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Culinary Arts Schools
How to Find the Right One Near Dothan Alabama

Dothan Alabama culinary students at cooking schoolDeciding to become a chef and enrolling in a culinary institute near Dothan AL is a great career choice. You'll be able to make a good income doing what you love by learning to cook extraordinary dishes or make lavish pastries and desserts. However, just how do you set about picking a culinary arts institute now that you've made your decision to enroll? What requirements should you research and compare among the contending culinary schools before making your final selection? Remember that you must choose the right program and degree in order to be successful in the hospitality and restaurant business. There are a wide range of alternatives to choose from, beginning with a certificate or diploma program and progressing to attaining an undergraduate as well as a graduate degree. You can enroll in a small baking college, an online college, or enroll in a large culinary institute that provides more advanced degrees. The type of credential and school you pick will no doubt be based on the amount of time and money you can afford to invest, in addition to your ultimate career objective. When you have decided what your main area of interest and budget are, you can begin examining the culinary arts schools that meet your preliminary requirements. Depending upon the certification and type of culinary school you select, you could be employed as a professional chef or cook in as little as 6 months. So before we delve more into the process of picking a school, let's talk a little more about the degree and culinary school choices that are available.

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Culinary Arts Schools

Dothan Alabama chef making gourmet food platter

After you have made your selection regarding the kind of training and degree that you want to pursue, you can start your search for the culinary arts school, college or institute that offers it. As an example, if your desire is to train to be a chef specializing in Italian cuisine, then of course you will focus on those colleges that offer the suitable training. Or you can select a college based on its reputation or other criteria (we'll discuss several of those later) and then choose the best degree program offered that is simpatico with your career goals in Dothan AL. However you arrive at your decision, cooking schools typically fit within 3 distinct categories:

  • Cooking Schools. Certain cooking schools do offer degree programs, but usually they offer certificates or diplomas. Their programs tend to be more specialized in nature, and they can last anywhere from a couple of months to as long as 3 or 4 years.
  • Community Colleges. Regional community colleges tend to be more affordable than most private schools and a large number have excellent programs. They almost exclusively offer Associate's Degrees and are founded and maintained by either state or local governments.
  • Culinary Schools and Institutes. The advanced degrees and training are furnished by culinary arts colleges and institutes. Some institutes provide the most highly regarded and highest standard of training in academia. But bear in mind, since they are private institutions they tend to be more expensive than their public counterparts, some a lot more.

Selecting a culinary arts school will not only be dependent on the type of program or degree you wish to pursue, but also how much you have to spend on your education. If you decide to attend a public institution to lower costs, keep in mind that out-of-state residents generally must pay a higher tuition than in-state residents. Furthermore, a lot of community colleges and regional public schools have lower tuition rates for area residents. So be sure to research the public options within Alabama as well as within the Dothan AL area to locate the most economical options.

Online Culinary Schools

Dothan Alabama young woman enrolled in online culinary classesA number of potential students may find that there are no culinary institutes that are within commuting proximity of their Dothan AL residence. One solution is to attend online training within the convenience of one's residence. The accessibility and flexibility makes it the single solution for a number of students that continue working full time while attending school. Plus there are more programs online than ever that are accredited. Remember that a significant component of the instruction will be provided through an externship. Externships are programs where students train under area chefs or other culinary arts professionals to ensure that they receive hands-on training beyond the virtual classroom. Just make sure that the online school you enroll in is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved agency (more on this later). Therefore if you are disciplined enough to be able to go to classes and study in this more independent method, attaining a culinary online degree might be the ideal choice for you.

Evaluating Culinary Institutes

By now you should have made a decision regarding the type of degree that you wish to attain, and whether or not you want to enroll in a private or a public institution. Since there are numerous culinary arts institutions in the Dothan area and across the United States, you need to create a checklist of essential qualifications so that you can begin narrowing down your choices. A few obvious qualifiers, for instance location and cost are an excellent place to start. But deciding on a school because it is the closest or the cheapest is not the best way to make a decision regarding your education. There are other criteria, for example reputation and accreditation that you need to review also. So below are some crucial areas that you will need to research for every school as you compare them and make your final selection.

Accreditation.  It's imperative that the culinary institute you select has some type of accreditation from either a local or a national authority. As mentioned previously, the accrediting authority should be a U.S. Department of Education recognized organization, such as the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a comprehensive review 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 securing a student loan or financial aid which are often not available for non-accredited schools.

Age.  Recently established schools often have the benefit of having modern equipment and facilities. However, they may not have been open long enough to garner an accreditation or to establish a reputation. Conversely, more established schools may still be using their original, dated equipment, but have established a long track record of excellence and earned one or more accreditations. Also, the much more a school has been in business, the more alumni the school can reach out to for its job placement program. Certainly there is some give and take dependent on the age of the culinary arts schools. And older, more reputable schools typically update their equipment and facilities. The valuable takeaway is that in the best case scenario, your selected school will have an outstanding reputation, accreditation and a modern facility with newer equipment.

Job Placement Rates.  To begin with, find out what the graduation rates are for the culinary arts schools you are evaluating. Low graduation rates are red flags that a number of students were dissatisfied with either the institutes or the training and dropped out. They may also suggest that the instructors were not qualified to teach the course of study. Request that the schools supply their job placement rates as well. If a school has a higher job placement rate, it will help verify that it has a good or excellent reputation within the culinary field, as well as a broad network of professional relationships. Be suspicious of any school that will not provide this information.

Location.  The cooking institute that you attend must be within driving distance of your Dothan home, unless you are willing to move. You may think about attending college online, but you would still need to travel for your externship training. Alternatively, maybe you have decided to attend a specific culinary arts school located in a different state due to its reputation and programs offered. It would be a good idea to visit the facility before enrolling, to make sure that you are comfortable with the location and your prospective living conditions. Tour the training facilities personally to make sure they are up to date and that the equipment is state of the art. Remember also that some schools focus their job placement programs within their regional communities, so pick a location where you will be happy working.

Class Sizes.  The most effective way to learn how to cook is with lots of personalized training. If the cooking institute you enroll in has larger classes, you will probably receive limited individual attention from the instructors. The ideal way to evaluate the communication and interaction between faculty and students is to attend several of the classes. Ask some of the students what their experience has been. Ascertain if they are pleased with the level of attention they get in class as well as the overall training. Also, speak with some of the teachers and determine what their teaching approaches are along with their histories and credentials.

Flexible Class Schedules.  There is no sense in enrolling in a culinary school if you will be unable to attend the classes. So make certain that the school you choose has available class scheduling that can accommodate your active lifestyle. If you can only attend in the evening or on weekends near Dothan AL because of your work schedule, confirm that the school you select offers either night or weekend classes. If you can only attend part-time, check that the cooking college has a part-time offering. Also, find out what the make-up policy is if you must miss a class as a result of family, work or other responsibilities.

Learn More About Culinary Schools in Dothan

Enroll in the Right Dothan Cooking School

A successful career in the hospitality and restaurant industry is dependent upon enrolling in the right culinary arts institute. As we have covered, there are various things that you should take into consideration when researching schools, for example their accreditation, reputations, and training facilities. Just like any life changing decision, you should start by acquiring information, and the ideal way to accomplish that is by getting in touch with cooking institutes directly, either in person or over the telephone. If you're unsure regarding which schools to explore, you may want to consider asking chefs in your location about any culinary arts institutes they recommend.  Then use the Web to check out these schools further before you contact them. By making the effort to carefully assess each of your education alternatives, you will find yourself in a much better position to make an educated decision. And when you pick the right school, you will have a terrific start toward your dream of becoming a chef in Dothan Alabama.

 




 

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