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2023 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Finding the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree School for You
Culinary Arts is the #11 most popular major in the country with 22,075 degrees and certificates awarded in 2021-2022.
Today's trade school students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Trade College Search has created the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 21 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for culinary arts majors pursuing a associate degree.
Top 10 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Chippewa Valley Technical College the best school in the Great Lakes Region for culinary arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Eau Claire, CVTC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Chippewa Valley Technical College
Out of the 21 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, National Louis University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, NLU is a private not-for-profit college 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 $13,165.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at National Louis University
Out of the 21 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Madison Area Technical College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Madison, Madison College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Culinary Arts majors at Madison College take out an average of $12,211 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Out of the 21 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Waukesha County Technical College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Pewaukee, WCTC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that culinary arts majors at WCTC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,902.
Out of the 21 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Cincinnati State is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Cincinnati.
Culinary Arts majors at Cincinnati State take out an average of $10,789 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Baker 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 #6 on the list. Located in the town of Owosso, Baker College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their Associate Degree, culinary arts majors at Baker College accumulate an average of around $13,531 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $205, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
With a ranking of #7, Grand Rapids Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for culinary arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the midsize city of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Community College is a public college with a large student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, culinary arts graduates from Grand Rapids Community College carry an average student debtload of $14,085.
Schoolcraft 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 #8 on the list. Located in the city of Livonia, Schoolcraft College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, culinary arts graduates from Schoolcraft College carry an average student debtload of $14,643.
Gateway Technical 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. Gateway Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Kenosha.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Gateway Technical College
Fox Valley Technical College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. FVTC is a large public school located in the suburb of Appleton.
Read full report on Culinary Arts at Fox Valley Technical College
Best Culinary Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best culinary arts colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 413 |
| Indiana | 181 |
| Wisconsin | 333 |
| Ohio | 305 |
| Illinois | 668 |
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 | 10,546 |
| Baking & Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef | 5,029 |
| General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts | 3,303 |
| Restaurant, Culinary, & Catering Management/Manager | 1,394 |
| Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant | 786 |
| Other Culinary Arts & Related Services | 335 |
| Institutional Food Workers | 204 |
| Culinary Science/Culinology | 203 |
| Bartending/Bartender | 157 |
| Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, & Dining Room Management/Manager | 82 |
| Meat Cutting/Meat Cutter | 28 |
| Wine Steward/Sommelier | 8 |
Majors Similar to Culinary Arts
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Cosmetology | 124,611 |
| Funeral & Mortuary Science | 2,186 |
| Casino Operations and Services | 385 |
| Other Personal & Culinary Services | 95 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 21 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.
More about our data sources and methodologies.