2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts in the Southwest Region
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Culinary Arts is the 80th most popular major in the country with 21,906 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, culinary arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $23,822 and had an average of $19,004 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southwest region, there were 2,671 culinary arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,641 and $21,214 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 998 culinary arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,605 and $16,886 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region” ranking analyzed 27 colleges that offered a degree in culinary arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great culinary arts programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the culinary arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students.
Top 25 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts in the Southwest Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend South Plains College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region. This medium-sized school is located in Levelland, Texas, and it awarded 12 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
South Plains College also took the #11 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $7,600 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students per year to attend South Plains College.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jacinto Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. San Jacinto College is located in Pasadena, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 associates’s culinary arts degrees to qualified students.
San Jacinto College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $8,692 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students per year to attend San Jacinto College.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at San Jacinto Community College
Out of the 27 schools in the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, El Centro College landed the #3 spot on the list. El Centro College is a public institution located in Dallas, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 36 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
El Centro College also took the #2 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend El Centro College is $4,373 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students.
Out of the 27 schools in the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, this small public school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified associates’s culinary arts students in 2019-2020.
OSU Institute of Technology also made our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology is $6,500 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at OSU Institute of Technology
Out of the 27 schools in the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Houston Community College landed the #5 spot on the list. Houston Community College is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 53 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Houston Community College, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $5,272 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students per year to attend Houston Community College.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Houston Community College
Lee College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Lee College is a medium-sized school located in Baytown, Texas that handed out 21 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Lee College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lee College is $7,732 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students.
Collin County Community College District ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. McKinney, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s culinary arts degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.
Collin County Community College District also took the #10 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $6,293 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students per year to attend Collin County Community College District.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Collin County Community College District
Scottsdale Community College landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, this medium-sized public school awarded 28 diplomas to qualified associates’s culinary arts students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Scottsdale Community College, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Scottsdale Community College is $10,397 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students.
Texas State Technical College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas State Technical College is a fairly large school located in Waco, Texas that handed out 33 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
TSTC also made our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $10,114 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students per year to attend Texas State Technical College.
Central New Mexico Community College landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Albuquerque, New Mexico is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s culinary arts degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree culinary arts students list, CNM has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Central New Mexico Community College is $3,429 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Central New Mexico Community College
Grayson College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #11. Grayson College is located in Denison, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 associates’s culinary arts degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree culinary arts students list, Grayson College has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $7,877 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students per year to attend Grayson College.
Austin Community College District came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Austin Community College District is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 16 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Austin Community College District did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Austin Community College District is $6,861 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Austin Community College District
St Philip’s College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. St Philip’s College is a public institution located in San Antonio, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 38 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree culinary arts students list, St Philip’s College has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend St Philip’s College is $6,250 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students.
The Art Institute of Houston did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #14. Houston, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associates’s culinary arts degrees to 44 students in 2019-2020.
Ai Houston did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend The Art Institute of Houston is $22,844 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students.
Del Mar College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #15. DMC is a fairly large school located in Corpus Christi, Texas that handed out 8 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
DMC also took the #16 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $5,738 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students per year to attend DMC.
El Paso Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #16. El Paso Community College is located in El Paso, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 40 associates’s culinary arts degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southwest region associate degree culinary arts students list, El Paso Community College has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $4,594 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students per year to attend El Paso Community College.
With a ranking of #17, Odessa College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Odessa, Texas, and it awarded 12 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Odessa College, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $5,963 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students per year to attend Odessa College.
Tarrant County College District ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in Fort Worth, Texas, and it awarded 10 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Tarrant County College also took the #17 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Tarrant County College District is $5,434 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students.
Texarkana College landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Texarkana College is a small school located in Texarkana, Texas that handed out 10 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Texarkana College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Texarkana College is $6,394 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students.
New Mexico State University - Dona Ana did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #20. Las Cruces, New Mexico is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s culinary arts degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.
NMSU Dona Ana did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend NMSU Dona Ana is $5,539 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students.
Northeast Texas Community College landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Mount Pleasant, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s culinary arts degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.
NTCC also made our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #23. It costs about $8,110 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students per year to attend NTCC.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Northeast Texas Community College
Estrella Mountain Community College landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Estrella Mountain Community College is a medium-sized school located in Avondale, Arizona that handed out 8 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Estrella Mountain Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Estrella Mountain Community College is $9,200 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students.
Full Estrella Mountain Community College Culinary Arts Report
Pima Community College landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Pima County Community College District is a fairly large school located in Tucson, Arizona that handed out 18 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pima County Community College District, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Pima Community College is $3,583 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Pima County Community College District
Mohave Community College landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. MCC is a small school located in Kingman, Arizona that handed out 1 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.
MCC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mohave Community College is $8,986 for Southwest Region Associate Degree Culinary Arts students.
Culinary Institute Inc landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in the Southwest Region ranking. Culinary Institute LeNotre is a private for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a small population, and it awarded 113 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Culinary Institute LeNotre is $26,349 for southwest region associate degree culinary arts students.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to U.S. Army Europe Images.
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