current Coordinator of the BCC Kitchen area, and Juan Carlos Arboleya, PhD in Physical Biochemistry from the University of East Anglia (Norwich, England), currently Technical Coordinator of the Master’s Degree in Gastronomic Sciences, of the Development and Food Technology section of the degree course and of the Sensory Perception and Consumer Preferences speciality in BCC Innovation.
 
BLENDED LEARNING METHODOLOGY AND TRAINING PROGRAMME
The master’s degree course will be taught in a blended format and the very best professionals in the sector will offer exclusive masterclasses. In addition, some of the sessions will be in English, so a minimum level B2 (upper intermediate level) will be an advantage.
Throughout the online period, which will run from October 2021 to April 2022, teaching will be by means of live classes, 2 days a week, with challenges, practical workshops, case studies, collaborative work and learning guided by expert teachers in the different areas. This will include writing, photography, videography and podcasting workshops, along with many other activities related to the field of gastronomy. These will be completed with a view to developing your communicational and journalistic skills.
During the face-to-face part, which will start in May 2022, we will continue to work on educational activities, fieldwork projects, learning journeys, challenges, and crystallisation workshops, etc. This part follows a teaching-learning methodology based on the concept of learning by doing, which is reflective, social, active, motivating and meaningful.
In addition, throughout the teaching programme, the students will be able to put into practice part of what they have learned in the Basque Culinary Center’s actual publishing project: Gastronomy360 (https://gastronomia360.bculinary.com/). At the end of the teaching period, students must carry out a master’s degree project which can be done individually or in groups with the aim of putting into practice the knowledge acquired during the course. And to complete the learning process and put into practice what they have learned in a professional environment within a relevant company, they will carry out work placements lasting 3 months. 
 
This new training programme is aimed at graduates, university graduates and technicians with advanced diplomas who wish to further their career in the field of communication or gastronomic journalism, at communication, journalism or marketing professionals who want to specialise in the sector, at professionals from the gastronomic sector and food industry who want to gain more in-depth and extensive knowledge and communication skills, and at professionals from other fields who wish to redirect their careers towards gastronomic communication, gastronomy journalism and the curating of gastronomic events.
 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:  
https://www.bculinary.com/en/masters/master-comunicacion-periodismo-gastronomico#intro