Most culinary schools offer two-year associate in science degree programs in culinary arts. The programs usually culminate in a 12- to 18-week externship performed in a school-approved restaurant or hotel. The classes are taught in both a classroom and kitchen environment, and they usually alternate between each. For instance, a kitchen-based culinary skills class will be followed by a classroom-based sanitation course. The classes last approximately three weeks each, and most classes pick up where a previous class left off. For example, after successful completion of a garde manger I course, the student will take a computer skills class in a computer lab then return to the kitchen for garde manger II. In addition to courses that focus specifically on cooking, the schools must also provide general education classes to offer an associate of science degree. These commonly include a mathematics course, a communications class and a humanities course.
Some schools offer four-year bachelor of professional studies programs in culinary arts. The programs entail a comprehensive battery of liberal arts courses, including mathematics, communications and the natural and social sciences. Some schools broaden the curricula of culinary arts by incorporating instruction in empirical environments outside of the school kitchen. These programs include school-sponsored trips that explore the cultures and cuisines of culinary epicenters, such as the American southwest, Italy and China. Similar to associate degree programs, these also culminate in 12- to 18-week externship at a school-approved hotel or restaurant.
Culinary schools also offer four-year degrees dedicated to baking and pastry. In addition to liberal arts courses, these programs expound upon the principles and techniques involved in baking and pastry work taught in culinary arts degree programs. The coursework ranges from entry-level instruction in bread making and baking techniques, to advanced instruction in how to operate a successful patiserrie and boulangerie. Patiserries and boulangeries are very similar to American-style bakeries and pastry shops, but they tend to focus on classical methods, recipes and techniques.
In addition to associate and bachelor's degrees in culinary arts many schools offer certificate programs. Certificate programs do not include general education courses, but they commonly provide classroom-based instruction in kitchen mathematics and kitchen management. The coursework mirrors that of two- and four-year programs, with the exception of liberal arts classes. The subject matter is often based on classical French cooking techniques, and includes study in entry-level baking and pastry, cold product preparation, general culinary skills and regional cuisines.