Culinary schools in United States

Culinary training in the United States is delivered by community colleges, technical schools, culinary arts schools and four-year colleges, and there is no single national culinary licence. Awards range from short certificates and diplomas to associate and bachelor's degrees. Accreditation is by independent accreditors: regional or national institutional accreditors cover a whole college, while the ACFEF Accrediting Commission accredits individual culinary programs. Hands-on kitchen time and a commercial-kitchen externship or internship are typical parts of a program.

Source: bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/chefs-

Certificate / diploma programs

Shorter professional awards offered by colleges and culinary schools. Whether a given award is credit-bearing at an accredited college or a provider-issued diploma varies by school and is recorded per program in this directory. Source

Associate degree (AAS / AOS / AS)

Two-year-style degrees at community colleges and degree-granting culinary institutions, combining kitchen laboratory courses with general or business coursework. Exact award names (for example AAS or AOS) are as each college publishes them. Source

Bachelor's degree

Four-year bachelor's programs in culinary arts, baking and pastry, food business or culinary management exist at some four-year colleges and universities. Source

ACFEF programmatic accreditation

The American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission (ACFEFAC) accredits postsecondary and secondary culinary programs and is recognized by CHEA. It is program-level, voluntary, and separate from a college's institutional accreditation. Source

Teaching languages. Programs are taught in English.

Admissions. International students who are accepted by a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) receive a Form I-20 from the school, which is needed for the F or M student visa process; the I-901 SEVIS fee must be paid before entry. Admission requirements are set by each school and are recorded per program. Source

Nothing here establishes visa, work-permit or credit-transfer eligibility. Check current rules with the official sources below.

• Study in the States (US Department of Homeland Security) - students
• Study in the States - Form I-20 and SEVP-certified schools
• EducationUSA (US Department of State) - 5 steps to study in the US