NASHVILLE — /PRNewswire/ -- OnlineSchoolsCenter.com has recently released their list of America's Top Online Culinary Schools, an index of the most impressive online food service academic institutions in the country.

Earning a degree in the culinary arts, or another area of the industry, can widely open new doors into a fascinating career path. There are many facets that contribute to a successful food service establishment, and each is as equally important as the last. Whether students are interested in cooking, management, hospitality, critiquing, or baking, earning a degree in this discipline will give them the wherewithal, fortitude, and knowledge to enter into a fast-paced and highly successful restaurant or club, or start their own business!

These six online schools provide students with elaborate coursework that gives them crucial hands-on experience to enhance their understanding of the culinary arts. Many of these institutions give students access to local internships and externships in which they learn the ins and outs of the service while working with industry professionals. These schools are recognized nation-wide as the finest online culinary institutions in America, and have been repeatedly awarded for their achievements. Students learn from world-class chefs that endow them with the finest secrets of the trade, and upon graduation, students exit their program of choice with an incredibly well-founded understanding of the field.

According to lead researcher and writer, Rowan Jones, "This is possibly one of the most popular professions in the world, and a great chef is respected throughout all corners of the globe. Students can enter into one of these degree programs as a novice, and exit as a seasoned professional, with a solid comprehension of the many different areas of the discipline."

Below we have listed the schools that have made the America's Top Online Culinary Schools:

New England Culinary Institute – Montpelier, VT
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh, PA
Penn Foster Career School – Scranton, PA
Le Cordon Bleu – Worldwide
Escoffier Online International Culinary Academy – Boulder, CO; Austin, TX
Virginia College – Birmingham, AL

You may view the list, along with a description of the benefits of each institution here.

These America's Top Online Culinary Schools were chosen for several factors that place them ahead of other online graduate programs, due to the: nature of the coursework, degree of thoroughness and complexity of the curriculum, 100% online availability, sufficient financial aid availability, and an education that gives students more than just classroom experience. OnlineSchoolsCenter.com is an online web publication that is committed to enhancing the information available to students when choosing an academic institution.

The editors of OnlineSchoolsCenter.com collect the most important and relevant data about colleges, universities, and campus facilities from various highly respected sources and offer them in a simple format that is easy to understand. In developing this list, OnlineSchoolsCenter.com, chose not to list the schools in an ordered way, but instead highlighted six of the very best programs, all of which have their own unique strengths.

Published October 10, 2016