This program provides all the basic, advanced skills and practice needed to start a career as professional cook/chef. It includes all of the educational requirements for certification through the executive chef level of certification by the American Culinary Federation. Students complete a field experience that provides the work experience needed to advance and the work experience needed for certification.

Program contact: Learn more

This certificate will be automatically awarded when the certificate requirements are completed. If you do not want to receive the certificate, please notify the Office of the Registrar at RegistrarOffice@tri-c.edu.

Learn more here, here, and here about how certificate credits apply to the related degrees

Program Learning Outcomes

This program is designed to prepare students to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

  1. Successfully complete ServSafe Certification Exam.
  2. Identify and apply basic culinary terminology, knife skills, and cooking techniques while multitasking, problem solving, and managing stress levels within a diverse hospitality environment.
  3. Communicate appropriately to colleagues, staff, and management.
  4. Convert and/or modify basic recipes using culinary math and measurements.
  5. Apply and demonstrate culinary knowledge and skills with consistency using established standards within the industry and facility.
  6. Use a computer to prepare correspondence, menus, daily logs, order sheets, and prep lists.

Suggested Semester Sequence

Plan of Study Grid
First SemesterCredit Hours
HOSP-1010 Introduction to the Hospitality Industry 2
HOSP-1020 Sanitation and Safety 2
HOSP-1031 Fundamentals of Culinary Arts 3
HOSP-1552 Introduction to Baking & Pastries 3
Select one of the following: 3
College Composition I
Honors College Composition I
 Credit Hours13
Second Semester
HOSP-1040 Customer Service 2
HOSP-1451 Contemporary Cuisine 4
HOSP-2400 Hospitality Management and Supervision 3
HOSP-2500 Hospitality Cost Control 3
HOSP-2700 Hospitality Purchasing 2
 Credit Hours14
Summer Completion
HOSP-1940 Culinary Arts/Professional Baking Field Experience 2
MATH-1xxx1000-level MATH course or higher 3
 Credit Hours5
 Total Credit Hours32

MATH-1140, MATH-1141, MATH-1200, MATH-1270, and MATH-1280 can no longer count towards fulfilling the college-level mathematics requirement.  These courses were re-classified as developmental mathematics by the state of Ohio in 2016.  Tri-C established a 5-year transitioning window for students who had completed these courses prior to 2016 to apply them towards meeting graduation requirements, which expired in Summer 2021. It is highly recommended to see a counselor to determine the appropriate math required for your current major.