Culinary Arts Degree
If you have a love for cooking, baking, preparing and presenting food, then you might want to consider pursuing a culinary arts degree. Attending a culinary program at a specialty school, a traditional two or four year college, or an accredited online program allows a student to flex his or her creative and artistic muscles in a career that is rewarding in many different ways.
If you’re the type of person who can’t picture themselves sitting behind a cubicle at some nine-to-five office job day in and day out, and if you’re the kind of person who enjoys preparing edible delicacies for your family and friends, this might be the industry for you. Consider attending one of the many fine culinary schools out there and preparing for a career as a baker, caterer, chef, food service manager, food stylist, nutritionist, or serving supervisor.
Culinary Arts Degree Description
A popular option when preparing for a career in the culinary arts is to attend one of the specialty culinary schools that focus on granting certificate or associate degrees in specific food preparation or service fields. A culinary program such as this typically lasts for two years or less, and gives the student both the opportunity to learn from some of the top professionals in the industry and graduate from an institution whose name is well respected in the industry. However, a four-year culinary arts degree is also available from many trade schools, colleges, and universities.
There are many different roads and disciplines available to those pursuing a culinary arts degree. Individuals can focus on a specific area of food preparation, such as baking, or complete a broader all-purpose type of culinary program. Furthermore, many culinary schools also offer training in hospitality, food service management, and nutrition. Courses during all of these programs focus on the tools, techniques, and methods needed to succeed in the field of culinary arts. Among the topics that will be covered are baking, nutrition, knife skills, nutrition, food safety, and in-depth courses covering the preparation of different types of cuisine from French to Italian to Asian.
Culinary Arts Careers
Completing a culinary arts degree can open up a wealth of career opportunities. Many individuals go on to become cooks or chefs, finding employment at full-service restaurants, catering companies, or other venues where they can prepare food for customers or clients. Some, either immediately or through advancement, will enter the management field, opting to oversee the operation of a restaurant, hotel kitchen, catering business, or other related firm. Some find employment working in a research kitchen, helping manufacturers develop or test new products. Some become culinary arts teachers, some become writers or food critics, and still others become food stylists, creating and/or photographing advertisements that involve culinary creations.
According to the 2010-11 Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, future employment prospects look mixed for graduates of culinary schools. Food service management jobs aren’t expected to grow as fast as the national average, but the Handbook also notes that openings should arise as current managers leave the field. The same is true for chefs, head cooks, and food preparation supervisors, though competition for these prime positions could be more intense. On the other hand, job opportunities for cooks and food preparation workers are said to be promising. Median wages for those who train for a career in a culinary program range from $24,000 for cooks to over $46,000 for food service management.