Program Overview

Program Overview

The Culinary Arts AAS degree prepares graduates to work in a commercial kitchen, including restaurants, bakeries, cafeterias, delis, hospitals, and other specialty shops. Students gain skills in every facet of running a commercial restaurant, learning classic cooking principles and techniques, terminology, and food handling practices.

Program Mission

The program mission is to prepare graduates to work in a commercial kitchen, including restaurants, bakeries, cafeterias, delis, hospitals, and other specialty shops.

Program Requirements

• Total Program Credits: 90
• Required Course Sequence:
  • Quarter One:
    • CART 110 Introduction to Culinary Arts (10 credits)
    • CART 115 Food Service Safety and Sanitation (2 credits)
    • CART 155 Nutrition (2 credits)
  • Quarter Two:
    • CART 120 Intermediate Culinary Arts (11 credits)
    • CART 125 Food Sustainability and Trends (2 credits)
    • CART 130 Costing, Planning, and Procurement (3 credits)
    • MATH& 107 Math in Society (5 credits) (or any college-level Quantitative Reasoning course)
  • Quarter Three:
    • CART 160 Restaurant Operations (12 credits)
    • CART 161 Customer Service (2 credits)
    • CART 140 Management (3 credits)
    • ENGL& 101 English Composition I (5 credits)
  • Quarter Four:
    • CART 165 World Cuisine and Techniques (12 credits)
    • PSYC& 100 General Psychology (5 credits) (or any Social Science course)
  • Quarter Five:
    • CART 205 Fundamentals of Catering (3 credits)
    • CART 215 Beverage (3 credits)
    • CART 220 Capstone (5 credits)
    • CMST& 210 Interpersonal Communication (5 credits) (or any Humanities course)

General Education Requirements

• Total General Education Credits: 20
• Required Courses:
  • CMST& 210 Interpersonal Communication (5 credits) (or any Humanities course)
  • ENGL& 101 English Composition I (5 credits)
  • MATH& 107 Math in Society (5 credits) (or any college-level Quantitative Reasoning course)
  • PSYC& 100 General Psychology (5 credits) (or any Social Science course)

Diversity and Social Justice Requirement

Within the degree requirements, students must complete a 3-5 credit course that meets the college’s Diversity and Social Justice (DSJ) requirement. DSJ courses are designated in the college schedule and are designed to meet other general education or technical requirements simultaneous to meeting the DSJ requirement.

Program Outcomes

Culinary Arts AAS degree graduates will:

• be prepared for employment as cooks, short order cooks, pantry cooks, prep cooks, front line cooks, sauté cooks, and grill cooks
• meet the Skills Standards of American Culinary Federation
• demonstrate excellent customer service
• demonstrate communication, critical thinking, cultural humility, information literacy, and teamwork skills
• meet Humanities, Quantitative Reasoning, Social Science, and Written Communication general education distribution area outcomes

Additional Information

Lake Washington Institute of Technology does not offer every course each quarter. It is the student’s responsibility to consult the Class Schedule and work out an individual schedule with an advisor. Any developmental coursework a student may be required to complete may increase the program length. Students must always have a valid Washington State Food Workers Card.