COLLEGE DEGREES

(4) Choose an accredited college offering both associate and bachelor's degree programs.

Associate degree programs should provide fundamental skills, techniques, and cuisine studies that prepare you for a variety of foodservice jobs, and require approximately two years to complete.

• The CIA offers two such degree programs—an Associate in Occupational Studies (A.O.S.) in both culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. Our proven curriculum is structured to build your skills and knowledge in the right sequence to ensure you're prepared for success.

Bachelor's degree programs should provide the same foundation plus build operational and management knowledge to prepare you for leadership in and beyond the foodservice kitchen, and require approximately four years to complete.

• At the baccalaureate level, the CIA offers Bachelor's of Professional Studies (B.P.S.) degrees in culinary arts management and baking and pastry arts management. In your first two years, you'll get the same intensive hands-on skill development as A.O.S. students receive. In your junior and senior years, you'll gain the additional practical, food-related knowledge that today's culinary professional needs. Our bachelor's degree programs will prepare you for the greatest range of career opportunities and help maximize your income potential.

The college should be accredited by a leading regional accrediting commission for higher education. This validates the quality of the education provided, adds to the long-term value and marketability of your degree, and allows you to pursue advanced degrees at top colleges and universities.

• The United States Department of Education publishes a list of regional institutional accrediting agencies that the Secretary of Education determines to be "reliable authorities as to the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education."
• The CIA is accredited by just such an agency—the prestigious Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the same organization that accredits other leading colleges and universities in our region. In addition, the CIA is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT).
• In addition, accreditation by approved accrediting agencies is required to enable educational institutions to participated in the Federal student financial assistance programs. View a complete listing of approved accrediting agencies.