Associate of Science
Culinary Arts
Associate in Science, Culinary Arts
From basic knife skills to the fine art of sauce making, you’ll work to master the basic skills the culinary industry demands in a curriculum that places a unique emphasis on the fundamentals. You’ll also develop your creativity and critical thinking skills as you open your mind to the possibilities. In this hands-on degree program, each class rolls into the next as you continually build on what you’ve learned and grow into a professional.
You’ll put all that learning into practice in a capstone class where you’ll create the senior luncheon, guided by the Chef leading the class. Then you’ll take your place alongside those who’ve launched their careers in restaurants, gourmet kitchens, resorts, hotels, country clubs, and other venues.
Explore International Flavors and Techniques
We’ll help you meet employers’ needs for new hires who know cuisines from around the world, including:
- Classical cuisine like French, Italian, and Spanish, including Garde Manger
- American
- Mexican
- Latin American
- Asian
- Eastern European
- Middle Eastern
- Indian
- Greek
Career Skills
- Develop knife skills.
- Prepare small sauces.
- Explore classical French, Italian, Spanish, and other international cuisines.
- Learn preferred cooking methods.
- Understand food sanitation and safety.
- Master English and metric weights, measures, and conversions.
- Grasp the intricacies of fish and shellfish.
- Learn fruit, vegetable, and herb varieties.
- Examine the muscle and bone structure of meats.
- Design and price menus.
- Match wines to food.
- Study purchasing, nutrition, and culinary management.
- Motivate kitchen personnel.
- Maintain kitchen equipment.
- Write descriptive narratives.
- Present creative plates.
Career Opportunities
Students in our associate degree program will gain hands-on experience during an in-field internship. That gives you a chance to see what’s out there and where you fit in. In fact, most of our culinary students are able to turn their internship into a job offer.
As part of your internship, you’ll build a digital portfolio that documents what you’ve experienced and what you’ve learned. Get a taste of where our culinary students have interned during their last quarter:
- Capital Grille
- Duquesne Club
- Fox Chapel Golf Club
- Meadows Casino
- Oglebay Resort and Conference Center
- Omni William Penn Hotel
- Rivers Club
- Walt Disney World
Employers of PTC Graduates*
Our Career Services staff will work with you on your job search—just as they’ve helped our grads who’ve been hired by employers like:
- Butcher and The Rye
- Common Plea Catering
- Duquesne Club
- The Capital Grille
Our alumni are working as Cooks, Sous Chefs, Line Cooks, and Banquet Chef, to name a few examples.
*Background check and drug screening may be required prior to employment.
Program Courses
The Associate in Science, Culinary program consists of seven quarters. For course descriptions, visit our catalog.
Program Requirements (54 credits)
- *Sanitation
- *Basic Knife Skills
- *Baking & Pastry Fundamentals
- *Introduction to Culinary Arts
- *Introduction to Fish, Shellfish, and Meats
- Purchasing & Cost Control
- Culinary Hospitality & Supervision
- Fundamentals of Classical Cuisine/Garde Manger
- Culinary Elements of Wine and Spirits
- Advanced Cooking, Pastry, and Intercontinental Cuisine
- Nutrition and Menu Planning
Career Readiness Requirements (15 credits)
- Steps to Career Success 1
- Career Development
- *Internship
General Education Requirements (32 credits)
- *English Composition 1
- *English Composition 2
- Effective Speech
- Personal Finance
- Critical Thinking
- +Cultural Diversity
- +Wellness and Resilience for College and Beyond
- College Mathematics
* Successful completion of this course requires a grade of “C” or better.
+May be substituted with a different GES course.
Program Highlights
Accreditation
Our Associate in Science degree program is accredited by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation. (ACF). Upon graduation, you may join the ACF to be automatically assigned the title Certified Culinarian.
Certifications
You’ll be prepared to sit for certification exams in a number of key areas, including sanitation and food safety, nutrition, hospitality & supervision, and purchasing.
Memberships
PTC is a member of the American Culinary Federation, Les Amis d’Escoffier Society of Chicago, La Chaine des Rotisseurs, and the Honorable Order of the Golden Toque.
Combining competition and community
AACA recently hosted the Chaine des Rotisseurs Young Chef and Professional Pastry Competition and in 2019 became the first Chaine Regional Facility in the area to help young chefs prepare for regional and national competitions.
Culinary Arts students participate in cooking competitions (including Chaine des Rotisseurs Young Chef competitions and events throughout the year), networking events, chef demonstrations, and community service projects through the AACA Culinary Club.
Those opportunities include Light Up Night in downtown Pittsburgh and Oakdale, Hopewell Special Olympics Bocce Banquet, and fundraisers for the Zelienople Library, the Bradley House, and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Ride For Kids. Our culinary students also create a ginger bread house every year for area hospices.
Program Outcomes
The American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF) requires institutions to publish graduation rates, job placement rates, and entry-level ACF certification by graduation for each of the previous two-years for all ACFEF accredited programs. Click here to view.
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