Finished first part of academic course (5)
I believe the answer is:
pasta
'course' is the definition.
(type of meal)
'finished first part of academic' is the wordplay.
'finished' becomes 'past'.
'first part of' says to take the initial letters.
The initial letter of 'academic' is 'a'.
'past'+'a'='PASTA'
(Other definitions for pasta that I've seen before include "Italian foodstuff" , "Basis for serving" , "Macaroni, for example" , "Staple food of Italy" , "dish of food" .)