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2024 Best Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois

3 Colleges in Illinois
668 Culinary Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,223 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in culinary arts is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #97 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 3 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 668 degrees in culinary arts to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Culinary Arts School

Best Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois The culinary arts program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Culinary Arts rankings. For our Best Overall Culinary Arts 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.

Culinary Arts Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Culinary Arts
Bachelor's Degrees in Culinary Arts

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Culinary Arts Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.


 

Best Schools for Culinary Arts in Illinois

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 degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Illinois Schools in Culinary Arts

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Culinary Arts Degrees Awarded
$31,385 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat National Louis University if you wish to pursue a degree in culinary arts. Located in the large 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 about 53 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at NLU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the culinary arts degree program at National Louis University earn $4,162 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

2
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
153 Culinary Arts Degrees Awarded
37.3% Growth in Graduates

City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in culinary arts. Located in the city of Chicago, Kennedy-King College is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 1877th out of 2,217 schools for overall quality nationwide.

There were roughly 153 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at Kennedy-King College in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the culinary arts program make an average of $20,684 for their early career.

More information about a degree in culinary arts from City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Culinary Arts Degrees Awarded
$22,926 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Joliet Junior College if you want to pursue a degree in culinary arts. Located in the large suburb of Joliet, Joliet Junior College is a public college with a large student population. This college ranks 57th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 46 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at Joliet Junior College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, culinary arts degree recipients typically make around $22,926 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in culinary arts from Joliet Junior College

Best Culinary Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Culinary Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 228
Ohio 314 133
Indiana 294 12
Wisconsin 273 106

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 Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Culinary Arts/Chef Training 354
Baking & Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef 145
Restaurant, Culinary, & Catering Management/Manager 89
Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant 69
Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, & Dining Room Management/Manager 8
General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts 2
Wine Steward/Sommelier 1

View All Culinary Arts Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Cosmetology 3,922
Funeral & Mortuary Science 135

View All Culinary Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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