Culinary Arts Degree Programs
How to Enroll In the Right One Near Tempe Arizona
Becoming a chef by enrolling in a culinary school near Tempe AZ is a wonderful career choice. You'll be able to make a nice income doing something you love by learning to create incredible dishes or make lavish pastries and desserts. However, just how do you go about selecting a culinary college now that you've made your decision to enroll? Before making your final choice, what criteria should you research and compare among the culinary schools you are considering? In order to be successful in the hospitality and restaurant industry you must choose the right culinary program and degree. There are a multitude of alternatives to select from, starting with a diploma or certificate program and advancing to attaining an undergraduate or even a graduate degree. You can enroll in a small cooking school, an online school, or enroll in a large culinary institute that offers more advanced degree programs. The type of credential and school you decide on will probably be based on the amount of time and money you can afford to invest, as well as your ultimate career goal. When you have decided what your primary area of interest and budget are, you can begin evaluating the cooking programs that meet your initial qualifications. Depending on the certification and type of culinary school you select, you could be working as a professional cook or chef in as little as six months. So before we dig more into the method of selecting a school, let's talk a little bit more about the degree choices that are available.
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Culinary Arts School Degree Options
Just as with numerous other fields or professions in Tempe AZ, there are several degree programs that are offered in the culinary arts. At the most elemental level, you can join a nearby cooking class, which are more informal in nature and can run from a few hours to a few weeks. Generally a certificate or a diploma is provided at the time of completion. They can be comprehensive in nature, such as demonstrating how to cook Italian meals, or they can be very specific and focus on one dish, such as Crepes Suzette. Naturally if you are looking for a more formal education suitable for 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 devote significantly more time.
- Associate's Degrees can take as long as 6 months to 2 years to finish.
- Bachelor's Degrees usually call for as much as 4 years of education.
- Masters Degrees can take an additional two years or more after receiving a Bachelor's.
Additional advanced educational alternatives may be offered, including specialized or Doctoral programs offered by culinary arts institutes. Probably the most important point to keep in mind when deciding on which degree to pursue is making sure that it provides the education and degree required to advance your ultimate career objectives.
Online Culinary Arts Training Programs
A number of potential students may find that there are no culinary arts colleges that are within driving distance of their Tempe AZ home. One alternative is to enroll in online classes within the comfort of one's home. The convenience and flexibility makes it the one solution for many students that continue working full time while attending classes. Plus there are more programs online than ever that are accredited. Keep in mind that a significant component of the instruction will be provided through an externship. Externships are programs where students train under local chefs or other culinary practitioners so that they obtain hands-on training beyond the online classroom. Just make sure that the online college you enroll in is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged organization (more on this later). And so if you are dedicated enough to be able to go to classes and study in this more independent method, attaining a cooking online degree might be the right choice for you.
Contrasting Culinary Arts Schools
By now you should have decided on the type of degree that you plan to attain, and whether or not you would like to enroll in a public or private school. Since there a large number of cooking schools in the Tempe area and within the Country, you will want to develop a checklist of essential qualifications so that you can start limiting your options. Certain obvious qualifications, such as location and cost are a good place to begin. But choosing a school because it is the nearest or the cheapest is not the ideal way to decide on your education. There are other factors, such as reputation and accreditation that you should evaluate also. So below are some key areas that you will need to research for each school as you compare and contrast them and make your ultimate decision.
Accreditation. It's important that the culinary institute you decide on has some form of accreditation from either a regional or a national authority. As aforementioned, the accrediting organization should be a U.S. Department of Education certified authority, for instance the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a detailed evaluation pertaining to their course of study, teachers and facilities. So not only does accreditation help confirm that you will receive exceptional training, but it can also assist in acquiring a student loan or financial aid which are often not offered for non-accredited schools.
Age. Recently established schools generally have the benefit of possessing modern equipment and facilities. However, they may not have been open long enough to acquire an accreditation or to cultivate 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 longer a school has been in business, the more graduates the school can solicit for its job assistance program. Obviously there is some give and take dependent on the age of the culinary schools. And older, more highly regarded schools typically modernize their equipment and facilities. The important takeaway is that in the best case scenario, your selected school 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 culinary arts institutions you are examining. Low graduation rates are indicators that numerous students were unhappy with either the institutes or the courses and dropped out. They might also suggest that the instructors were not competent to teach the curriculum. Request that the schools provide their job placement rates as well. If a college has a higher job placement rate, it will help confirm that it has a good or exceptional reputation within the cooking field, in addition to a broad network of professional associations. Be suspicious of any school that will not furnish this information.
Location. The cooking school that you enroll in must be within commuting distance of your Tempe residence, unless you are able to move. You may look into attending college online, but you would still need to travel for your externship training. Conversely, perhaps you have chosen to enroll in a specific culinary institute located in another state due to its reputation and programs offered. It would be a wise decision to check out the campus before enrolling, to make sure that you are satisfied with the location and your future living conditions. Tour the training facilities in person to make certain they are up to date and that the equipment is contemporary. Consider also that some schools focus their job assistance programs within their regional communities, so choose a location where you will be happy working.
Class Sizes. The best approach to learn how to cook is with plenty of personalized instruction. If the cooking institute you enroll in has bigger classes, you will undoubtedly get little individual attention from the instructors. The optimal means to assess the communication and interaction between instructors and students is to sit in on a few of the classes. Ask a couple of the students what their experience has been. Ascertain if they are pleased with the level of attention they receive in class as well as the overall training. Also, speak with a few of the instructors and learn what their teaching styles are along with their backgrounds and qualifications.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no sense in enrolling in a cooking institute if you will be unable to attend the classes. Therefore confirm that the school you pick has available class scheduling that can work with your hectic lifestyle. If you can only attend at night or on weekends near Tempe AZ because of your job schedule, verify that the school you pick offers either night or weekend classes. If you can only attend part-time, check that the cooking program has a part-time offering. Also, check to see what the make-up policy is if you need to miss a class as a result of family, work or other responsibilities.
Learn More About Cooking Courses in Tempe
Enroll in the Right Tempe Cooking School
A rewarding career in the hospitality and restaurant business is contingent upon choosing the right cooking program. As we have discussed, there are a number of things that you should take into consideration when comparing schools, such as their accreditation, reputations, and training facilities. Just like any career decision, you must start by compiling information, and the best approach to accomplish that is by contacting culinary arts colleges directly, either in person or by telephone. If you're unsure about which schools to check out, you might need to think about talking to chefs in your city about any culinary colleges they recommend. Then use the Web to explore these schools further before contacting them. By making the effort to exhaustively research each of your education options, you will be in a much better position to make an informed decision. And when you pick the right school, you will have a wonderful start toward your dream of becoming a chef in Tempe Arizona.