subject: Culinary School Accreditation [print this page] Culinary School Accreditation Culinary School Accreditation
Culinary school accreditation is one of the first things you should consider if you are thinking about getting an education in the culinary arts. If you are trying to choose which schools to apply to, checking their accreditation can help simplify your choices. There are independent and neutral accrediting bodies that approve culinary schools based on criteria such as the extensiveness of the courses, number of professors, quality of instruction and the student services offered. The American Culinary Federation and other regional accrediting bodies have high standards, and the schools they approve will look good on a resume when you go to apply for jobs.
Not only does culinary school accreditation ensure a good looking resume; it also ensures that you will be able to apply for and receive financial aid from the government. The United States Department of Education provides loans and grants for all sorts of students, but only if they are attending accredited schools. You may also not be qualified to enter into a graduate program if you get your culinary degree from a non-accredited school. If you just want to take a few classes and enhance your cooking skills, a non-accredited school might be just fine, but if you have some serious career goals in mind, you need to find an accredited school.
It is important to do your homework and learn about the culinary school accreditation before applying for any particular programs. Once you have one or several schools picked out to apply to, do a little research, and if they are accredited, make sure to look into the reputation and licensing requirements of the accrediting agency that gave them the stamp of approval. Also, see if they appear in the online database of accredited schools accessed through the Department of Education Web site. There are many online resources that allow you to gain valuable information about the accreditation of any culinary school or other academic program.
Learning about the accreditation of a culinary school and researching the programs they offer is an important step in your career. This will ensure that the education you get will provide a solid foundation to build your professional life upon.
