Great question! At the Hospitality Institute, we focus on the foundational principles of culinary technique and practical understanding of business. Our skilled instructors stress the importance of developing a skill rather than simply mastering a recipe. Whether it's peer-to-peer learning or instructor led demonstration, we provide you with over 600 hours of hands-on training. Plus, you'll spend 200 hours in a professional kitchen setting working with one of the College's industry partners. This invaluable experience combined with your training will set you up for endless possibilities after completion.

On average, in-county students can expect to pay approximately $13,500 for a certificate, including supplies, and $27,000 for an associate's degree.

Learn more about tuition and fees, scholarships and financial aid.

If you are a full-time student, you can expect to complete a certificate program within 12 months, or 18 months if you are part-time. For students seeking an associate's degree, it can take an additional year to complete the program.

You will get into the kitchen almost immediately, gaining a comprehensive overview of cooking techniques, product identification, terminology and basic knife skills. From there you will be completely hands-on every day until the completion of your program.

Yes, the Hospitality Institute will provide you a schedule of classes for completion of your program. If you choose to pursue an associate’s degree, you will have some flexibility after you complete the lab/hands-on portion of the program.

Classes are designed to help develop your skills in a progressive manner, continually reinforcing technique while expanding your knowledge and the relationship between theory and execution.

The hands-on portion of your program is broken down into three distinct semesters.

• Semester one focuses on the foundational knowledge of cooking.
• Semester two introduces you to techniques and methodologies.
• Semester three exposes you to advancing your knowledge in an operational setting and delving deeper into theory, practice, and execution.

Absolutely! In most cases, you can earn up to 9 credits toward a certificate or associate's degree at the Hospitality Institute. We will work with you to determine eligibility.

For more information, contact us at 267-646-5970 or culinary@mc3.edu.