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Most Popular Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools in Virginia

2023 Most Popular Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools in Virginia

10 Colleges
$25,389 Avg Salary
$15,195 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree School for You

In 2021-2022, 357 degrees and certificates were awarded to culinary arts students who went to a Virginia college or university. This makes it the #15 most popular major in the state.

With all the trade school programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Most Popular Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools in Virginia ranking. This report analyzed 10 schools in Virginia to see which ones were the most popular associate degree programs for trade school students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Culinary Arts program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for culinary arts majors pursuing a associate degree.

#1

ECPI University

Virginia Beach, VA

Our analysis found ECPI University to be the most popular school for culinary arts students who want to pursue a associate degree in Virginia. ECPI University is a large private for-profit school located in the large city of Virginia Beach.

Of the 111 students majoring in culinary arts at ECPI University, 42% are male and 58% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, culinary arts graduates from ECPI University carry an average student debt load of $16,992. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $151, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Virginia Western Community College is a great place for culinary arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Roanoke, Virginia Western Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Women make up 55% of the culinary arts majors at the school.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Virginia Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools in Virginia list. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Central Virginia Community College is a public college with a small student population.

Of the 8 students majoring in culinary arts at Central Virginia Community College, 38% are male and 63% are female.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Tidewater Community College is a great place for culinary arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the midsize city of Norfolk, Tidewater Community College is a public college with a large student population.

Women make up 43% of the culinary arts majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, culinary arts graduates from Tidewater Community College carry an average student debt load of $19,654.

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#6

Columbia College

Vienna, VA

Columbia College ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools in Virginia list. Located in the large suburb of Vienna, Columbia College is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Of the 5 students majoring in culinary arts at Columbia College, 40% are male and 60% are female.

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#7

Piedmont Virginia Community College

Charlottesville, VA

Piedmont Virginia Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, PVCC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

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Reynolds Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Culinary Arts Associate Degree Trade Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in the suburb of Richmond, Reynolds Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Of the 10 students majoring in culinary arts at Reynolds Community College, 30% are male and 70% are female.

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The Art Institute of Virginia Beach did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for culinary arts students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Virginia Beach, Ai Virginia Beach is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

The average amount in student loans that culinary arts majors at Ai Virginia Beach take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,097. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $227.

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Dabney S Lancaster Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree culinary arts programs. Located in the rural area of Clifton Forge, DSLCC is a public college with a small student population.

Of the 4 students majoring in culinary arts at DSLCC, 50% are male and 50% are female.

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Best Culinary Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
South Carolina 215
Georgia 864
Arkansas 283
North Carolina 811
Florida 1,298
West Virginia 59
Louisiana 367
Tennessee 104
Alabama 94
Kentucky 359
Mississippi 320

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 10 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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