Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Culinary Arts Major

Find Schools Near

Culinary Arts

22 Master's Degrees Annually
0 Doctor's Degrees Annually
#289 in Popularity (Master's)
$33,210 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Culinary Arts Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many culinary arts graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Master’s Degree 22

What Culinary Arts Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to culinary arts and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Culinary Arts Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in culinary arts should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

undefined
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Food Production - Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  • Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Culinary Arts Majors

culinary arts majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

undefined
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.

Abilities for Culinary Arts Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a culinary arts student include the following:

undefined
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Culinary Arts Major?

People with a culinary arts degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Food Scientists and Technologists 5.9% $65,300
Food Service Managers 9.0% $54,240
Professors 9.4% $65,660

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Culinary Arts?

22 Master's Degrees Annually
82% Percent Women
14% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
The major attracts more women than men. About 82% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of culinary arts majors is as follows:

undefined
Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 1
Black or African American 2
Hispanic or Latino 0
White 14
International Students 3
Other Races/Ethnicities 2

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Culinary Arts, too. About 13.6% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

  • South Korea
  • China
  • India
  • Mexico
  • Canada

How Much Do Culinary Arts Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in culinary arts was $38,764 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $38,764 (25th percentile) and $38,764 (75th percentile).

undefined

It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to culinary arts.

Salaries According to BLS

Culinary Arts majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $28,450 to $52,160 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for a Culinary Arts Major  ( 28450 to 52160 )
0K
250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
0K
250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
0K
250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
0K
250K

Some degrees associated with culinary arts may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for culinary arts careers below.

undefined
Education Level Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma 16.1%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 43.9%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 11.4%
Some College Courses 9.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 7.2%
Bachelor’s Degree 10.8%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. 0.6%
Master’s Degree 1.5%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. 0.1%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. 0.3%
Doctoral Degree 0.6%
Post-Doctoral Training 0.3%

Online Culinary Arts Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 643 schools offered some type of culinary arts program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 593 4
Certificate (2-4 Years) 36 0
Associate’s Degree 612 7
Bachelor’s Degree 0 0
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 6 1
Post-Master’s 1 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 1 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Culinary Arts Worth It?

The median salary for a culinary arts grad is $33,210 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

undefined

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Graduate Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited graduate schools across the U.S.