Culinary Arts is the major for students interested in a professional career working with food.
Graduates become chefs, caterers, owners, and operators of restaurants and B&Bs, food stylists, food critics, personal chefs, sales representatives, culinary educators, and more. Culinary Arts is an accelerated, sixteen-month (four-semester) certificate program, nationally recognized and accredited by the American Culinary Federation. You will study on the culinary campus for just twelve months (three semesters: Fall, Spring, and Summer). Your final semester is a paid externship in the industry.
A few of the things you will study
- Classical cookery and international cuisines
- Baking and Pastry Arts
- Artistic plate presentations
- Food purchasing and cost controls
- Restaurant management
- Menu and kitchen design
- Management and motivation of employees
- Leadership and communication skills
- Computer applications in food service.
- And much more!
What You’ll Learn
In Culinary Arts, you will learn culinary techniques such as masterful knife skills and how to create artistic plate presentations. You will discover how to fashion stunning showpieces and how to garnish grand buffets. You’ll learn classical cookery and international cuisines.
At the same time, you will be honing your business skills. You’ll learn how to develop a unique menu and design the kitchen to produce it. You’ll study management and motivation of employees, leadership and communication skills, purchasing and cost controls, and computer applications in food service.
You’ll also learn to apply your skills. First, you’ll help operate the academy restaurant, serving a menu of gourmet American cuisine to the public. Finally, your last semester will be a four-month paid externship during which you will work with a company's chef to refine your culinary skills and learn new techniques. This experience not only completes your education; it may well develop into a permanent position or a valuable reference for future employment.
Degree vs. Certificate
Culinary school graduates begin their careers as entry-level cooks, regardless of the program from which they graduate. IUP offers the culinary arts curriculum as a certificate program allowing us to deliver more hours of food-related instruction in a shorter period of time than an associate degree program. If you prefer a degree program, we suggest you look at our combination programs of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management or Culinary Arts and Food and Nutrition. These programs give you the best of both worlds: more hours and hands-on time in the kitchen and a bachelor degree from nationally recognized programs as well.
