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Institutional Food Workers

Types of Degrees Institutional Food Workers Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Institutional Food Workers may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	35
Associate’s Degree	31
Master’s Degree	115

What Institutional Food Workers Majors Need to Know

Studies in Institutional Food Workers emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Institutional Food Workers graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Institutional Food Workers emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Food Production — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Institutional Food Workers program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 2.4 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.
• Quality Control Analysis — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 2.5 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Institutional Food Workers careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Category Flexibility — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Institutional Food Workers graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	3.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.8 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	3.7 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.6 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Institutional Food Workers professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
IBM Lotus 1-2-3	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Point of sale POS software	Point of sale POS software	—
Meals Plus	Data base user interface and query software	—
GNOME Gnutrition	Analytical or scientific software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
PCS Revenue Control Systems FASTRAK School Meal Software	Point of sale POS software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Institutional Food Workers graduates include:

• Ranch Cook
• Food Service Worker
• Mess Cook
• Kitchen Cook
• Dinner Cook
• Special Diet Cook
• Prep Cook (Preparatory Cook)
• School Cafeteria Cook
• Food Service Specialist
• Cafeteria Cook
• Institutional Cook
• Culinary Specialist
• Nutrition Care Specialist
• Dietary Cook
• Boarding House Cook

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	71.1%
Postsecondary certificate	14.2%
Bachelor’s degree	6.8%
Some college courses	5.8%
Less than a high school diploma	1.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Institutional Food Workers?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 51.4% women and 48.6% men among Institutional Food Workers graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	93	51.4%
Men	88	48.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Institutional Food Workers graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	88	48.6%
Asian	8	4.4%
Hispanic or Latino	24	13.3%
Black or African American	36	19.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	7	3.9%
Two or More Races	8	4.4%
Race Unknown	10	5.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Institutional Food Workers Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Institutional Food Workers graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow 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 Institutional Food Workers Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Institutional Food Workers 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
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.