2022 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools
Culinary Arts is of the hottest associate degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #16 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.For its 2022 ranking, College Factual looked at 223 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for culinary arts students pursuing a associate degree. Combined, these schools handed out 7,304 associate degrees in culinary arts to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Culinary Arts School for Your Associate Degree
Your choice of culinary arts for getting your associate degree school matters. Important measures of a quality culinary arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Early-Career Earnings
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on culinary arts students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other culinary arts students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for culinary arts to pay back their student loans after receiving their associate degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized culinary arts related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for culinary arts students working on their associate degree.
More Ways to Rank Culinary Arts Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Culinary Arts in the United States
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for culinary arts students seeking a an associate degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
25 Top Schools for an Associate in Culinary Arts
Every student who is interested in an associate degree in culinary arts needs to take a look at Culinary Institute of America. The Culinary Institute of America is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Hyde Park.
Those culinary arts students who get their associate degree from Culinary Institute of America receive $6,869 more than the standard culinary arts student.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Culinary Institute of America
Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in culinary arts needs to check out Madison Area Technical College. Madison College is a large public college located in the city of Madison.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Madison Area Technical College
Valencia College is a wonderful option for individuals pursuing an associate degree in culinary arts. Valencia College is a very large public college located in the large city of Orlando.
Soon after graduation, culinary arts associate recipients usually make an average of $26,200 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Valencia College
Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in culinary arts needs to check out Kapiolani Community College. Located in the city of Honolulu, Kapiolani CC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Culinary Arts associate degree recipients from Kapiolani Community College earn a boost of about $4,969 above the typical income of culinary arts majors.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Kapiolani Community College
JWU Charlotte is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Charlotte.
Associate students who receive their degree from the culinary arts program earn around $25,900 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte
Located in the large suburb of North Miami, JWU North Miami is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly small student population.
Associate graduates who receive their degree from the culinary arts program earn around $25,900 for their early career.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University - North Miami
JCCC is a large public college located in the city of Overland Park.
Those culinary arts students who get their associate degree from Johnson County Community College earn $10,069 more than the standard culinary arts graduate.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Johnson County Community College
Located in the city of Louisville, Sullivan University is a private for-profit university with a small student population.
Associate graduates who receive their degree from the culinary arts program earn around $25,200 in their early career salary.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Sullivan University
NLU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.
Culinary Arts associate degree recipients from National Louis University get an earnings boost of about $4,369 above the average earnings of culinary arts majors.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from National Louis University
Located in the large city of Denver, JWU Denver is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Associate students who receive their degree from the culinary arts program make around $25,900 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University - Denver
UH Maui College is a small public university located in the city of Kahului.
Associate recipients from the culinary arts degree program at University of Hawaii Maui College earn $13,269 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from University of Hawaii Maui College
Cincinnati State is a medium-sized public college located in the large city of Cincinnati.
Associate recipients from the culinary arts degree program at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College get $3,369 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
Nassau Community College is a fairly large public college located in the suburb of Garden City.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Nassau Community College
Leeward CC is a medium-sized public college located in the suburb of Pearl City.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Leeward Community College
Located in the rural area of Sanborn, Niagara County Community College is a public college with a small student population.
Students who graduate with their associate from the culinary arts program report average early career wages of $22,300.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Niagara County Community College
Monroe College is a medium-sized private for-profit college located in the city of Bronx.
Students who graduate with their associate from the culinary arts program report average early career wages of $19,200.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Monroe College
Joliet Junior College is a large public college located in the suburb of Joliet.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Joliet Junior College
Located in the town of Delhi, SUNY Delhi is a public school with a small student population.
Associate students who receive their degree from the culinary arts program make about $21,300 for their early career.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from SUNY Delhi
IUP is a large public university located in the distant town of Indiana.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus
MCC is a small public college located in the large suburb of Manchester.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Manchester Community College
Located in the midsize city of Fort Lauderdale, Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Associate graduates who receive their degree from the culinary arts program earn about $24,500 for their early career.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale
Located in the rural area of Fennimore, Southwest Tech is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
FSCJ is a very large public college located in the city of Jacksonville.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Florida State College at Jacksonville
Located in the large city of Virginia Beach, ECPI University is a private for-profit university with a large student population.
Associate students who receive their degree from the culinary arts program earn about $20,900 for their early career.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from ECPI University
HCC is a medium-sized public college located in the city of Columbia.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Howard Community College
Rest of the Top Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Culinary Arts students that almost earned our Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | Alfred State College | Alfred, NY |
| 35 | Miami Dade College | Miami, FL |
| 36 | Milwaukee Area Technical College | Milwaukee, WI |
| 37 | Pittsburgh Technical College | Oakdale, PA |
| 38 | College of Lake County | Grayslake, IL |
| 39 | Waukesha County Technical College | Pewaukee, WI |
| 40 | Metropolitan Community College | Omaha, NE |
| 41 | SUNY Schenectady County Community College | Schenectady, NY |
| 42 | Chippewa Valley Technical College | Eau Claire, WI |
| 43 | El Centro College | Dallas, TX |
| 44 | Des Moines Area Community College | Ankeny, IA |
Culinary Arts by Region
View the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Rankings in Majors Related to Culinary Arts
One of 3 majors within the Personal & Culinary Services area of study, Culinary Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
Culinary Arts Focus Areas
Majors Similar to Culinary Arts
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Funeral & Mortuary Science | 1,398 |
| Cosmetology | 992 |
| Other Personal & Culinary Services | 3 |
Notes and References
- The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to U.S. Army Europe Images. More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Culinary Arts Schools
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University
You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More > |
College Factual provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© College Factual – All Rights Reserved.
.jpg){kind=link}