diploma from lcb or aas from art institute

[chrisa123]

I was just wondering, the two main schools by me are LCB in dallas and The Art Institute in Dallas. LCB here in Dallas only offers a certificate right now with no associates in the foreseeable future and The Art Institute offers an Associates. Which one would be my better bet? I have looked on Monster and Careerbuilder to see what jobs want and it looks like alot of jobs are looking for degrees. Does that mean i would be best to go to the lesser known school with the higher education. Please help me.

Chris

[GhettoRacingKid]

What kind of job are you looking for? If you want to be a line cook or sous chef then a cert is perfect. But if your looking to operate the place then youll need an associates. But you can learn how to run the place by workingi n the business.

[AtlTournant]

Originally Posted by GhettoRacingKid

What kind of job are you looking for? If you want to be a line cook or sous chef then a cert is perfect. But if your looking to operate the place then youll need an associates. But you can learn how to run the place by workingi n the business.

It depends on where you're working;the majority of sous jobs out there require a degree [and a certain amount of experience],not a certificate.In my city,even an entry level cook's position requires a degree,and any position such as an Executive chef requires a degree in business in addition to culinary.

[chrisa123]

Hi, my name is Chris and I live in Denton Tx which is about thirty miles from Dallas. I am trying to narrow dowm my choices of culinary schools to attend and the two that I like the best are AI and LCB. I was just wondering if there was anyone out there that had been to one of these schools and what you thought about it after completion and how hard was it to find a job after you got out. I like both courses as I have been to both schools to look but I do realize that both schools are going to highly recommend there school so I thought it would be nice to hear from actual graduates and how they are doing after graduation. Thank you for any replies and god bless.

Chris Ary

[adamm]

Check out the other posts or lcb schools most people dont have much good stuff to say abou them. I work with a few people who went to lcb in Pittsburgh, they work hard but it seems that they didnt learn as much as i did. And one person is just bad, but he has more of a wrong attitude than anything.

[foodpump]

Now I'm really confused....

I was under the impression that degrees are only offered by Universities and are respected by various Universities offering the same program, which is why students can start their degree in one part of the Country and finish it in another University in the other end of the Country.

To the best of my knowledge, cooking is taught in Colleges, not Universities, and therefore can not offer degrees. Also to the best of my knowledge, each Culinary school has a completly different curriculum, some as long a 2 yrs, some as short as 4 mths, and, as far as I know no Culinary school will respect another Culinary school's diploma/piece of paper.

Did the Culinary schools "invent" a new double-plus-good word for "diploma", the same way as they abolished the word "cook" and replaced it with "culinarian"?....

[RAS1187]

take the diploma... a "certificate" is next to worthless (though in this industry an AAS isnt far too much better)

[justjoe]

Foodpump--

College and university are generally accepted as synonymous terms. My local community college offers an Associates Degree in the subject of cooking, while Johnson and Wales University offers Associates, Bachelors and Masters Degrees.

[Breton Beats]

First, College and University are not synonymous. A university must have at least 3 masters programs to qualify for university status.

In order to be a college that offers degrees you must have some sort of certification from the state or educational board. In order to offer diplomas or degrees (like AOS (Associates of Occupational Science) AAS (Associates of Applied Science) schools must teach subjects to fulfill certain requirements in math, english, history, etc... In my culinary school we were taught buisness math, food history, and a variety of business and cooking related writing projects. It is possible to earn a BA or a MA but those studies will probably be more centered around buisness, and food as a subject, not just cooking. It all depends on what the state or education board requires.

Just because it is being taught in a college doesn't mean that credits are transferable. For example many occupational degrees, religious education and other specialized education don't accept transfer credits. Even in conventional studies (math, english) schools aren't required to accept transfer credits or degrees (except when state laws say otherwise).

From what I understand a "certificate" is just an abbrieviated study program. Sort of a quick start to get you out earning, and so it might hurt you in the sense that employers need someone with a more solid foundation. Whereas a diploma means longer time studying. I have never seen an example where it mattered what type of degree you had. Diploma or not. I think the reputation of the school and what you studied is far more important. And experience trumps all.

One way it might make a differenc is that when schools offer a state recognized degree it is easier for students to apply and recieve state and federal financial aide. This is why many LCB programs are often part of a state run school.

Another thing to keep in mind. If you plan on taking continuing education, in whatever subject (BA etc..) having a minor degree could help you get accepted and some credits might even be transferable (My liberal arts college accepted almost a full year of my culinary arts studies.)

Keep in mind that I have often seen that LCB says it offers a "Diplome" this means nothing abroad, even though it is a French word. Most european industry look for certification similar to a strigent apprenticeship. If you plan on working abroad the LCB (in France) is seen by europeans as a school taken by housewives, amateurs, and foreigners, not individuals preparing to work in real kitchens.

[foodpump]

Thanks for that Breton, I was pretty sure there was a difference between a University and a College.
I myself went the other route, worked a bit, took a 1 yr CC Cooking course, then went to Switzerland and did a 3 yr Apprenticeship, then swallowed my paycheck and went to work another 3 yrs in 4 and 5 Star Hotels in Switzerland before coming back to Canada

[justjoe]

You are correct, but for the purpose of this conversation the terms are the same in that colleges and universities can both offer degrees in the culinary field. I did not see the need to muddy the water with vocational certification, regional accredidation, etc. I was going to point out that degrees also require classes in such topics as English, math, computer use, etc. Thanks for pointing that out.