PHD IN DELICIOUS: Students can’t wait to become masters of sweet, sweet chocolate delights in UMass’s wildly popular hands-on learning experience.

This is a credit UMass students can't wait to earn. Chocolate 101, a three-and-a-half hour, hands-on session with University of Massachusetts Chef Simon Stevenson, teaches students how to bake with chocolate.

“This class is for the chocohalic…” reads the flier that was posted on campus. Students eagerly signed up, and the class was full within seven days, with students who are on the meal plan eligible to bring their chocolate fantasies to life.

Held in the UMass bakeshop production kitchen, the class featured instructions on such sweet chocolate indulgences as Chocolate Dipped Tuxedo Strawberries (those cute little guys that are so irresistible and often found at catered events), Hand Rolled Truffles, Peppermint Bark and the showstopping Chocolate Lava Cakes.

UMass Director of Dining Services Ken Toong sees the class as “a great way to create value and excitement for students on the meal plan.”

Next semester, four more classes of Chocolate 101 will be offered, along with four each classes of Baking 101 and Cooking 101.