2023 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools
Finding the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree School for You
Culinary Arts is the #11 most popular major in the country with 19,784 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
There are so many trade school programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
The Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 147 schools in the United States to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Colleges.
Top 15% Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools
Our analysis found Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Boulder to be the best school for culinary arts students who want to pursue a associate degree in the United States. Located in the city of Boulder, Escoffier - Boulder is a private for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their Associate Degree, culinary arts majors at Escoffier - Boulder accumulate an average of around $16,632 in student debt.
Out of the 147 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Culinary Institute of America landed the # 2 spot on the list. The Culinary Institute of America is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Hyde Park.
The average amount in student loans that culinary arts majors at The Culinary Institute of America take out while working on their Associate Degree is $14,124. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $450.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Culinary Institute of America
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus is a great place for culinary arts students working on their associate degree. IUP is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Indiana.
The excellent associate degree programs at Chippewa Valley Technical College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best culinary arts schools in the United States. Located in the city of Eau Claire, CVTC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Johnson County Community College is a great place for culinary arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Overland Park, JCCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Culinary Arts majors at JCCC take out an average of $13,463 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Full Culinary Arts at Johnson County Community College Report
Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Austin did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for culinary arts students to get a associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of Austin, Escoffier - Austin is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that culinary arts majors at Escoffier - Austin take out while working on their Associate Degree is $17,367. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $133, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Austin
Saint Paul College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking. Saint Paul College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Saint Paul.
After completing their Associate Degree, culinary arts graduates from Saint Paul College carry an average student debtload of $20,167.
With a ranking of #8, Cerritos College did quite well on this year’s best schools for culinary arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of Norwalk, Cerritos College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
University of Hawaii Maui College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for culinary arts students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Kahului, UH Maui College is a public school with a small student population.
Full Culinary Arts at University of Hawaii Maui College Report
National Louis University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools list. Located in the city of Chicago, NLU is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that culinary arts majors at NLU take out while working on their Associate Degree is $17,353. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $479, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at National Louis University
With a ranking of #11, Madison Area Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for culinary arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Madison, Madison College is a public college with a large student population.
On average, culinary arts graduates from Madison College take out $17,638 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Madison Area Technical College
Clover Park Technical College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools list. Located in the small city of Lakewood, CPTC is a public college with a small student population.
North Shore Community College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Danvers, North Shore Community College is a public school with a small student population.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at North Shore Community College
Des Moines Area Community College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree culinary arts programs. Located in the suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Culinary Arts majors at DMACC take out an average of $11,783 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Des Moines Area Community College
Waukesha County Technical College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree culinary arts programs. Located in the suburb of Pewaukee, WCTC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their Associate Degree, culinary arts majors at WCTC accumulate an average of around $16,964 in student debt.
The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, culinary arts graduates from The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College carry an average student debtload of $16,363. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $388, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College
El Centro College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for culinary arts students to get a associate degree. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, culinary arts graduates from El Centro College take out $22,807 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Pennsylvania College of Technology landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree culinary arts programs. Penn College is a small public school located in the city of Williamsport.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Pennsylvania College of Technology
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for culinary arts students to get a associate degree. It came in at #19 on the list. Cincinnati State is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Cincinnati.
Full Culinary Arts at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Report
With a ranking of #20, Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte did quite well on this year’s best schools for culinary arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Charlotte, JWU Charlotte is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their Associate Degree, culinary arts majors at JWU Charlotte accumulate an average of around $17,376 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $314.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte
Kapiolani Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for culinary arts students to get a associate degree. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the city of Honolulu, Kapiolani CC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, culinary arts graduates from Kapiolani CC carry an average student debtload of $11,867.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Kapiolani Community College
Baker College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools list. Located in the town of Owosso, Baker College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Culinary Arts majors at Baker College take out an average of $17,466 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $99.
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Culinary Arts students that almost earned our Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Sullivan University | Louisville, KY |
| 24 | Culinary Institute Inc | Houston, TX |
| 25 | Grand Rapids Community College | Grand Rapids, MI |
| 26 | Stratford University | Fairfax, VA |
| 27 | Schoolcraft College | Livonia, MI |
| 28 | Johnson & Wales University - Providence | Providence, RI |
| 29 | Brookdale Community College | Lincroft, NJ |
Culinary Arts by Region
View the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Culinary Arts Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Culinary Arts
One of 4 majors within the trade school area of study, culinary arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
Culinary Arts Focus Areas
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Culinary Arts/Chef Training | 9,052 |
| Baking & Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef | 4,322 |
| General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts | 3,156 |
| Restaurant, Culinary, & Catering Management/Manager | 1,380 |
| Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant | 801 |
| Other Culinary Arts & Related Services | 411 |
| Culinary Science/Culinology | 196 |
| Bartending/Bartender | 183 |
| Institutional Food Workers | 157 |
| Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, & Dining Room Management/Manager | 84 |
| Meat Cutting/Meat Cutter | 35 |
| Wine Steward/Sommelier | 7 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Culinary Arts
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Cosmetology | 107,895 |
| Funeral & Mortuary Science | 2,354 |
| Casino Operations and Services | 192 |
| Other Personal & Culinary Services | 81 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to U.S. Army Europe Images.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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