Students will earn 46.5 credits with this diploma. Courses taken the first semester are related to customer service, food service sanitation, business math and a computer class. During the second semester students take classes regarding controlling food cost, food service supervision, and a communications elective. During the summer, students experience their internship. Students are encouraged to complete their 1-Year Diploma and then return for their AAS Degree.
Students earn 86.5 credits with the AAS Degree. When students return in the fall for their second year, they will learn about nutrition and accounting for business. In the spring semester, the courses include learning about specialty foods, marketing and behavioral science. If students have not previously served an internship, they will work in an internship during the summer.
Students will actually learn how to cook on the campus of the Mitchell Technical Institute. While cooking in the kitchen, they learn about food preparation techniques, food and kitchen sanitation and the intricacies of serving food in a large corporation. Students rotate from cooking to serving the tables. The cooking program, which is actually called The Culinary Academy of South Dakota, provides food service to Mitchell Technical Institute students, staff and campus visitors. Students learn about management and accounting so they can run their own restaurant or manage a restaurant.
Career options upon completion of one of these programs are chef, cook, serving supervisor, deli manager, food service and banquet/catering service. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the median wage for this career is $38,770. Wages can start at $18/hour. During 2009, the placement rate for graduates of this program was 100 percent. Tuition for the one-year program is $8,609 and the tuition for the two-year program is $14,194.
Mitchell Technical Institute offers scholarships on an annual basis in amounts ranging from $100 to $1,000. Direct grants to students are also available from individuals and financial institutions. Scholarship applications open each October and March. For information on the scholarships, call 605-995-3065. Students can apply for federal financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.