- Credential
- Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences in Culinary Arts
- Published length
- 2 years full time; calculator lists 67 credits
- Format
- Campus training through the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education
- Campus
- Grand Rapids, MI
Who might consider this program?
West Michigan students seeking broad cooking and restaurant-operation training with a potential university transfer path.
GRCC’s Culinary Arts AAAS is a two-year full-time program through the Secchia Institute. The college’s program calculator identifies Culinary Arts as code 151 with 67 credits and 119 contact hours. Training includes cooking, baking, dining-room service and restaurant operations. A required CA 180 internship calls for at least 180 work hours at an approved site and additional assignments. Students already in an appropriate food-service job may be able to use that employer if their duties meet the coordinator’s requirements. Students must arrange their own transportation. The program also identifies a Ferris State transfer opportunity; confirm the receiving degree’s conditions.
Source 1What does it cost?
These figures describe the selected campus and credential before gift aid. Each row states its scope; a tuition figure and a bundled school charge are different measures.
| Scenario | Amount and calculation | Still to add |
|---|---|---|
| GRCC district resident — college calculator | $20,000 Culinary Arts program 151, Resident option; rounded tuition output at 2026–27 rates. Source 1 · Source 2 | Mandatory term and course fees, books, parking, equipment, travel and living costs. |
| Other Michigan resident — college calculator | $41,500 Culinary Arts program 151, Non-Resident option; rounded tuition output at 2026–27 rates. Source 1 · Source 2 | Mandatory term and course fees, books, parking, equipment, travel and living costs. |
| Out-of-state — college calculator | $63,000 Culinary Arts program 151, Out of State option; rounded tuition output at 2026–27 rates. Source 1 · Source 2 | Mandatory term and course fees, books, parking, equipment, travel and living costs. |
Fees, equipment and other expenses
The calculator excludes books, parking and some fees and is not a binding quote. Each term adds a $26.50 or $37 records fee depending on contact-hour load, $5.50 per contact hour in technology fees up to 15, and $10 activities; fall/winter add $60 or $100 facilities fees. Course charges and $16/contact-hour online fees can also apply. CA 180’s internship is a stated exception billed on its two credit hours, not twelve contact hours. Ask the cashier to reconcile your exact course plan against the rounded calculator estimate.
Calculations assume current rates continue, no repeated courses and the stated course load. Living costs and lost earnings are separate. Loans do not reduce the price.
Add your living costs and gift aid →Can it fit around a job?
The program describes flexible study options, but no complete evening/weekend lab sequence is published on the reviewed page. The 180-hour internship may use an existing employer with approved duties; its work shifts and all required class sections still need individual planning.
Source 1 · Source 2What practical training is involved?
CA 180 requires at least 180 approved work hours plus assignments within the enrolled term. Students secure a suitable position and obtain department consent. Pay is whatever the employer offers or the student negotiates; the college does not set it.
Source 1Before you apply
Apply through GRCC’s Culinary Arts, Hospitality and Brewing pathway, plan classes with an advisor, and submit the internship waiver and emergency-contact forms to obtain CA 180 registration.
What still needs an individual answer
- Program calculator uses rounded figures; cashier reconciliation is needed for an individual course plan.
- No full evening-only or weekend-only degree route is established.
Questions for your enrollment or advising appointment
- Can the cashier reconcile my exact course plan, including the internship billing exception, with the rounded program calculator estimate?
- Which required lab sections fit my work schedule in every term?
- Can my current kitchen job supply the approved 180-hour internship, and what travel/equipment costs remain?
Sources & further reading
- Culinary Arts AAAS program and duration
- 2026–27 tuition rates and fees
- How contact-hour tuition is calculated
- Official whole-program tuition calculator
- Internship: hours, current employer and billing exception
Source information checked September 25, 2026.
By Culinary Field Guide · AI-assisted research of official sources. No campus visit or personal attendance is claimed. Research method and limitations.