Students at The Culinary Institute of America undertake specialized curricula that feature a strong foundation of institutional learning outcomes unique to the college's mission, and general education learning outcomes common across most colleges and universities. In this way, CIA students develop both professional competencies as well as general education (liberal learning) competencies.
The Culinary Institute of America is a distinctive institution by nature of the focused set of programs and the strength of its alumni network. The institutional learning outcomes are:
- Professional, Technical, and Specialized Skills: Graduates of the CIA will demonstrate skills in areas including culinary and baking techniques, food literacy, health, hospitality, and business and industry acumen.
- Foundational Knowledge and Transferrable Skills: Graduates of the CIA will demonstrate skills that provide a basis for life-long learning and enable learners to succeed across diverse fields, disciplines, and careers, including autonomous critical thinking, problem solving, and analytical inquiry.
- Interpersonal Skills: Graduates of the CIA will apply interpersonal skills required for effective communication including the emotional intelligence to practice empathic listening, teamwork, and intercultural awareness.
- Self-Directed Learning: Graduates of the CIA will direct their own learning by taking initiative in establishing learning goals, assessing the demands of the tasks, evaluating their knowledge and skills, monitoring progress, and adjusting strategies as needed.
- Global Citizenship and Sustainability: Graduates of the CIA will demonstrate their knowledge of the global community and their concern for the environment by applying the principles of social responsibility; diversity and inclusion; ethics and values; and sustainability when interacting with others and making decisions.
CIA General Education Learning Outcomes
In keeping with best practices in higher education, foundational liberal learning is infused throughout classes in all departments and programs. While not every general education learning outcome may be a central focus in every class, every CIA class addresses at least one or more of these outcomes.
- Oral & Written Communication: Students will Demonstrate the Ability to Produce Writing that is Well-Organized, Coherent, and Readily Understandable as well as being Able to Clearly Communicate to Appropriate Audiences.
- Scientific Reasoning: Students will be able to Demonstrate and Apply Scientific Reasoning to Understand the Relationship between Food and Science.
- Quantitative Reasoning: Students will Demonstrate Competence and Ease in Working with Numerical Data and in Interpreting Numerical Information.
- Critical Analysis & Reasoning: Students will be able to Employ Critical Thinking and Reasoning to Arrive at a Solution and/or Outcome by Using Data and Analysis to Make Logical Connections Between Ideas
- Technology Competency: Students will be able to Show Technical Competency in the Tools Found in the 21st Century Workplace
- Information Literacy: Students will Attain Skills and Understand Concepts of Information Literacy as set forth in the ALA/ACRL Framework and the AACU Rubric
- Values, Ethics and Diverse Perspectives: Students will Investigate and Explain Similarities and Differences among Global Cultures through a Variety of Lenses.