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Program at a Glance

38 Credit Hours
10 Month Diploma

1 - 2 Courses Per Term
5 week terms

Transfer Credits
Up to 90 credits

On Campus
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Culinary Arts Overview

Learn to prepare meals that keep customers coming back! All over the world, culinary professionals are behind the scenes preparing every meal we purchase. Culinary Institute of Virginia offers a year-round schedule, so you could earn a Diploma in Culinary Arts in as little as 30 weeks. Working alongside professional chef instructors in a hands-on environment, your course work will evolve from basic culinary techniques to advanced à la carte food preparation. From orientation to graduation, emphasis is placed on the business aspects of operating a profitable kitchen, better preparing you for leadership opportunities.

Institute Benefits

Graduate Faster

Our year-round, accelerated, programs let you earn your degree in just 15 months

Simplified Scheduling

Your degree path is pre-scheduled, so you can focus on learning, not course registration.

Possible Career Paths

Graduates of this program pursue many different career paths. Some of the most common are:

Hotels & Resorts

A career in Hotels & Resorts focuses on managing guest experiences, hospitality operations, lodging services, and tourism-related activities in hotels, resorts, and vacation destinations.

Restaurants

A Culinary Arts degree could prepare you for a rewarding career in restaurants, where you can build skills in cooking, kitchen operations, menu development, and delivering exceptional dining experiences.

On and Off-Premise Catering

Prepare yourself for opportunities in catering, where you could apply your skills in food preparation, event planning, menu coordination, and delivering high-quality service for special events and gatherings.

Campus Locations

Norfolk, VA Richmond, VA

Culinary Arts Curriculum

Culinary Arts Diploma

Featured Courses

Culinary Skills CAA101

This course serves as an introduction to the operations of a commercial kitchen. Topics covered are equipment identification, precision knife cuts, basic stock production and dry and moist heat cooking methods.

Garde Manger CAA210

Topics include canapés, hors d' oeuvres, pates, terrines, galantines, mousseline, sushi and the modeling and carving of buffet display pieces.

Program Requirements

To receive the Diploma in Culinary Arts, students must earn 30 semester credit hours. The program requires a minimum of 2 semesters, which is equivalent to 8 months or 30 weeks of instruction. The program requirements are as follows:

Fulfill ALL of the following requirements:

Complete ALL of the following Courses:

Course IDCourse NameCredit Hours
CAA101Culinary Skills2
CAA111Culinary Techniques2
CAA115Kitchen Essentials3
CAA117Basics of Dining Service2
CAA121Culinary Fundamentals2
CAA140Introduction to a La Carte2
CAA150Baking and Pastry Fundamentals2
CAA260Culinary Nutrition3
ENG110College Composition3
MTH120College Mathematics3

AND

Complete ANY of the following Courses:

Course IDCourse NameCredit Hours
CAA130Pantry Kitchen2
CAA145Retail Production2

AND

Complete ANY of the following Courses:

Course IDCourse NameCredit Hours
CAA190Commissary Practicum1
CAA280Externship-CUL I-a1

Complete ALL of the following Courses:

Course IDCourse NameCredit Hours
CAA100Essentials for Success3

Culinary Arts Outcomes

The objective of the Culinary Arts Diploma program is to educate and train prospective culinarians with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to compete for employment in the culinary arts field. Students will be able to demonstrate the attributes of a good cook including stamina, dexterity, hand-eye coordination, timing, and the ability to work well with others. Students are taught restaurant management skills and proper ways to serve food to restaurant patrons. In order to manage the food preparation environment and collaborate with other food service professionals, each student is expected to develop their oral and written communication skills. Upon successful completion of this dilpoma program, graduates are expected to:

  • Apply sound judgment and ethical practices in the culinary environment.
  • Apply ServSafe standards to insure a safe and secure food service outlet.
  • Apply technical and analytical skills as they relate to food service.
  • Communicate effectively to various audiences.
  • Practice continuous improvement in the Culinary Arts.
  • Collaborate effectively with team members to achieve success.

Accrediting Commission of the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation

The AAS in Culinary Arts degree is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACF) at the following ECPI University locations in Virginia: Norfolk. This is a programmatic accreditation by ACF, a specialized accreditation agency for postsecondary educational programs in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org.

ACF requires assessment outcomes data to be available for all accredited programs, which can be found by viewing Results of Program Assessment and Student Achievement.

American Culinary Federation
180 Center Place Way
St. Augustine, Florida 32095
Telephone: 940-824-4468

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Technology, Nursing, Health Science, Business, and Criminal Justice:
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Culinary Arts:
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Online Degrees:
Virtual Session at 12:00 PM