Culinary Arts and Personal Services

- Cosmetology and Related Services
  
  Aesthetician and Skin Care, Barber and Hair Cutting Services, Beauty Salon Management...
- Culinary Arts and Culinary Services
  
  Baking and Pastry Arts, Bartending, Catering and Restaurant Management...
- Funeral Related Services
  
  Funeral Director, Mortuary Science...

The fields of culinary arts and personal services include preparing food and providing beauty services, including skin and hair care. Personal services can go beyond even these areas, including hairdressing, funeral services and fitness training. Students can earn a variety of academic credentials, from undergraduate certificates to master's degrees, which can lead to a wide variety of career options.

Inside Culinary Arts and Personal Services

Many adults hoping to work in culinary arts and personal services attend professional schools offering courses in culinary arts, such as chef training or pastry design classes, or personal services courses, which include cosmetology, nail care and skin care. Certificate, associate degree, bachelor's degree and master's degree programs are available. Those interested in culinary arts, can learn to prepare hot and cold meals, desserts, cakes and methods for presenting them in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Those interested in personal service may learn how to dye and style hair, paint nails, provide skin care treatment and work with makeup.

Personal service professionals must obtain licensure from the states in which they intend to work to hold a position in the field. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that public and private vocational schools often offer courses that can prepare students to receive certification in cosmetology and other personal appearance positions (www.bls.gov). Full-time programs in cosmetology usually last 9-24 months, but training to be a manicurist, pedicurist, skin care specialist or electrologist can take less time. Aspiring chefs and other culinary professionals may earn associate, bachelor's or master's degrees in general culinary arts, or degrees targeted towards pastry arts or cake decorating.

The occupational growth and change in demand for these positions varies greatly. For instance, the BLS states that the demand for chefs is expected to grow by only six percent for chefs and head cooks through 2018 and by five percent for food service managers. Individuals in cosmetology, including barbers, hairstylists and skincare specialists, can expect to see 20% growth over the same time period. As of May 2010, the median annual salary for chefs and head cooks was $40,630, while food service managers made median salaries of $48,130. Barbers made median annual salaries of $23,810, manicurists made $19,650, skin care specialists made $28,920 and cosmetologists made $22,760.

Learn More About Culinary Arts and Personal Services

Culinary arts and personal services is a diverse field that can lead to a wide variety of career opportunities, depending on the field you choose to study and the level of study you attain. Most careers in the industry require that you can gain professional experience prior to graduation. Some careers require that you earn licensure. Education-Portal.com has all the resources you need to learn about your occupational goals, what to expect and the training requirements.

Degree Options

Certificates, associate's, bachelor's and master's degree programs are available in culinary arts and personal services. However, individual courses and continuing education courses are also available.

Distance Learning Options

Although the majority of these programs have some hands-on requirements enabling you to gain experience cooking, cutting hair or applying make-up, some distance learning options are available. The following pages can provide you with information about what it entails.

Career Options

Degree programs in culinary arts and personal services can lead to countless career opportunities. The following pages are a small selection illustrating your options and their educational requirements.

Certification Options

In careers where you'll be working on people's skin, hair and nails, you must earn certification and licensure. All 50 states have licensure or certification requirements for certain personal services careers.