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Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Florida

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2023 Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Florida

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

8 Colleges
$7,548 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$25,389 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree School for You

In 2021-2022, 1,298 degrees and certificates were awarded to culinary arts students who went to a Florida college or university. This makes it the #14 most popular major in the state.

It's not easy to decide which trade school program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Florida ranking. This report analyzed 8 schools in Florida 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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Florida

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

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

#1

Miami Dade College

Miami, FL

Our analysis found Miami Dade College to be the best value school for culinary arts students who want to pursue a associate degree in Florida. Located in the large city of Miami, MDC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

MDC undergraduate students pay an average of $2,838 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, culinary arts graduates from MDC take out $15,167 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

MDC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools in Florida list.

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#2

Valencia College

Orlando, FL

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Valencia College is a great value for culinary arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Orlando, Valencia College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Valencia College are $2,474 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, culinary arts majors at Valencia College accumulate an average of around $16,761 in student debt.

Valencia College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools in Florida list.

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#3

Pensacola State College

Pensacola, FL

Out of the 8 schools in Florida that were part of this year’s ranking, Pensacola State College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Pensacola, Pensacola State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Pensacola State are $2,365 per year.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Pensacola State College

#4

Daytona State College

Daytona Beach, FL

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Daytona State College is a great value for culinary arts students working on their associate degree. Daytona State College is a large public school located in the small city of Daytona Beach.

Daytona State College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,106 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Culinary Arts majors at Daytona State College take out an average of $13,578 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#5

Indian River State College

Fort Pierce, FL

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Indian River State College is a great value for culinary arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of Fort Pierce, Indian River State College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Indian River State College are $2,764 per year.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Indian River State College

Eastern Florida State College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree culinary arts programs. Located in the small city of Melbourne, EFSC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

EFSC undergraduate students pay an average of $2,791 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Culinary Arts at Eastern Florida State College Report

AI Miami International University of Art and Design 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. Located in the city of Miami, International Fine Arts College is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at International Fine Arts College are $20,794 per year. The average amount in student loans that culinary arts majors at International Fine Arts College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $19,726. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $213.

Full Culinary Arts at AI Miami International University of Art and Design Report

#8

Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale 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. Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Fort Lauderdale.

Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale undergraduate students pay an average of $23,248 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, culinary arts graduates from Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale take out $20,082 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $271.

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Best Value Culinary Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 864
South Carolina 215
Arkansas 283
North Carolina 811
West Virginia 59
Louisiana 367
Virginia 357
Alabama 94
Kentucky 359
Tennessee 104
Mississippi 320

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

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 8 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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