The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is at Hyde Park, New York. Students can work in any of the 41 kitchens and bakeshops and gain experience in the five restaurants which are open to the public. There are eight certified master chefs and eight certified master bakers among the faculty.
There are 2,713 students in the programs to earn either an associate's or bachelor's degree; 98 percent of them can expect to find jobs after graduation. Classes are offered at night and students can live on campus. A student needs between 21 and 38 months to earn an associate's or bachelor's degree. The tuition is $41,450 for the associate's and nearly double for a bachelor's degree.
The California Culinary Academy is part of the Le Courdon Bleu institute and has been operating since 1977. The facilities are distributed over two campus in San Francisco, one of which is a 100,000 square foot campus that was built in 2004. The campus provides an opportunity to work in and run a public restaurant called Technique.
Students can earn an associate's degree in 15 months in day or evening classes or they can acquire a certification. The academy enrolls about 1,900 students. There is an 82 percent job placement rate after graduation. Tuition costs are $43,000 for the degree program.
The Le Cordon Bleu (LCB) College of Culinary Arts of Los Angeles, which had been the California School of Culinary Arts is a campus of the LCB in Pasadena, California where 1,800 students take classes. The 15 month program offers an associate's degree or diploma. The campus includes a restaurant -- 561 Restaurant -- a café, and a library. There is also a campus in Hollywood.
Students can earn an associate's degree in 15 months in day or evening classes or they can acquire a certification. The academy enrolls about 1,800 students. There is an 82 percent job placement rate after graduation. Tuition costs are $43,000 for the degree program.
The culinary program at the Art Institute of Atlanta offers day or evening classes included within its three programs -- a diploma, two associate's degree programs and three bachelor's degree programs. The programs take 12 months, 21 months, or 3 years to complete, respectively. The commiserate tuitions begin at $17,900 and are either $54,900 or $94,000. The school has an enrollment of over 3,100 students. It has a graduate placement rate of 100 percent. The program is based on the Art Institute system which has the largest system of culinary schools in North America.