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Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Michigan

2023 Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Michigan

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

7 Colleges
$7,708 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$25,389 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree School for You

Culinary Arts is the #13 most popular major in Michigan with 413 degrees and certificates awarded in 2021-2022.

With all the trade school programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Trade College Search has created the Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Michigan to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 7 schools in Michigan to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for culinary arts students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Michigan

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for culinary arts majors pursuing a associate degree.

Best Michigan Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Culinary Arts

#1

Schoolcraft College

Livonia, MI

Our analysis found Schoolcraft College to be the best value school for culinary arts students who want to pursue a associate degree in Michigan. Schoolcraft College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Livonia.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Schoolcraft College are $5,650 per year. The average amount in student loans that culinary arts majors at Schoolcraft College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $14,643.

Schoolcraft College also claimed a spot on our Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools in Michigan list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Schoolcraft College

#2

Oakland Community College

Auburn Hills, MI

Out of the 7 schools in Michigan that were part of this year’s ranking, Oakland Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Oakland Community College is a large public school located in the large suburb of Auburn Hills.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Oakland Community College are $5,400 per year.

Oakland Community College also made our Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools in Michigan list, coming in at #3.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Oakland Community College

#3

Grand Rapids Community College

Grand Rapids, MI

Out of the 7 schools in Michigan that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Rapids Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Grand Rapids Community College is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Grand Rapids.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Grand Rapids Community College are $7,929 a year. The average amount in student loans that culinary arts majors at Grand Rapids Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $14,085.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kalamazoo Valley Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Michigan list. Kalamazoo Valley Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Kalamazoo.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Kalamazoo Valley Community College are $6,526 a year. Culinary Arts majors at Kalamazoo Valley Community College take out an average of $13,005 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Culinary Arts at Kalamazoo Valley Community College Report

#5

Northwestern Michigan College

Traverse City, MI

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northwestern Michigan College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Michigan list. NMC is a small public school located in the remote town of Traverse City.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NMC are $9,532 per year.

Full Culinary Arts at Northwestern Michigan College Report

Macomb Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree culinary arts programs. Macomb Community College is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Warren.

Macomb Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,210 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#7

Baker College

Owosso, MI

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 #7 on the list. Baker College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Owosso.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Baker College are $12,710 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, culinary arts graduates from Baker College carry an average student debtload of $13,531. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $205.

Read More…

Best Value Culinary Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value Culinary Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 181
Wisconsin 333
Ohio 305
Illinois 668

Culinary Arts is one of 4 different types of trade school programs to choose from.

Culinary Arts Concentrations

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

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 7 schools only.

  • 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.

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