Culinary Arts AAS
The A.A.S. in Culinary Arts consists of a 7-quarter program that combines rigorous culinary training, an introduction to basic business skills, and general education topics. This program focuses intensely on developing the culinary skills needed to excel in a career in the culinary arts. The program begins with learning the most basic skills and finishes with an experience in the fine-dining restaurant. This program develops the skill and knowledge level expected of our graduates through demanding coursework and significant hands-on kitchen experience. In this program, basic business skills are taught both in the classroom and in lab environments. This program prepares students to confidently enter any caliber of restaurant and to eventually achieve significant positions of responsibility in the professional kitchen.
Kendall College at NLU also offers the Accelerated A.A.S. in Culinary Arts degree. The program consists of a 5-quarter that mirrors the 7-quarter program content. Because accelerated students must already have a bachelor's degree to qualify, it is possible to waive most or all of the General Education requirements, allowing the accelerated program to be compressed from 7 to 5 quarters. For more information about this program, visit https://www.kendall.edu/learn/culinary-arts/degrees/aas-accelerated/.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):
PLO1. Disciplinary Expertise: Students will be able to obtain knowledge of skills, methods, concepts/terms, product ID, equipment, and science, and apply the knowledge to culinary applications.
PLO2. Guest Experience: Students will be able to recognize various customer service styles, cultural awareness, diversity, inclusiveness, and sensory perception, to provide a competitive guest experience.
PLO3. Wellness: Students will be able to apply allergy awareness, safety, environmental stewardship, nutrition and science, and sanitation in culinary situations.
PLO4. Menu Operations: Students will be able to discuss purchasing and receiving, recipes and standardization, mise en place/timing, and menu formats, and apply them in culinary operations.
PLO5. Culinary Leadership: Students will be able to demonstrate and evaluate professional behavior, personnel management, and financial management in a culinary business operation.
PLO6. Design/Aesthetics: Students will be able to apply design thinking and plating techniques, in culinary operations.
Program Details:
- Requires 90 QH, including 25 QH of General Education, for completion
- Requires 6 QH of Internship
- Requires 45 QH of major including 30 QH of lab courses to be completed at NLU
- Requires the following lab courses to be completed with a grade of "C" or better: KBPA 100, CUL 110, KCUL 111, KCUL 120, KCUL 121, KCUL 131, KCUL 135, KCUL 141, KCUL 145, KCUL 151, KCUL 161, KCUL 164, and KCUL 165.
General Education - 25 QH
Communications
| ENG 101 | Beginning English Composition | 5 |
| ENG 203 | Effective Speaking for the Undergraduate | 5 |
Quantitative Reasoning
| MTH 101 | Introduction to Mathematical Concepts | 5 |
Note: Students transferring credit from other institutions may use any college-level mathematics course.
Additional General Education Requirements
Choose two courses from three different categories listed below:
- Humanities and Fine Arts
- Physical and Life Sciences
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
Note: Students transferring credit from other institutions may use any general education course in the specific category above.
Major Requirements - 65 QH
Culinary Arts Requirements
Internship Requirement