What is the Highest Culinary Degree?

A Master of Culinary Arts is the highest degree you can earn in the culinary world. If you're considering taking your culinary career to the next level, you may be wondering if it's worth getting a master's degree. The Master of Culinary Arts program is for students who want to reach the highest levels in the culinary industry. This is a very selective school, with only 300 students attending two campuses - one in the historic center of Lucerne and the other on the lake shore in Le Bouveret.

The first school of its kind in the United States opened its doors in 1946 in downtown New Haven. Today, the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) has expanded from coast to coast and even has an international campus in Singapore. It was initially created to train returning World War II veterans and enrolled 50 students. All three campuses in the US offer associate's degrees, but only the main campus in New York offers a bachelor's degree.

The first woman in her class, Julia Child, graduated from CIA in 1949 and there is even a popular model of Boeuf Bourguignon named after her. The CIA offers one- to four-day courses and workshops for amateur chefs at most of its 40 campuses. Le Cordon Bleu is another renowned culinary school that covers five continents, from Tokyo to Lima. It is the world's largest culinary and hotel school, offering 1,500 classes a year for all levels of interest and ability - from recreational cooking courses to continuing education courses.

The programs are designed to accommodate people from all backgrounds - from young aspiring chefs to adults starting a new career. The range of courses begins with the Young Chef Academy for teenagers between 13 and 16 years old who are interested in becoming chefs. The five-week course costs £100 per person and includes everything budding chefs need. The course fees for a culinary degree are around 9,000 pounds sterling and 8,500 pounds for a pastry degree. The full three-year course provides students with specialized knowledge needed to open their own culinary or restaurant business.

Tuition fees cost around 32,000 Swiss francs per year. Hattori School of Nutrition is one of the most renowned culinary schools in Asia and one of the best options for any aspiring culinary artist in Japan. Founded in 1939 by popular Iron Chef Yukio Hattori, this school offers both culinary courses and dietetic education based on “Shokuiku” - Japanese term for “food education”.