Culinary Arts Program

The culinary arts program at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College prepares students for a career as an executive chef, restaurateur, food and beverage manager, food writer, research chef, or a culinary educator. The program focuses on cooking related services in restaurants and other commercial food establishments. Program courses include: recipe and menu planning, preparing and cooking foods, supervising and training kitchen assistants, managing food supplies and kitchen resources, food presentation, and a variety of cuisines and culinary techniques. Get more details below including other Wisconsin colleges that offer culinary arts program.

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Southwest Wisconsin Technical College

Also known as Southwest Tech

1930 Grand Avenue, Wausau, WI

Located near the beautiful rolling hills in Fennimore in Wisconsin, the Southwest Wisconsin Technical College is a technical college that delivers excellent educational opportunities to students as well as empowering the community that it serves. Also known as Southwest Tech, it covers 30 districts including Grant, Lafayette, Crawford and Richland.

The school started accepting enrollees on July 1, 1967 and it was conceived through Chapter 292 Laws of Wisconsin of 1965. Its first ever program was Farm Training considering that Fennimore was largely a farming town back then. Today, Southwest Tech offers associate degrees and technical diplomas. There are about more than 50 courses offered at this community college under diverse disciplines including agriculture, business and marketing, information technology, healthcare, public safety and industrial courses.

Since Southwest Tech only offers associate degrees, students who wish to transfer to other universities and colleges to take up a four-year bachelor’s course can take advantage of the transfer center of the school to assist them in their transfer needs. The University Transfer Program allows students to transfer to many public and private universities within and out of Wisconsin area without any problems.

On the other hand, the tuition fee rate of Southwest Tech is set by the Wisconsin Technical College System Board. For the Academic Year of 2013-2014, the tuition fee rate for in-district student is $122  per credit hour while out-of-district enrollees have to pay $182 per credit hour.

Students Enrolled in the Culinary Arts Program

Get more details below regarding enrollment, academics, and school demographics. Southwest Tech offers an associate's degree program in culinary arts.

Students by Gender (2019)

Students by Race (2019)

Source: IPEDS Survey 2012-2020: Data obtained from the US Dept. of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Data may vary depending on school and academic year.

Career Options for Graduates

Chefs and Head Cooks

Description

Direct and may participate in the preparation, seasoning, and cooking of salads, soups, fish, meats, vegetables, desserts, or other foods. May plan and price menu items, order supplies, and keep records and accounts.

Career Outlook & Projections ()

According to the BLS, chefs and head cooks employment is expected to grow at a rate of 8.9% from 2014 to 2024

Salary & Wages

• Wausau, WI
  • Total Employment: 30
  • Average Hourly Rate: $20.88
  • Average Annual Salary: $43430

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

Description

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in preparing and serving food.

Cooks, Private Household

Description

Prepare meals in private homes. Includes personal chefs.

Cooks, Restaurant

Description

Prepare, season, and cook dishes such as soups, meats, vegetables, or desserts in restaurants. May order supplies, keep records and accounts, price items on menu, or plan menu.

Career Outlook & Projections ()

According to the BLS, cooks, restaurant employment is expected to grow at a rate of 14.3% from 2014 to 2024

Salary & Wages

• Wausau, WI
  • Total Employment: 410
  • Average Hourly Rate: $10.84
  • Average Annual Salary: $22540

Source: Job descriptions, estimated salary and wages, and projected job growth are taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).