Associates Degrees in the Culinary Arts

A love for food, a passion for cooking and a taste for different flavors… If these apply to you, then you should be in the Culinary Arts discipline.

You can time your entry into this field through an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts which equips you with necessary skills to run your own kitchens or prepare you for careers in food production and kitchen management. Moreover, you can advance your career through educational qualifications such as Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary Arts.

Formal education is always good since it equips you thoroughly, increases employment opportunities, enhances credentials before employers and pays higher remuneration. An Associate Degree in Culinary Arts is flexible and is also available through campus and online modes. So, if you are already working in the kitchens, then your work doesn’t get disrupted. Course content spans introduction to hospitality industry, food preparation, purchasing, sanitation, business administration, employee management, menu planning, meal presentation, wine and beverages, baking & pastry arts and of course, artistic presentation. Importantly, practical exposure is provided to inculcate real world skills in the industry.

Career outlook is positive with the industry growing overall as indicated by Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment opportunities present themselves as executive chef, sous chef, or staff working in food production or kitchen management. Self-employment avenues in terms of managing own kitchens or restaurants are also opted for. Salaries are attractive with executive and sous chefs drawing median annual earnings of $50,401 and $37,515 respectively. Earnings also depend upon education, experience, location and employer.

Associate Degrees are offered by top institutions such as International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes, Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America and Le Cordon Bleu International well known for their quality of education. Equally reputed are The French Culinary Institute and The Culinary Institute of America.