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Culinary Arts Courses
How to Choose the Right One Near Birmingham Alabama

Birmingham Alabama culinary arts students in cooking classBecoming a chef by enrolling in a culinary institute near Birmingham AL is a wonderful career choice. You'll be able to make a nice living doing what you love by learning to cook extraordinary dishes or make fancy pastries and desserts. However, just how do you set about choosing a culinary college once you've decided to enroll? Before making your ultimate selection, what criteria should you research and compare among the cooking schools you are considering? Remember that you must pick the appropriate program and degree in order to be successful in the hospitality and restaurant fields. There are a wide variety of options to choose from, starting with a diploma or certificate program and advancing to earning an undergraduate as well as a graduate degree. You can enroll in a small culinary college, an online training class, or enroll in a renowned culinary institute that offers advanced degrees. The type of degree and school you pick will probably be dependent on how much money and time you can afford to spend, together with your ultimate career objective. When you have determined what your primary area of interest and budget are, you can start assessing the cooking schools that satisfy your initial requirements. Depending on the degree and type of culinary school you select, you may be working as a professional chef or cook in just 6 months. So before we dive more into the system of picking a school, let's speak a little bit more about the degree choices that are available.

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Cooking College Degree Programs

Birmingham Alabama chef preparing flaming dish

Just as with a number of other fields or professions in Birmingham AL, there are multiple degree option programs that are offered in the culinary arts. At the most basic level, you can enroll in a local cooking class, which are more informal in nature and can run from a few hours to several weeks. Often a diploma or a certificate is provided after completion. They can be comprehensive in nature, for instance demonstrating how to cook Spanish dishes, or they may be quite targeted and focus on one dish, for instance Crepes Suzette. Naturally if you are seeking a more formal education geared towards a career in the restaurant profession, you will most likely want to enroll in a degree program. With a degree program, you will be required to invest considerably more time.

  • Associate's Degrees can take anywhere from six months to two years to complete.
  • Bachelor's Degrees typically involve as much as four years of education.
  • Masters Degrees may take an additional two years or more after receiving a Bachelor's.

Even more advanced training options may be available, including Doctoral or specialized programs offered by culinary arts institutes. Probably the most important point to bear in mind when deciding on which degree to pursue is making sure that it furnishes the education and credential necessary to advance your ultimate career objectives.

Online Culinary Degree Programs

Birmingham Alabama young woman attending online culinary classesA number of potential students may find that there are no cooking institutes that are within travelling distance of their Birmingham AL residence. One alternative is to attend online training within the convenience of one's residence. The practicality and flexibility makes it the best solution for some students that continue working full time while attending school. Plus there are more programs online than ever that are accredited. Keep in mind that a substantial component of the training will be furnished through an externship. Externships are programs where students train under regional chefs or other culinary arts practitioners so that they receive practical training beyond the virtual classroom. Just be sure that the online college you enroll in is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved organization (more on this later). So if you are dedicated enough to be able to participate in classes and study using this more independent fashion, obtaining a culinary arts degree online may be the best choice for you.

Evaluating Culinary Arts Institutes

At this point you should have made a decision regarding the type of degree that you want to attain, and whether or not you want to enroll in a public or private institute. Since there are numerous cooking colleges in the Birmingham area and across the United States, you need to create a checklist of important qualifications so that you can begin narrowing down your choices. A few obvious qualifications, including location and cost are a good place to begin. But choosing a school because it is the closest or the least expensive is not the optimal way to make a decision regarding your education. There are other factors, for instance reputation and accreditation that you must review as well. So below are some key areas that you will need to research for each school as you compare and contrast them and make your final choice.

Accreditation.  It's essential that the cooking college you pick has some type of accreditation from either a regional or a national agency. As mentioned previously, the accrediting agency should be a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged authority, for example the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a detailed assessment regarding their curriculum, instructors and facilities. So not only does accreditation help ensure that you will receive exceptional training, but it can also assist in obtaining a student loan or financial assistance which are often not available for non-accredited schools.

Age.  Recently established schools often have the advantage of having modern equipment and facilities. However, they may not have been open long enough to earn an accreditation or to establish a reputation. Conversely, older schools may still be using their original, outdated equipment, but have established a long history of excellence and earned one or more accreditations. Also, the much more a school has been in operation, the more alumni the school can solicit for its job placement program. Obviously there is some give and take dependent on the age of the cooking schools. And older, more highly regarded schools typically update their equipment and facilities. The significant lesson is that in the best case scenario, your school of choice will have an excellent reputation, accreditation and a state-of-the-art facility with newer equipment.

Job Placement Rates.  Initially, find out what the graduation rates are for the cooking programs you are reviewing. Lower graduation rates are signs that a number of students were unhappy with either the colleges or the programs and quit before graduating. They may also indicate that the teachers were not qualified to teach the curriculum. Ask the schools to provide their job placement rates also. If a school has a higher job placement rate, it will help validate that it has a good or outstanding reputation within the cooking community, as well as a wide network of professional contacts. Be wary of any school that will not provide this information.

Location.  The culinary arts college that you enroll in must be within commuting distance of your Birmingham residence, unless you are able to move. You may look into attending school online, but you would still need to travel for your externship program. Alternatively, maybe you have decided to enroll in a specific culinary institute located in another state because of its ranking and programs offered. It would be a good idea to check out the facility before enrolling, to make sure that you are satisfied with the area and your potential living conditions. Look over the training facilities personally to make certain they are up to date and that the equipment is contemporary. Keep in mind also that a number of schools focus their job assistance programs within their regional communities, so select a location where you will satisfied working.

Class Sizes.  The most effective method to learn how to cook is with plenty of one-on-one training. If the culinary institute you enroll in has larger classes, you will probably get little personal attention from the teachers. The optimal manner in which to evaluate the communication and interaction between faculty and students is to attend some of the classes. Ask some of the students what their experience has been. Find out if they are satisfied with the amount of attention they receive in class in addition to the overall training. Also, speak with some of the teachers and find out what their teaching approaches are as well as their histories and qualifications.

Flexible Class Schedules.  There is no benefit to in enrolling in a culinary arts institute if you will not be able to attend the classes. So make sure that the school you select provides class scheduling that will fit in with your busy lifestyle. If you can only attend at night or on Saturdays or Sundays near Birmingham AL because of your job schedule, make certain that the school you decide on offers either night or weekend classes. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, verify that the culinary arts program has a part-time option. Also, find out what the make-up policy is if you need to miss a class due to work, family or other obligations.

Learn More About Culinary Schools in Birmingham

Find the Best Birmingham Cooking School

A successful career in the restaurant and hospitality business is contingent upon deciding on the appropriate chef college. As we have covered, there are several things that you should take into consideration when evaluating schools, for example their reputations, accreditation, and training facilities. Just like any important decision, you must start by compiling information, and the best way to do that is by contacting culinary arts colleges directly, either face to face or over the telephone. If you're uncertain regarding which schools to look into, you may want to consider talking to chefs in your area about any cooking schools they recommend.  Then use the Internet to look into those schools further before you contact them. By taking the time to thoroughly evaluate each of your education alternatives, you will be in a more ideal position to make an informed decision. And when you choose the right school, you will have a great start toward your goal of becoming a chef in Birmingham Alabama.

 




 

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