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2023 Most Popular Culinary Arts Basic Certificate Trade Schools
Finding the Best Culinary Arts Basic Certificate School for You
In 2021-2022, 22,075 people earned a degree or certificate in culinary arts, making the major the #11 most popular in the United States.
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.
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 Basic Certificate Trade Schools ranking. This report analyzed 329 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular basic certificate 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.
2023 Most Popular Culinary Arts Basic Certificate Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Culinary Arts Basic Certificate Colleges.
Top 25 Most Popular Trade Schools for an Award Taking Less Than 1 Year in Culinary Arts
Our 2023 rankings named Institute of Culinary Education the most popular school in the United States for culinary arts students working on their basic certificate. Institute of Culinary Education is a small private for-profit school located in the city of New York.
Of the 677 students majoring in culinary arts at Institute of Culinary Education, 42% are male and 58% are female.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Institute of Culinary Education - Los Angeles is a great place for culinary arts students working on their basic certificate. Located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena, Institute of Culinary Education - Los Angeles is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
Women make up 52% of the culinary arts majors at the school.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Valencia College is a great place for culinary arts students working on their basic certificate. Located in the city of Orlando, Valencia College is a public school with a very large student population.
About 72% of the students majoring in culinary arts at the school are women while 28% are male.
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Out of the 329 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Ivy Tech Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Ivy Tech Community College is a very large public school located in the city of Indianapolis.
Of the 162 students majoring in culinary arts at Ivy Tech Community College, 40% are male and 60% are female.
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The in-demand basic certificate programs at Lee College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular culinary arts schools in the United States. Located in the city of Baytown, Lee College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Of the 50 students majoring in culinary arts at Lee College, 72% are male and 28% are female.
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With a ranking of #6, University of Arkansas - Pulaski Technical College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for culinary arts students working on their basic certificate. Located in the small city of North Little Rock, UA Pulaski Tech is a public college with a small student population.
Of the 59 students majoring in culinary arts at UA Pulaski Tech, 24% are male and 76% are female.
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Wake Technical Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular basic certificate culinary arts programs. Wake Technical Community College is a very large public school located in the suburb of Raleigh.
Women make up 60% of the culinary arts majors at the school.
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Miami Dade College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular basic certificate culinary arts programs. Located in the large city of Miami, MDC is a public school with a very large student population.
Of the 137 students majoring in culinary arts at MDC, 47% are male and 53% are female.
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Trident Technical College ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Culinary Arts Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. Trident Technical College is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Charleston.
Of the 102 students majoring in culinary arts at Trident Technical College, 36% are male and 64% are female.
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El Centro College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for culinary arts students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
About 53% of the students majoring in culinary arts at the school are women while 47% are male.
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Central Georgia Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for culinary arts students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #11 on the list. CGTC is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Warner Robins.
About 78% of the students majoring in culinary arts at the school are women while 22% are male.
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Pueblo Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Culinary Arts Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. Pueblo Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Pueblo.
About 19% of the students majoring in culinary arts at the school are women while 81% are male.
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St Philip’s College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Culinary Arts Basic Certificate Trade Schools ranking. Located in the city of San Antonio, St Philip's College is a public school with a large student population.
Women make up 81% of the culinary arts majors at the school.
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Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Boulder ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Culinary Arts Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Boulder, Escoffier - Boulder is a private for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Women make up 67% of the culinary arts majors at the school.
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Crescent City Bartending School ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Culinary Arts Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. Located in the large city of New Orleans, Crescent Schools is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
About 63% of the students majoring in culinary arts at the school are women while 37% are male.
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College of Lake County came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Culinary Arts Basic Certificate Trade Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Grayslake, College of Lake County is a public college with a large student population.
About 84% of the students majoring in culinary arts at the school are women while 16% are male.
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Elgin Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for culinary arts students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #16 on the list. ECC is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Elgin.
Women make up 58% of the culinary arts majors at the school.
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Southern Crescent Technical College ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Culinary Arts Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. Southern Crescent Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Griffin.
Of the 53 students majoring in culinary arts at Southern Crescent Technical College, 42% are male and 58% are female.
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West Georgia Technical College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Culinary Arts Basic Certificate Trade Schools ranking. West Georgia Technical College is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Waco.
About 63% of the students majoring in culinary arts at the school are women while 37% are male.
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Central Piedmont Community College landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular basic certificate culinary arts programs. Located in the large city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Of the 54 students majoring in culinary arts at Central Piedmont Community College, 19% are male and 81% are female.
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With a ranking of #21, City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for culinary arts students working on their basic certificate. Kennedy-King College is a small public school located in the large city of Chicago.
About 76% of the students majoring in culinary arts at the school are women while 24% are male.
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Central New Mexico Community College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Culinary Arts Basic Certificate Trade Schools ranking. Located in the city of Albuquerque, CNM is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Of the 70 students majoring in culinary arts at CNM, 47% are male and 53% are female.
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South Georgia Technical College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Culinary Arts Basic Certificate Trade Schools ranking. South Georgia Technical College is a small public school located in the rural area of Americus.
Women make up 71% of the culinary arts majors at the school.
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Los Angeles Mission College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Culinary Arts Basic Certificate Trade Schools ranking. Located in the city of Sylmar, Los Angeles Mission College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Of the 69 students majoring in culinary arts at Los Angeles Mission College, 39% are male and 61% are female.
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Collin County Community College District did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for culinary arts students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #25 on the list. Collin County Community College District is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of McKinney.
Of the 31 students majoring in culinary arts at Collin County Community College District, 23% are male and 77% are female.
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Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Culinary Arts Basic Certificate Trade Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Estrella Mountain Community College | Avondale, AZ |
| 52 | Columbus Technical College | Columbus, GA |
| 52 | Hennepin Technical College | Brooklyn Park, MN |
| 54 | South Plains College | Levelland, TX |
| 54 | Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Austin | Austin, TX |
| 54 | Athens Technical College | Athens, GA |
| 54 | SOWELA Technical Community College | Lake Charles, LA |
| 58 | Arizona Culinary Institute | Scottsdale, AZ |
| 58 | Red Rocks Community College | Lakewood, CO |
| 58 | Madison Area Technical College | Madison, WI |
| 58 | Scottsdale Community College | Scottsdale, AZ |
| 62 | Remington College - Memphis Campus | Memphis, TN |
| 62 | Central Community College | Grand Island, NE |
| 62 | Horry-Georgetown Technical College | Conway, SC |
| 65 | Guilford Technical Community College | Jamestown, NC |
| 65 | Kiamichi Technology Center-McAlester | McAlester, OK |
| 65 | Grossmont College | El Cajon, CA |
| 65 | Meridian Technology Center | Stillwater, OK |
Culinary Arts by Region
View the Most Popular Culinary Arts Basic Certificate Trade Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Other U.S. Territories |
| Great Lakes |
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
Most Popular Majors Related 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 25 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.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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