Culinary Arts Program Details


In the Culinary Arts program at the Iowa Culinary Institute® (ici®) at the DMACC Ankeny Campus, we believe that if it's dreamable, it's doable … and we're ready to help you live your dream. Our Culinary Arts program will prepare you for an exciting culinary career with hotels, restaurants, clubs, resorts and select jobs in dining room service, catering or management.

By the end of our two-year program, you will have the experience to take on the career you'll love. With training from exceptional chefs and unsurpassed educational experiences that include working with French culinary chefs, you'll get much more than the fundamentals in the culinary arts. Plus, our top eight chosen graduates each year are awarded a trip to France where they experience food and wine tastings, attend a cooking class at Cordon Bleu, and have the option to serve in individual culinary apprenticeships with French chefs.

You'll combine these experiences with courses in:

  • food preparation
  • nutrition
  • menu planning
  • purchasing
  • baking
  • international cuisine
  • restaurant management
  • advanced culinary cuisine

It adds up to one of the finest culinary programs anywhere that will give you the practical experience and knowledge of the restaurant industry that you'll want and need in your career.

Culinary Arts Program Details

Do you have a dream of managing a hotel, of becoming a chef for a restaurant or possibly a pastry or culinary artist? If you're looking to let your creative side shine through, Des Moines Area Community College's Hospitality Careers program has the recipe for your life's calling.

The DMACC Hospitality Careers Degree program will put you in the heart of a career you will love. Here you will find a variety of degrees and diplomas in culinary arts, hotel and restaurant management, hospitality business and many other related fields.

Located at the Iowa Culinary Institute® (ici®) on the DMACC Ankeny Campus just minutes north of Des Moines, Iowa's capital city, this renowned program attracts French international experts as visiting faculty members every year, and a faculty recognized nationwide for its excellence.

Baking Diploma

The Iowa Culinary Institute's Baking and Pastry Arts program is located at the DMACC Newton Campus. As a Baking & Pastry Arts student, in only one year, you'll learn all of the secrets to becoming an outstanding bakery and pastry chef. Then, as a talented graduate you can become a skilled baking artisan, or continue on to earn your two-year Culinary Arts degree.

High School Classes

For high school students wanting to get a jump on their college careers, DMACC offers culinary arts classes for high school students at our:


Additional Resources

Program Outcomes for Culinary Arts, AAS

Graduation Rates

AY 2021: 33%*

AY 2020: 36%*

AY 2019: 20%

AY 2018: 26%

AY 2017: 33%

Program Outcomes for Culinary Arts, Diploma

Graduation Rates

AY 2022: 0%*

AY 2021: 0%*

AY 2020: 25%*

AY 2019: 12%

AY 2018: 0%

AY 2017: 0%

Graduate Rate of Employment (in Related Field) for Culinary Arts, AAS

AY 2022: 76%*, **

AY 2021: 52%**

AY 2020: 33%**

AY 2019: 33%**

AY 2018: 68%**

AY 2017: 44%**

Graduate Rate of Employment (in Related Field) for Culinary Arts, Diploma

AY 2022: 33%*, **

AY 2021: 26%**

AY 2020: 16%**

AY 2019: 16%**

AY 2018: 43%**

AY 2017: 0%**

Entry-Level ACF Certification by Graduation

AY 2022: 0

AY 2021: 0

AY 2020: 0

AY 2019: 0

AY 2018: 0

AY 2017: 0

*Current data set is incomplete; this number will be updated as cohort members continue to complete degrees.​

**Percentage based on graduate survey responses.