2021 Personal & Culinary Services Degree Guide
If you are a people person and enjoy helping others look and feel their best, a career in Personal and Culinary Services is right for you.
In personal services, you will be able to get a degree in areas such as Cosmetology which allows you to practice creativity and expertise as you perfect someone's hair or makeup. A major in Culinary Arts allows you to explore your passion for food and cooking to work in the kitchen as an assistant or top chef. A degree in Funeral Service and Mortuary Science will allow you to meet people's needs in a very emotional time. No matter what occupation you decide to purse, a career in Personal and Culinary Services will give you the opportunity to serve others while following your passion.
Many of these degrees are offered as an Associate's, although some college have Bachelor's programs associated with them.
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Personal & Culinary Services Degrees Remain Stable
In 2018-2019, personal and culinary services was the 31st most popular major nationwide with 132,634 degrees awarded. This is approximately the same as the 132,932 graduates the prior year.
There are 532 schools offering degrees in personal and culinary services in the United States. Explore this or one of our many other custom personal and culinary services rankings further below.
Requirements for Getting a Degree in Personal & Culinary Services
Any career in personal services requires strong interpersonal, communication, and customer service skills. It is also important to be able to work in a team and swiftly meet your client's needs. Personal and Culinary Services graduates often have management roles within their companies requiring them to work with other managers or assign tasks to colleagues. The background in business also makes graduates stand out to employers.
Some careers within Personal and Culinary Services require a state-specific license. Be sure to check with the state you want to work in to ensure you are fulfilling all requirements to obtain the license. These programs also require apprenticeships that can last between 1 - 3 years. These careers are experience based making a summer job or internship beneficial to current students.
Prior Education for a Personal & Culinary Services Program
New students will need to have completed high school or a GED program and each school will have their own minimum GPA and SAT/ACT test requirements. Once you obtain your degree, additional personal and culinary services certifications required to pursue a career in this field.
Types of Personal & Culinary Services Degrees
There are various different levels of personal and culinary services degrees. You can spend many years getting as high as a master's in personal and culinary services to something that takes less time like a associate's. Different personal and culinary services degrees vary in how long they take.
Degree | Credit Requirements | Typical Program Length |
---|---|---|
Associate Degree | 60-70 credits | 2 years |
Bachelor’s Degree | 120 credits | 4 years |
Master’s Degree | 50-70 credits | 1-3 years |
Doctorate | Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation | At least 4 years |
An associate's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to personal and culinary services, with approximately 14.8% of workers getting one. Find out other typical degree levels for personal and culinary services workers below.
Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
High School Diploma | 30.9% |
Post-Secondary Certificate | 21.2% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 14.2% |
Less than a High School Diploma | 13.1% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 11.0% |
The chart below shows what degree level those who work in personal and culinary services have obtained.

The education level required is different depending on the personal and culinary services career you are seeking.
Career Opportunities for Personal & Culinary Services Majors
Personal services are always needed in our society. Graduates of this field of study become funeral directors, embalmers, hair stylists, makeup artists, masseuses, chefs, restaurant or hotel managers and any other occupation that involves hospitality or service.
Jobs in personal services tend to grow at a steady rate that is about average when compared to other jobs. Personal services are convenient and necessary, meaning they are in demand even in a bad economy.
Solid Growth Projected for Personal & Culinary Services Careers
Want a job when you graduate with your personal and culinary services degree? Personal & Culinary Services careers are expected to grow 9.2% between 2016 and 2026.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to personal and culinary services.
Occupation Name | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
---|---|---|
Restaurant Cooks | 1,377,200 | 11.8% |
Food Preparation and Serving Worker Supervisors | 1,024,500 | 9.3% |
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists | 697,400 | 13.0% |
Bartenders | 626,300 | 2.5% |
Institution and Cafeteria Cooks | 457,400 | 7.7% |
How Much Money Do Personal & Culinary Services Grads Make?
Recently graduated personal and culinary services students earned an average of $17,519 in 2017-2018. Earnings can range from as low as $4,600 to as high as $45,700. As you might expect, salaries for personal and culinary services graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.

Highest Paid Personal & Culinary Services Careers
Salaries for personal and culinary services graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top 5 highest paying careers personal and culinary services grads often go into.
Occupation Name | Median Average Salary |
---|---|
Funeral Service Managers | $93,820 |
Professors | $76,990 |
Food Scientists and Technologists | $72,570 |
Makeup Artists | $72,030 |
Food Service Managers | $58,960 |
Getting Your Personal & Culinary Services Degree
With over 6,886 different personal and culinary services degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased personal and culinary services school rankings to help you with this.
Top Ranking Lists for Personal & Culinary Services
Study Areas in Personal & Culinary Services
Personal & Culinary Services Majors to Study
Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Cosmetology | 103,674 |
Culinary Arts | 26,675 |
Funeral & Mortuary Science | 1,965 |
Other Personal & Culinary Services | 320 |
View All Personal & Culinary Services Related Majors >
Most Popular Majors Related to Personal & Culinary Services
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Mechanic & Repair Technologies | 107,442 |
Precision Production | 57,435 |
Construction Trades | 36,003 |
Transportation & Materials Moving | 28,766 |
View All Personal & Culinary Services Related Majors >
References
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Image Credit: By U.S. Army Europe Images under License More about our data sources and methodologies.
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