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Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant

Types of Degrees Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	278
Associate’s Degree	45
Master’s Degree	709

What Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant Majors Need to Know

Programs in Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Food Production — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Sales and Marketing — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.9 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.6 / 7
Performing General Physical Activities	3.6 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.5 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.5 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.5 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.3 / 7
Monitoring and Controlling Resources	3.3 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Cooking e-books	Data base user interface and query software	—
Cost tracking software	Accounting software	—
YouTube	Video creation and editing software	—
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting software	—
WordPress	Web page creation and editing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
APPCA Personal Chef Office	Data base user interface and query software	—
Work scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Food inventory software	Inventory management software	—
Point of sale POS software	Point of sale POS software	—
PCS Revenue Control Systems FASTRAK School Meal Software	Point of sale POS software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant graduates include:

• Culinary Specialist
• Cook
• Dinner Cook
• Personal Chef
• Private Chef
• Personal Private Chef
• Personal Certified Chef (PCC)
• Private Executive Chef
• Certified Personal Chef (CPC)
• Culinary Worker
• Cooking Chef
• Culinary Chef
• Culinary Artist
• Household Cook
• Holiday Food Prepper

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	38.1%
Postsecondary certificate	34.1%
Less than a high school diploma	12.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	9.5%
Some college courses	4.2%
Bachelor’s degree	1.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 63.8% of Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	671	63.8%
Men	381	36.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	401	38.1%
Asian	13	1.2%
Hispanic or Latino	167	15.9%
Black or African American	377	35.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	13	1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.2%
Two or More Races	48	4.6%
Race Unknown	27	2.6%
International Students	4	0.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant 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 Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant. 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	1	1

^{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 Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Food Preparation/Kitchen Assistant 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
Culinary Arts/Chef Training	11,194
Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef	5,539
Culinary Arts and Related Services	4,165
Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/Manager	1,343
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.