There's always something cooking at Baltimore International College (BIC), Maryland's only college for culinary arts and hospitality-related careers. BIC has been turning out future chefs, cooks, hotel managers and business owners since 1972.
The college awards associate's degrees in food and beverage management, hotel/motel/innkeeping management, professional baking and pastry, professional cooking, and professional cooking and baking. Bachelor's degrees are offered in two areas: Culinary management and hotel, restaurant and catering management. The bachelor's degree program is based on a "two-plus-two" formula in which students earn an associate's degree in two years, then move on to get the bachelor's degree in their final two years. The college also has a part-time night program in hospitality management and certificate programs in several areas, including professional marketing.
Students who enroll in the four-year bachelor's degree program can enjoy the Tuition Freeze Program, which began in 2001. Under this program, tuition is frozen at the freshman year rates for students who are enrolled continuously in the four-year bachelor's degree program.
In addition to classroom study, students put their skills into practice. BIC manages the
, the Bay Atlantic Club and
in Baltimore, and the Park Hotel in County Cavan, Ireland. Most students work part time at one of the local facilities while they take classes. Students must complete an "externship" at a hotel, resort or restaurant in or near Baltimore to gain practical, hands-on experience. Before venturing into the world of professional hospitality, students also gain practical knowledge with "Career and Life Planning," a one-credit class that teaches job-hunting skills such as resume-writing and interviewing, and prepares them for a career in the hospitality industry.
Students who participate in the college's honors program spend a semester at its Ireland campus, where they gain hands-on experience along with exposure to European culture and techniques. The 100-acre campus in County Cavan is approximately 50 miles west of Dublin and is akin to a country resort. It features the Park Hotel, wooded trails, gardens, picnic areas, a golf course and a lake. As an added bonus, students studying on the Ireland campus have unlimited golf and fishing access on the grounds and get to live in 18th-century cottages.
At the Baltimore campus, all unmarried freshmen under the age of 21 who live more than 50 miles from the college are required to live in Dublin Hall, a cluster of residence halls within the Mount Vernon Hotel. Most of the college's academic buildings -- which contain kitchens, storerooms, cooking demonstration theaters, computer labs and a large, modern library -- are clustered downtown just north of Lombard Street. Of particular note is the
, which features edible art creations by students and faculty members.
BIC's practice hotels and restaurants are scattered across downtown Baltimore, and a shuttle bus transports students between the buildings. In August 2002, the college kicked off a campaign to raise funds for the new home for the School of Culinary Arts. The
facility will contain laboratories, classrooms, a cafeteria, a gymnasium, a greenhouse and raised garden beds for herbs and edible flowers.
Thanks to its strong hands-on learning component, BIC boasts of finding job placements for nearly 100 percent of its graduates. Some of the college's alumni include Nancy Longo, chef/owner of Fells Points'
; Eric Peterson, manager of
in Annapolis; and Tracey Hopkins, executive chef at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Because the student body is small and the workload is time-consuming, students are left to their own devices when it comes to filling their free time. They often contribute their skills to local community events like the Spice It Up fund-raiser for
or health-and-nutrition fairs sponsored by area hospitals. Artists and poets are invited to contribute their work to the
Exchange
monthly newsletter, and the Office of Student and Alumni Activities sponsors frequent activities.
Baltimore International College fills its niche nicely. Students come here looking for a highly specialized education and they leave with much more: The opportunity to work in some of the country's finest hotels and restaurants, the experience of learning from instructors who are respected professionals in their fields and the chance to live and learn on a beautiful campus in Europe. Most important, they develop the ability to succeed in a lucrative industry that generated 18 million jobs and $400 million in 2001.