Culinary Arts Major: What It Includes, Classes and Careers

A Culinary Arts major teaches professional cooking, baking and kitchen management. Culinary arts programs teach cooking techniques, baking and pastry, food safety and sanitation, menu planning and kitchen management, with hands-on kitchen labs and often an externship.

A Culinary Arts major includes coursework in culinary techniques, baking and pastry, food safety and sanitation, menu planning and costing, and nutrition and more. You build skills such as cooking techniques, food safety, speed and organization, and teamwork. Programs often include an externship, laboratory work, and kitchen labs. Typical degrees: certificate, associate and bachelor's degrees.

Typical courses include culinary techniques, baking and pastry, food safety and sanitation, menu planning and costing, nutrition, and kitchen management. Exact course names and requirements vary by college, and most degrees also include general education courses.

It depends on the level. Culinary Arts is offered as certificate, associate, and bachelor’s awards at U.S. colleges; certificates take from a few months to about two years, an associate degree usually takes about two years of full-time study, and a bachelor’s degree usually takes about four years of full-time study. Part-time study takes longer.

Certificate, associate and bachelor's degrees. In the latest federal data, 394 colleges reported certificate awards, 385 colleges reported associate awards, and 24 colleges reported bachelor’s awards.

Career paths connected to culinary arts include chef, line cook, baker, private chef, food service supervisor, restaurant manager, and butcher. Some roles need additional training, experience, certification or a license.

Examples include chef (typical training: 2–5 years of kitchen experience), line cook (typical training: 1–6 months on the job), baker (typical training: 1–12 months), private chef (typical training: 1–3 years including experience), food service supervisor (typical training: 6–12 months of experience), and restaurant manager (typical training: 2–5 years of restaurant experience).

Culinary Arts majors build skills such as cooking techniques, food safety, speed and organization, teamwork, and creativity.

Good pairings include Hospitality Management (prepares you to run a restaurant), Nutrition (fits healthy menu design), and Business (helps you open your own food business).

Often, yes. Programs commonly include an externship, laboratory work, and kitchen labs. Ask each college how its program arranges hands-on work.

It can be a good fit if you are interested in the work it leads to, such as chef, line cook, and baker, and enjoy subjects like culinary techniques and baking and pastry. No major guarantees a job, so compare the coursework, the careers and the education each career requires before deciding.

How hard it feels depends on your strengths. Core coursework includes culinary techniques, baking and pastry, and food safety and sanitation; if those subjects interest you, the major is likely to feel more manageable. Reviewing a college’s course list and talking to current students helps you judge.

471 U.S. colleges reported awarding degrees or certificates in this field in the latest federal (IPEDS) data. Programs can have different names at different schools.

California (51), Texas (29), North Carolina (25), New York (24), and Illinois (21), based on the colleges that reported awards in this field.

387 of the colleges that offer culinary arts also report offering at least one program entirely online, though not necessarily this one. Use the college search with this major and “Offers fully online programs”, then confirm with the school.

Culinary Arts teaches professional cooking, baking and kitchen management. Hospitality Management teaches you to manage hotels, restaurants, resorts and other guest services businesses. Culinary Arts leads to careers such as chef and line cook, while Hospitality Management leads to careers such as hotel manager and restaurant manager.

Culinary Arts teaches professional cooking, baking and kitchen management. Tourism and Travel Management studies the business of travel, destinations and tourism experiences. Culinary Arts leads to careers such as chef and line cook, while Tourism and Travel Management leads to careers such as travel agent and tour guide.

Yes. Short online career training can help you understand a specific job and build practical knowledge alongside your classes. It does not replace your degree or any required license.

No. Career Education Institute is not a college and does not award degrees. It offers short, non-credit online trainings about jobs connected to culinary arts, such as Chef Training.