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2024 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina

12 Colleges in North Carolina
401 Associate Degrees
$26,139 Avg Early-Career Salary
Culinary Arts is of the hottest associate degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #23 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 12 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 401 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

Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina 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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of associate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their associate degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for culinary arts students working on their associate degree.

More Ways to Rank Culinary Arts Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Culinary Arts Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The culinary arts school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina.


 

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Culinary Arts in North Carolina

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in culinary arts.

10 Top North Carolina Schools for an Associate in Culinary Arts

1
206 Annual Graduates
$26,084 Median Starting Salary
$14,745 Median Student Debt

Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte is a great choice for individuals interested in an associate degree in culinary arts. JWU Charlotte is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Charlotte.

Students who graduate with their associate from the culinary arts program report average early career income of $26,084.

More information about a associate in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte

2

Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in culinary arts needs to look into Wake Technical Community College. Wake Technical Community College is a very large public college located in the suburb of Raleigh.

Culinary Arts associate degree recipients from Wake Technical Community College earn a boost of approximately $5,677 above the average earnings of culinary arts majors.

More information about a associate in culinary arts from Wake Technical Community College

3

It is hard to beat Central Piedmont Community College if you want to pursue an associate degree in culinary arts. Located in the city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a public college with a large student population.

Students who graduate with their associate from the culinary arts program report average early career wages of $24,931.

More information about a associate in culinary arts from Central Piedmont Community College

4

Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in culinary arts has to take a look at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. A-B Tech is a medium-sized public college located in the city of Asheville.

Students who graduate with their associate from the culinary arts program report average early career earnings of $26,819.

More information about a associate in culinary arts from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College

5
2 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Statesville, Mitchell Community College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Mitchell Community College

6
5 Annual Graduates

Central Carolina Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the distant town of Sanford.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Central Carolina Community College

7
5 Annual Graduates

Located in the distant town of Lumberton, Robeson Community College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Robeson Community College

8
15 Annual Graduates
$21,045 Median Starting Salary
$32,614 Median Student Debt

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Jamestown, Guilford Technical Community College is a public college with a large student population.

Soon after graduation, culinary arts associate recipients generally make an average of $21,045 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a associate in culinary arts from Guilford Technical Community College

9
11 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Fayetteville, FTCC is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Fayetteville Technical Community College

10
5 Annual Graduates

Southwestern Community College is a small public college located in the distant town of Sylva.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Southwestern Community College

Best Culinary Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Culinary Arts Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Mississippi 143 89
Georgia 121 184
Florida 121 294
Arkansas 105 53
Tennessee 102 36
Virginia 97 250
West Virginia 92 33
Kentucky 90 109
Louisiana 80 90
South Carolina 77 85
Alabama 69 63

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Personal & Culinary Services area of study, Culinary Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Culinary Arts Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Culinary Arts/Chef Training 276
Baking & Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef 125

Related Major Annual Graduates
Cosmetology 193
Funeral & Mortuary Science 74

Notes and References

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