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Food Service & Dining Management

Types of Degrees Food Service & Dining Management Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Food Service & Dining Management can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	30
Associate’s Degree	1
Master’s Degree	10

What Food Service & Dining Management Majors Need to Know

Programs in Food Service & Dining Management emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Food Service & Dining Management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Food Service & Dining Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Food Production — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Production and Processing — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Food Service & Dining Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Management of Personnel Resources — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Food Service & Dining Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Food Service & Dining Management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.0 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.9 / 7
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.9 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	3.9 / 7
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Food Service & Dining Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
CostGuard	Accounting software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Compris Advanced Manager’s Workstation	Point of sale POS software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Inventory management software	Inventory management software	—
ParTech PixelPoint POS	Point of sale POS software	—
Compeat Restaurant Accounting Systems	Accounting software	—
CBORD Foodservice Suite	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
NCR Advanced Checkout Solution	Point of sale POS software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Food Service & Dining Management graduates include:

• Fountain Supervisor
• Snack Bar Manager
• Bar Manager
• Food Concession Manager
• Food Service Supervisor
• Dietary Supervisor
• Lunchroom Food Service Supervisor
• Room Service Supervisor
• Shift Supervisor
• Commissary Production Supervisor
• GM (General Manager)
• Cafeteria Manager
• Food Supervisor
• Restaurant Supervisor
• Dining Services Director

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Food Service & Dining Management graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	69.6%
Less than a high school diploma	27.1%
Postsecondary certificate	1.9%
Some college courses	1.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Food Service & Dining Management?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 57.3% women and 42.7% men among Food Service & Dining Management graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	43	57.3%
Men	32	42.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Food Service & Dining Management graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	33	44.0%
Asian	4	5.3%
Hispanic or Latino	12	16.0%
Black or African American	17	22.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	2.7%
Two or More Races	3	4.0%
Race Unknown	3	4.0%
International Students	1	1.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Food Service & Dining Management Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Food Service & Dining Management 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.}

Is a Degree in Food Service & Dining Management Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Food Service & Dining Management 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
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
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.