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It Takes Just a Few Minutes to Start Your Culinary Arts Career Below!
Culinary College Degree Options
As with numerous other professions or trades in Nevada, there are a variety of degree option programs that are available in the culinary arts. At the most elemental level, you can join a local cooking class, which are more informal in nature and can last from just a few hours to several weeks. Typically a certificate or a diploma is offered at the time of completion. They can be comprehensive in nature, such as teaching how to cook French dishes, or they can be quite specific and focus on one dish, for instance Crepes Suzette. Of course if you are looking for a more conventional education applicable for a career in the restaurant industry, you will probably want to pursue a degree program. With a degree program, you will be required to commit considerably more time.
- Associate's Degrees can take anywhere from six months to two years to complete.
- Bachelor's Degrees generally call for as much as four years of training.
- Masters Degrees may take an additional 2 years or more after obtaining a Bachelor's.
Additional advanced training options may be offered, including Doctoral or specialized programs made available by culinary arts institutes. The most important issue to remember when determining which degree to strive for is ensuring that it provides the degree and education required to advance your ultimate career objectives.
Culinary Schools
Once you have made your decision regarding the kind of training and degree that you wish to pursue, you can launch your search for the culinary school, college or institute that offers it. For example, if your dream is to become a chef specializing in French cuisine, then naturally you will focus on those colleges that offer the proper training. Or you can select a school based on its ranking or other criteria (we'll review some of those later) and then pick the best degree program offered that is compatible with your career goals in Nevada. However you arrive at your decision, culinary schools generally fit within three distinct categories:
- Cooking Schools. Some cooking schools do offer degree programs, but in most cases they offer diplomas or certificates. Their programs tend to be more specialized in nature, and they can last anywhere from one or two months to as long as 3 or 4 years.
- Community Colleges. Area community colleges can often be more economical than the majority of private schools and a large number have outstanding programs. They almost exclusively offer Associate's Degrees and are established and managed by either local or state governments.
- Culinary Schools and Institutes. The more advanced degrees and training are provided by culinary arts colleges and institutes. Several institutes provide the most renowned as well as the highest standard of training in academia. Unfortunately, since they are private schools they tend to be more expensive than their public counterparts, some much more.
Picking a culinary arts college will not only be based on the type of program or degree you want to pursue, but also how much you have to spend on your education. If you decide to enroll in a public school to reduce expenses, remember that out-of-state residents usually must pay a higher tuition than in-state residents. In addition, a lot of community colleges and regional public schools have lower tuition rates for area residents. So make sure to explore the public alternatives within Nevada to discover the most affordable options.
Online Culinary Schools
A number of potential students may find that there are no cooking schools that are within commuting proximity of their Nevada residence. One option is to attend online training within the comfort of one's residence. The convenience and flexibility makes it the only solution for some students that are still working full-time while going to school. Also there are more programs online than ever before that are accredited. Bear in mind that a significant portion of the training will be provided through an externship. Externships are programs where students work with regional chefs or other cooking professionals to ensure that they receive practical training outside of the virtual classroom. Just make sure that the online program you choose is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education approved agency (more on this later). And so if you are disciplined enough to be able to attend classes and study using this more independent fashion, obtaining a cooking degree online just might be the right option for you.