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Chef Training

Types of Degrees Chef Training Majors Are Earning

Those studying Chef Training have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	3,030
Associate’s Degree	4,543
Bachelor’s Degree	183
Master’s Degree	3,406

What Chef Training Majors Need to Know

Programs in Chef Training develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Chef Training graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Chef Training emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Food Production — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Production and Processing — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Chef Training program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Monitoring — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Time Management — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Chef Training careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Chef Training graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	3.7 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.5 / 7
Performing General Physical Activities	3.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.3 / 7
Handling and Moving Objects	3.3 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Chef Training professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Menu planning software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Inventory management software	Inventory management software	—
Delphi Technology	Financial analysis software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
YouTube	Video creation and editing software	—
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Chef Training graduates include:

• Cook
• Cooking Chef
• Personal Chef
• Culinary Chef
• Culinary Artist
• Private Chef
• Culinary Specialist
• Kitchen Supervisor
• Cook Manager
• Kitchen Manager
• Food and Beverage Director
• Holiday Food Prepper
• Certified Personal Chef (CPC)
• Personal Private Chef
• Dinner Cook

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Chef Training graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	37.8%
Less than a high school diploma	19.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	19.0%
Postsecondary certificate	16.3%
Some college courses	5.2%
Bachelor’s degree	1.8%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Chef Training?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 54% women and 46% men among Chef Training graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	6,041	54.0%
Men	5,153	46.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Chef Training graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	4,470	39.9%
Asian	383	3.4%
Hispanic or Latino	2,261	20.2%
Black or African American	2,788	24.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	90	0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	37	0.3%
Two or More Races	434	3.9%
Race Unknown	449	4.0%
International Students	282	2.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Chef Training Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Chef Training graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$24,617
4 years	$29,033
5 years	$32,264

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $32,264 — roughly 31% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Chef Training Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Chef Training. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	10

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Chef Training Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Chef Training graduates earn a median of $29,033 four years after completion — about 24% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Culinary Arts and Related Services	24,487
Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef	5,539
Culinary Arts and Related Services	4,165
Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/Manager	1,343
Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant	1,052
Culinary Arts and Related Services, Other	333
Culinary Science/Culinology	301
Bartending/Bartender	237
Institutional Food Workers	181
Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, and Dining Room Management/Manager	75
Meat Cutting/Meat Cutter	60
Wine Steward/Sommelier	7

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.