The IUP Academy of Culinary Arts provides the benefits of a large university in a small setting. Our classrooms and laboratories feature leading-edge equipment and technology. Students spend more hands-on production time with quality food than they would at any other culinary program in the country.
If you have a love for cooking and a craving to transform sweet and savory ingredients into memorable sensory experiences, the Academy of Culinary Arts is the place for you—big enough to prepare you for your culinary dreams, yet small enough to tailor your education to fit your needs.
IUP Academy of Culinary Arts
Associate Degree, Culinary Arts or Baking and Pastry Arts
An associate’s degree gives students a competitive edge in the job market. The Culinary AAS degree allows you to use your hands in the kitchen to work with one of the greatest connectors of all—food.
"Everything about the IUP program prepared me in ways I never expected from a college experience. IUP gave me the tools to succeed in this industry: I would not be an executive chef at age 23 if it weren’t for the education I received from IUP."
Kyle Florentine, Culinary Arts, Certified Culinarian, Executive Chef, Aqua 103, Hagerstown, MD
Bachelor’s Degree Options
One of the hottest job-growth areas in the hospitality industry is for culinary graduates with practical experience and a four-year degree. Students can apply credits from the Academy of Culinary Arts toward four-year degrees at IUP in Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism and Event Management, Nutrition, and Family and Consumer Science Education.
Culinary Arts Classes and Curriculum
Small classes provide the ideal environment for our industry-experienced chefs to actively mentor and empower students to become innovative leaders in the culinary field. The hourly amount of hands-on production time at IUP is unparalleled by any other culinary program in the country. Our faculty have worked as chefs on cruise lines, in fine dining restaurants, at pastry shops, at country clubs, and more.
Furthermore, every IUP culinary student is offered a paid externship position. At our Externship Sponsor Fair, students have the chance to meet executive chefs and human resource representatives and be interviewed for externship positions. 80 percent of graduates are offered paid externships in four- and five-star and diamond properties.
Careers in Culinary Arts
Many of our graduates have gone on to hold distinguished positions in the field. IUP alumni have gone on to own restaurants, run five-star establishments, appear on the Food Network, and earn national awards.
When students begin their culinary careers, they start in entry-level positions. IUP’s culinary classes provide students with the technical skills and confidence they need to be successful in the kitchen. Since our Academy of Culinary Arts allows students the ability to tailor their education to their interests, they are able to pursue a wider range of career options that suit their individual passions.
Explore our Culinary Arts Programs
Program Outcomes
Culinary Arts Certificate
- Graduation Rate (2016–17): 90.57%
- Job Placement (2016–17): 100%
- ACF Certification Rate (2016–17): 0%
- Graduation Rate (2017–18): 89.36%
- Job Placement (2017–18): 100%
- ACF Certification Rate (2017–19): 0%
Culinary and Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate
- Graduation Rate (2016–17): 100%
- Job Placement (2016–17): 100%
- ACF Certification Rate (2016–17): 0%
- Graduation Rate (2017–18): 96.67%
- Job Placement (2017–18): 100%
- ACF Certification Rate (2017–19): 0%