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2024 Best Culinary Arts/Chef Training Schools

106 Colleges in the United States
9,052 Culinary Arts/Chef Training Degrees Awarded
A degree in culinary arts/chef training is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #168 out of 1506 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 106 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Culinary Arts/Chef Training Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 9,052 degrees in culinary arts/chef training to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Culinary Arts/Chef Training School

Best Culinary Arts/Chef Training Schools Your choice of culinary arts/chef training school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Culinary Arts/Chef Training School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Culinary Arts/Chef Training Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Culinary Arts/Chef Training
Bachelor's Degrees in Culinary Arts/Chef Training

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Culinary Arts/Chef Training Schools list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Culinary Arts/Chef Training in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the culinary arts/chef training degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

15 Top Schools in Culinary Arts/Chef Training

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NY
479 Culinary Arts/Chef Training Degrees Awarded

Culinary Institute of America is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in culinary arts/chef training. Located in the large suburb of Hyde Park, The Culinary Institute of America is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

There were about 479 culinary arts/chef training students who graduated with this degree at The Culinary Institute of America in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in culinary arts/chef training from Culinary Institute of America

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In RI
202 Culinary Arts/Chef Training Degrees Awarded

It's difficult to beat Johnson & Wales University - Providence if you wish to pursue a degree in culinary arts/chef training. JWU Providence is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Providence. This university ranks 6th out of 9 colleges for overall quality in the state of Rhode Island.

There were approximately 202 culinary arts/chef training students who graduated with this degree at JWU Providence in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in culinary arts/chef training from Johnson & Wales University - Providence

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
43 Culinary Arts/Chef Training Degrees Awarded

It is hard to beat National Louis University if you want to pursue a degree in culinary arts/chef training. Located in the city of Chicago, NLU is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #393 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NLU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 43 culinary arts/chef training students who graduated with this degree at NLU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in culinary arts/chef training from National Louis University

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NC
136 Culinary Arts/Chef Training Degrees Awarded

Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in culinary arts/chef training. Located in the large city of Charlotte, JWU Charlotte is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #425 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means JWU Charlotte is a great university overall.

There were about 136 culinary arts/chef training students who graduated with this degree at JWU Charlotte in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in culinary arts/chef training from Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In PA

Located in the town of Indiana, IUP is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 49th out of 109 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 17 culinary arts/chef training students who graduated with this degree at IUP in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in culinary arts/chef training from Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In WA
32 Culinary Arts/Chef Training Degrees Awarded

CPTC is a small public college located in the city of Lakewood. A Best Colleges rank of #389 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means CPTC is a great college overall.

There were approximately 32 culinary arts/chef training students who graduated with this degree at CPTC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in culinary arts/chef training from Clover Park Technical College

7
Saint Paul College crest
Saint Paul College
Saint Paul, MN
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MN

Saint Paul College is a medium-sized public college located in the city of Saint Paul. This college ranks 37th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were roughly 25 culinary arts/chef training students who graduated with this degree at Saint Paul College in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in culinary arts/chef training from Saint Paul College

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CO
1,612 Culinary Arts/Chef Training Degrees Awarded

Located in the medium-sized city of Boulder, Escoffier - Boulder is a private for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

There were about 1612 culinary arts/chef training students who graduated with this degree at Escoffier - Boulder in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in culinary arts/chef training from Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Boulder

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In WI

Located in the large city of Madison, Madison College is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #419 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Madison College is a great college overall.

There were about 9 culinary arts/chef training students who graduated with this degree at Madison College in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in culinary arts/chef training from Madison Area Technical College

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In WI

Located in the small city of Eau Claire, CVTC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #410 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means CVTC is a great college overall.

There were about 21 culinary arts/chef training students who graduated with this degree at CVTC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in culinary arts/chef training from Chippewa Valley Technical College

11
ECPI University crest
ECPI University
Virginia Beach, VA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In VA
86 Culinary Arts/Chef Training Degrees Awarded

ECPI University is a fairly large private for-profit university located in the large city of Virginia Beach. A Best Colleges rank of #322 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means ECPI University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 86 culinary arts/chef training students who graduated with this degree at ECPI University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in culinary arts/chef training from ECPI University

12
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In WI

Located in the suburb of Kenosha, Gateway Technical College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #444 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Gateway Technical College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 7 culinary arts/chef training students who graduated with this degree at Gateway Technical College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in culinary arts/chef training from Gateway Technical College

13
El Centro College crest
El Centro College
Dallas, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In TX
85 Culinary Arts/Chef Training Degrees Awarded

El Centro College is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #362 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means El Centro College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 85 culinary arts/chef training students who graduated with this degree at El Centro College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in culinary arts/chef training from El Centro College

14
Sullivan University crest
Sullivan University
Louisville, KY
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In KY
51 Culinary Arts/Chef Training Degrees Awarded

Sullivan University is a small private for-profit university located in the city of Louisville. This university ranks 11th out of 38 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kentucky.

There were about 51 culinary arts/chef training students who graduated with this degree at Sullivan University in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in culinary arts/chef training from Sullivan University

15
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In OH
31 Culinary Arts/Chef Training Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Cincinnati, Cincinnati State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #442 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Cincinnati State is a great college overall.

There were roughly 31 culinary arts/chef training students who graduated with this degree at Cincinnati State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in culinary arts/chef training from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Culinary Arts/Chef Training Schools award.

Rank College Location
16 Johnson County Community College Overland Park, KS
17 Wake Technical Community College Raleigh, NC
18 Savannah Technical College Savannah, GA
19 Houston Community College Houston, TX
20 Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee, WI
21 Delaware Technical Community College - Terry Dover, DE
22 Grand Rapids Community College Grand Rapids, MI
23 Gwinnett Technical College Lawrenceville, GA
24 Lee College Baytown, TX
25 Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport, PA
25 North Shore Community College Danvers, MA

Culinary Arts/Chef Training by Region

View the Best Culinary Arts/Chef Training Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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One of 11 majors within the Culinary Arts area of study, Culinary Arts/Chef Training has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Culinary Arts/Chef Training

Related Major Annual Graduates
Baking & Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef 4,322
General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts 3,156
Restaurant, Culinary, & Catering Management/Manager 1,380
Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant 801
Other Culinary Arts & Related Services 433
Culinary Science/Culinology 196
Bartending/Bartender 183
Institutional Food Workers 157
Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, & Dining Room Management/Manager 84
Meat Cutting/Meat Cutter 35

View All Culinary Arts/Chef Training Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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