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Chef Degree Programs
How to Select the Right One Near Phoenix Arizona

Phoenix Arizona culinary students in cooking classBecoming a chef by enrolling in a culinary school near Phoenix AZ is a great career choice. You'll be able to earn a nice income doing what you love by learning to create extraordinary dishes or prepare fancy pastries and desserts. But now that you've made the decision, exactly how do you go about picking a culinary institute? What requirements should you research and compare among the contending culinary colleges before making your ultimate selection? If you want to be a success in the hospitality and restaurant fields you must pick the ideal culinary program and degree. There are a wide range of options to pick from, beginning with a diploma or certificate program and progressing to attaining an undergraduate as well as a graduate degree. You may attend a small cooking school, an online college, or enroll in a prestigious culinary institute that offers more advanced degree programs. The type of degree and school you decide on will undoubtedly be dependent upon the amount of money and time you can afford to commit, in addition to your ultimate career goal. Once you have determined what your primary area of interest and budget are, you can start examining the cooking programs that meet your preliminary qualifications. Depending upon the degree and type of culinary school you choose, you could be employed as a professional cook or chef in just six months. So before we delve more into the system of picking a school, let's speak a little bit more about the degree and culinary school choices that are available.

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Cooking College Degree Programs

Phoenix Arizona chef preparing flaming dish

As with a number of other trades or professions in Phoenix AZ, there are several degree options that are available in the culinary arts. At the most basic level, you can enroll in a local cooking course, which are more informal in nature and can last from a few hours to a number of weeks. Generally a diploma or a certificate is offered after completion. They can be comprehensive in nature, such as instructing how to cook French dishes, or they can be quite targeted and focus on one dish, for example Crepes Suzette. Naturally if you are looking for a more conventional education suitable for a career in the restaurant industry, you will undoubtedly choose to enroll in a degree program. With a degree program, you will be required to invest considerably more time.

  • Associate's Degrees can require anywhere from six months to 2 years to finish.
  • Bachelor's Degrees normally entail as much as 4 years of training.
  • Masters Degrees can take an additional two years or even longer after receiving a Bachelor's.

More advanced training options may be available, such as Doctoral or specialized programs offered by culinary arts institutes. The most important issue to bear in mind when deciding on which degree to pursue is ensuring that it provides the education and degree needed to advance your ultimate career goals.

Culinary Arts Colleges

Phoenix Arizona chef making gourmet food platter

Once you have made your choice regarding the type of instruction and degree that you wish to pursue, you can launch your search for the cooking school, college or institute that offers it. For example, if your goal is to train to be a chef specializing in German cuisine, then of course you will focus on those colleges that offer the suitable training. Or you can select an institute based on its ranking or other criteria (we'll review some of those later) and then pick the best degree program available that is compatible with your career objectives in Phoenix AZ. However you arrive at your decision, cooking schools generally fall under 3 different categories:

  • Cooking Schools. A few cooking schools do offer degree programs, but generally they offer certificates or diplomas. Their courses tend to be more specialized in nature, and they can range anywhere from a couple of months to as long as three or four years.
  • Community Colleges. Local community colleges can often be more inexpensive than most private schools and a large number have outstanding programs. They almost solely offer Associate's Degrees and are established and managed by either state or local governments.
  • Culinary Schools and Institutes. The advanced training and degrees are offered by culinary arts colleges and institutes. Several institutes provide the most highly regarded as well as the highest standard of training in academia. Unfortunately, since they are private schools they tend to be more costly than their public counterparts, some much more.

Selecting a culinary arts institute will not only be based on the type of degree or program you want to pursue, but also the amount of money you have to invest in your education. If you decide to attend a public school to minimize costs, keep in mind that out-of-state residents usually are required to pay a higher tuition than in-state residents. Also, a lot of community colleges and regional public schools have lower tuition rates for local residents. So be sure to research the public options within Arizona as well as within the Phoenix AZ area to find the most economical options.

Online Culinary Schools

Phoenix Arizona young woman attending online culinary classesA number of prospective students may find that there are no cooking colleges that are within driving distance of their Phoenix AZ residence. One alternative is to attend online classes within the convenience of one's home. The accessibility and flexibility makes it the single solution for a number of students that continue working full-time while going to classes. Also there are more programs online than ever that are accredited. Remember that a substantial portion of the instruction will be provided under an externship. Externships are programs where students work under regional chefs or other culinary professionals to ensure that they obtain practical training outside of the online classroom. Just make certain that the online college you decide on is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged organization (more on this later). So if you are dedicated enough to be able to participate in classes and study in this more independent method, obtaining a culinary arts degree online may be the best option for you.

Contrasting Cooking Institutions

By now you should have made a decision regarding the type of degree that you plan to earn, and whether or not you would like to enroll in a public or private institute. Since there are numerous cooking schools in the Phoenix area and within the United States, you will want to develop a checklist of essential qualifiers so that you can begin narrowing your options. A few obvious qualifiers, including cost and location are a good place to begin. But deciding on a school because it is the closest or the cheapest is not the ideal way to decide on your education. There are other criteria, for example reputation and accreditation that you must assess also. So following are some key areas that you will need to research for every school as you compare them and make your final choice.

Accreditation.  It's essential that the culinary arts college you pick has some form of accreditation from either a regional or a national organization. As mentioned previously, the accrediting organization should be a U.S. Department of Education recognized authority, for example the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have passed a detailed review regarding their curriculum, teachers and facilities. Therefore not only does accreditation help ascertain that you will receive excellent training, but it can also assist in obtaining a student loan or financial aid which are frequently not offered for non-accredited schools.

Age.  Recently established schools generally have the benefit of possessing modern facilities and equipment. However, they may not have been open long enough to acquire an accreditation or to establish a reputation. On the other hand, more established schools may still be using their original, outdated equipment, but have established a sustained track record of success and earned one or more accreditations. Also, the longer a school has operated, the more alumni the school can solicit for its job placement program. Naturally there is some give and take based on the age of the cooking schools. And older, more highly regarded schools commonly modernize their facilities and equipment. The important lesson is that in the best case scenario, your chosen school will have an outstanding reputation, accreditation and a modern facility with newer equipment.

Job Placement Rates.  First, ask what the graduation rates are for the cooking institutes you are evaluating. Low graduation rates are indicators that many students were unhappy with either the institutes or the training and quit before graduating. They might also suggest that the instructors were not competent to teach the course of study. Ask the schools to furnish their job placement rates also. If a college has a higher job placement rate, it will help confirm that it has a good or excellent reputation within the culinary community, in addition to a large network of professional associations. Be wary of any school that will not supply this information.

Location.  The culinary arts institute that you choose should be within driving distance of your Phoenix residence, unless you can move. You may think about attending classes online, but you would still need to travel for your externship program. On the other hand, perhaps you have chosen to go to a particular culinary college located in a different state because of its prominence and programs offered. It would be a good idea to visit the facility before enrolling, to make certain that you are comfortable with the area and your future living conditions. Look over the training facilities personally to make sure they are modern and that the equipment is contemporary. Consider 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 ideal method to learn how to cook is with plenty of one-on-one training. If the culinary arts college you enroll in has larger classes, you will undoubtedly get minimal individual attention from the teachers. The optimal way to assess the communication and interaction between teachers and students is to audit some of the classes. Ask a couple of the students what their experience has been. Find out if they are pleased with the level of attention they receive in class as well as the entire course of training. Also, speak with a few of the teachers and find out what their teaching approaches are along with their backgrounds and credentials.

Flexible Class Schedules.  There is no point in enrolling in a culinary arts school if you will not be able to attend the classes. Therefore confirm that the school you decide on provides class scheduling that will accommodate your active lifestyle. If you can only attend at night or on Saturdays or Sundays near Phoenix AZ because of your work schedule, make sure that the school you select offers either weekend or night classes. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the culinary arts institute has a part-time option. Also, ask what the make-up policy is if you have to miss a class as a result of work, family or other commitments.

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Find the Best Phoenix Culinary School

A rewarding career in the restaurant and hospitality profession is predicated upon selecting the appropriate culinary institute. As we have discussed, there are several things that you must take into consideration when comparing schools, for instance their reputations, accreditation, and training facilities. As with any career decision, you should begin by compiling information, and the best means to do that is by contacting culinary arts institutes directly, either face to face or by telephone. If you're uncertain regarding which schools to explore, you might want to consider talking to chefs in your area about any cooking colleges they recommend.  Later go on the Web to check out those schools even more before you contact them. By taking the time to carefully research each of your education alternatives, you will find yourself in a 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 Phoenix Arizona.

 




 

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