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Studies & Degrees in Culinary Arts

Culinary arts is the professional study of cooking: preparing, cooking and presenting food, and running the kitchen that produces it. A culinary programme is practical. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), students in culinary programmes spend most of their time in kitchens practising their cooking skills, and programmes cover all aspects of kitchen work, including menu planning, food sanitation procedures, and purchasing and inventory methods.

What students learn

The Spanish vocational diplomas show the usual content at two levels. The intermediate diploma in cooking and gastronomy has modules on culinary techniques, the preparation and preservation of food, basic pastry and confectionery, restaurant desserts, menus and food offers, and food safety and hygiene. The higher diploma in kitchen management moves on to the control of supplies, the management of kitchen production, quality and food safety management, gastronomy and nutrition, administration and sales in catering, and the management of staff.

College programmes elsewhere follow the same pattern. The Culinary Arts degree at Bucks County Community College in Pennsylvania starts with culinary foundations, basic food preparation, baking, and safety and sanitation, and continues with advanced food preparation, food purchasing and cost control, and nutrition.

Qualifications and levels

  • Vocational training in Spain. The Técnico en Cocina y Gastronomía is an intermediate vocational training (FP) qualification of 2,000 hours; applicants need the compulsory secondary education certificate, an equivalent or higher qualification, or an entrance exam. The Técnico Superior en Dirección de Cocina is a higher qualification of 2,000 hours, open to holders of the Bachiller or an equivalent and, by entrance exam, to others. Both include a training phase in a company.
  • Associate degrees and college diplomas. In the United States the usual route is a two-year associate degree at a community college. The Bucks County Community College programme is an Associate of Arts of 62 credit hours and includes two internship courses in the culinary field. In Canada, Conestoga College offers a two-year Culinary Management diploma (an Ontario College Diploma) with a paid four-month co-op term.
  • Bachelor's degrees. University degrees in gastronomy combine cooking with food science and management. CETT in Barcelona lists a four-year Bachelor's Degree in Culinary and Gastronomic Sciences, taught on campus in Spanish and Catalan. Official Spanish bachelor's degrees have 240 ECTS credits.
  • Private chef courses. Private cooking schools sell courses counted in hours. Chef Academy of London, for example, offers a Professional Chef Course of 325 hours: 75 hours of training in its development kitchen followed by 250 hours of live training in a partner restaurant. Ask each school what recognition its certificate has.
  • Professional certification. In the United States the American Culinary Federation certifies cooks at several levels, from beginners to master chefs. The BLS notes that such certification is not required but may lead to advancement.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 78 active schools for culinary arts. The United States has the most, with 33, followed by Spain with 21, Italy with five, Canada with four and the United Kingdom with three. Switzerland has two, and there are schools in a number of other countries.

In Spain the list includes CETT in Barcelona, the Escola de Hoteleria JOVIAT in Manresa and EIDE in Santurce. In the United States most entries are community colleges, such as Des Moines Area Community College in Iowa, North Seattle College, Alamance Community College in North Carolina and Shelton State Community College in Alabama, alongside universities such as Ferris State University in Michigan. Canada has Conestoga College in Ontario and, in British Columbia, Camosun College and Vancouver Island University. Examples elsewhere are Chef Academy of London, Cornwall College in England, Accademia Riaci in Florence and HRC Culinary Academy in Sofia.

Teaching is in the language of the country. At CETT the vocational and bachelor's programmes are taught in Spanish and Catalan.

Careers

Graduates start as cooks and move up through the kitchen. The Spanish Ministry of Education lists cook and section chef (jefe de partida) as roles for the intermediate diploma, and head chef, sous-chef, kitchen production manager, catering operations manager and food and beverage director for the higher diploma.

According to the BLS, chefs and head cooks held about 220,300 jobs in the United States in 2025, 64 percent of them in food services and drinking places, and cooks held about 2.7 million jobs. Employment in both occupations is projected to grow 7 percent from 2025 to 2035. The BLS also describes the conditions: early mornings, late evenings, weekends and holidays, long periods standing and a fast pace.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a culinary qualification to become a chef?

Not always. The BLS states that chefs and head cooks in the United States typically need a high school diploma, and that many also attend programmes at community colleges, technical schools, culinary arts schools or four-year colleges. Others learn through apprenticeships.

How long does culinary training take?

It ranges from a few hundred hours to four years. The Spanish vocational diplomas have 2,000 hours each, an associate degree or college diploma in North America takes about two years, and a bachelor's degree in culinary and gastronomic sciences takes four.

What is the difference between a cook and a chef?

Cooks season and prepare food. Chefs and head cooks oversee the daily food preparation of a kitchen: they direct the other cooks and, as executive chefs, also design menus and review purchases.