Online Culinary Arts Degrees

A professional culinary arts program is a crucial stepping stone into the nation's top kitchens. The training and contacts you gain here will translate into increased visibility and responsibility once you enter the profession.

Competition can be fierce in the culinary industry, and few chefs have the time or inclination to train new 'recruits.' It's important to arrive with a solid foundation in cooking and baking techniques, menu design, kitchen management, and food safety. Culinary arts programs also offer crucial business training for aspiring executive chefs. Courses cover hospitality and facilities management, along with nuts-and-bolts business training in accounting and budgeting.

Culinary arts degrees range from 6 to 8-week diploma programs to four-year bachelor degrees. Diplomas focus on a specific skill, such as Professional Cooking, Baking and Pastry Arts, or Food & Beverage. Associate and bachelor degrees offer a broader education, with an increasing focus on management at the more advanced levels.

The outlook for culinary careers is strong, as the restaurant industry continues to expand. Executive chefs, personal chefs, caterers, and restaurant managers face some of the rosiest prospects in the business. But these are high-demand positions, and success depends on professional training and a strong network. Salaries in the culinary industry start low at the 'kitchen apprentice' level, but quickly escalate in positions of responsibility. Executive chefs make upwards of $70,000.

Celebrity chefs and cooking shows have glamorized the culinary profession. But it takes more than personal creative flair to succeed in the real world--solid culinary training and basic business skills are the secrets to success.