| Many community colleges and traditional four-year | | | | upper-level courses. |
| colleges allow students to earn credits by | | | | Another option that you can use to accelerate your |
| demonstrating their experience. For considerably less | | | | degree is to transfer credits you have already earned |
| cost than taking the course, students can take a test | | | | from another school. Once again, though, each culinary |
| to prove their knowledge in the subject. If they | | | | institute may vary in what or how many credit hours |
| succeed, they are awarded credit for the class | | | | they will allow you to transfer from another school. For |
| without having to actually take it. Many culinary | | | | instance, some schools will transfer only general |
| institutes are now offering similar programs, allowing | | | | education classes, requiring their students to take at |
| individuals with a certain amount of work experience in | | | | their facility any courses that are part of their major. |
| the culinary arts to earn their degree without having to | | | | Also, if you are going to attempt to transfer course |
| go back to school. | | | | credits to another culinary institute, be sure to research |
| Earned credit programs can vary from one culinary | | | | the school before making a decision of what culinary |
| institute to another. Various programs are offered to | | | | institute you will attend. There are different |
| individuals who have worked in the field for at least | | | | accreditation agencies, and as a result the credits |
| four years; due to the students' prior experience, the | | | | earned at one school may not be transferable to |
| program can go through the course requirements of | | | | another. |
| an associate's degree much more rapidly than with | | | | Getting a degree from a culinary institute is an |
| beginning students. At another culinary institute, a | | | | important step for anyone who wants to pursue or is |
| culinary professional might only need to pass the | | | | currently pursuing a career in the culinary arts. |
| corresponding tests and prove his or her knowledge | | | | Regardless of how much experience you have had, a |
| of the culinary arts; the amount of experience required | | | | degree from a culinary institute verifies to a potential |
| to participate in an earned credit program can also | | | | employer that you have mastered the culinary arts. If |
| vary from one culinary institute to another. | | | | you have worked in the field for years but don't yet |
| Each culinary institute may also vary in how many | | | | have a degree to show for it, an earned credit |
| classes you will be able to test out of. Some schools | | | | program from a culinary institute can help you get the |
| may only provide the option for lower-level classes, | | | | degree you seek more quickly and easily than if you |
| requiring even experienced students to take | | | | went back to school fulltime. |