Culinary schools are vocational training institutions that specialize in courses focused on the culinary arts, food preparation, and restaurant management. The specific curriculum varies rather widely from school to school, but generally you can specialize in the following areas

- Culinary Arts
- Pastry
- Bread
- Candy / Deserts
- Wine
- Table Service
- Restaurant Management
- Catering

Most culinary schools have a 2-4 year programs that will allow you to achieve Associate Arts, or Bachelor of Arts degrees in your field of study. You must be certain that the selected school is accredited, or they will only be able to provide a certification program certificate programs are less expensive and tend to have the shortest completion period.

Since most culinary schools are private institutions they are not eligible for government grants and loans. There are scholarships available for the most deserving students and some schools fund work-study and internship programs to help the students fund the cost of the tuition. Special “Career Training” loans are also available for qualified students. ** Tuition varies from school to school and program to program. If you are interested in a specialized 8-week workshop you should expect to pay around $2,000. Degree programs normally cost around $400 per unit and you are required to complete 12 – 18 units per semester or quarter. These costs add up and if you are looking for a 4-year program, you can expect to pay about $15,000 per year in tuition alone. Although the cost seems high, it is inline with the average cost of a 4-year degree from any private institution.