### SUMMARY

 A degree in Culinary Arts is a valuable choice and usually an obligatory first step for undergraduates planning to enter a career as an executive chef, a culinary food scientist, or a food service coordinator. In fact, culinary arts is a ​unique major being the 224th most popular degree. Last year alone, there were 875 culinary arts diplomas received. In-state tuition for culinary arts at private institutions is, on average, 3.1 times more spendy than their public rivals.

 With only 50 colleges having programs for this degree you may have a smaller selection of institutions which will have a degree program for you. If you're hoping to surround yourself with other culinary arts undergraduates, consider colleges in Rhode Island which have more undergrads admitted to culinary arts than any other state. less precisely, the best region to study culinary arts is in the New England region with [Southern New Hampshire University](/colleges/southern-new-hampshire-university), [Johnson & Wales University-Providence](/colleges/johnson-wales-university-providence), and [New England Culinary Institute](/colleges/new-england-culinary-institute) best representing the region. Interestingly, our pick of the top conference to study culinary arts is the Great Northeast Athletic Conference with [Johnson & Wales University-Providence](/colleges/johnson-wales-university-providence) representing the conference. That said, our selection for the best school for culinary arts is [University of Minnesota-Twin Cities](/colleges/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities). You may also want to check out our list of [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges).

 The objectively best school does not have to be the 'best' school for you. There might be tons of factors to weigh when deciding on institution. Stuff like campus amenities, transportation services, and food would definitely alter your choice of where to go to university. At Authority, we examined the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you are interested in which culinary arts college is home to the top campus, the answer is [Central Washington University](/colleges/central-washington-university). If, for example, you are very interested in which university boasts the best campus, we have a whole list [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through student reviews, government databases, professor reviews, and more in order to compare every major in an unbiased and informative way. You can find our well researched list for the schools with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbsphere and, from that list, our choice for the college with the best student life for culinary arts is [University of Minnesota-Twin Cities](/colleges/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities). Are you curious why? Continue scrolling to learn more about our top choices. Some of our decisions just might shock you.

 If cost is a major influence in your decisions, you might consider avoiding [Drexel University](/colleges/drexel-university). [Drexel University](/colleges/drexel-university)&nbspappears to be the most expensive university for culinary arts, at least for out of state students. That being said, we have a page for the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspschools that could put the price tag of [Drexel University](/colleges/drexel-university)&nbspinto perspective. You may also want to know that culinary arts is the 354th most expensive program in America, with an average bill of $19,300. On a broader scale, the most expensive state for culinary arts in the nation is Pennsylvania with costs at the main three institutions totalling $52,146 at Drexel University, adding up to $31,180 at Point Park University, and tuition and fees amounting to $31,180 at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College. Even more broadly, the most expensive region for culinary arts is unfortunately unavailable due to missing data.

 Our cheapest region for culinary arts is the Far West region which is represented by [Cypress College](/colleges/cypress-college) with a cost of $6,840, [The Art Institute of Las Vegas](/colleges/the-art-institute-of-las-vegas) with a cost of $17,316, and [Central Washington University](/colleges/central-washington-university) with a cost of $21,999. On the bright side, the most affordable college for culinary arts is [Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Carolina Campus](/colleges/universidad-ana-g-mendez-carolina-campus). Authority.org's entire list of the most affordable universities can be explored [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state attendees can expect to pay in the neighborhood of $9,100 for a degree in culinary arts. The price swells dramatically to a median of $17,200 for an out-of-state public-school undergrad. Our pick for the school constituting the best value for culinary arts: [Drexel University](/colleges/drexel-university). On this page you can find our comprehensive list about the schools we believe to be the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspoverall. That being said, this list is based on out-of-state tuition costs. A discussion of value changes when in-state tuition costs are considered, as such, we are using out-of-state tuition as the baseline.

 Earnings for culinary arts majors vary a lot, but within two-years of completing the major graduates will often earn around $47,000. There is a lot of variation in earnings; top positions can make up to $88,600. Even straight out of college, the minimum earning jobs within the culinary arts field make $25,000, which could be worse. The highest earning graduates for culinary arts come from [Drexel University](/colleges/drexel-university)&nbspand if you want to find the colleges with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), Authority has that too.

 The overall diversity of culinary arts sits near the top, falling in the 85th percentile of majors nationally. The school with the highest composite diversity for culinary arts is [Johnson & Wales University-Providence](/colleges/johnson-wales-university-providence)&nbspand here you can find our general list of the universities with the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The financial diversity of Culinary Arts ranks only in the 3rd percentile of all majors. Racial diversity is greater than financial diversity, in the 82nd percentile. White students compose the largest share, 50%, of scholars majoring in culinary arts. Additionally, 64% of undergrads seeking a culinary arts major are women.

 The median rating for culinary arts professors is 4.1 stars, a ranking which is 2% higher than the median score for every major; which is a good ranking. If you are looking for the most popular culinary arts professor in the country, take a look at Clinton Hewan from [Northern Kentucky University](/colleges/northern-kentucky-university). It might be shocking, but the top rated instructors of culinary arts according to students are at [Northern Kentucky University](/colleges/northern-kentucky-university). As we including data other than simply rankings it becomes clear that the college with the overall best instructors for culinary arts is [University of Minnesota-Twin Cities](/colleges/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities). One can find an explanation of our evolving ranking methodology for the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), along with some of the finest professors in the U.S.

 Finally, the hardest university to get into for culinary arts is [University of Minnesota-Twin Cities](/colleges/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities). While we think of this list more as a novelty, we do have a detailed page for the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). That being said, we hope you understand that approaching the education process from examples primarily derived from superlatives might create issues. We at Authority hope you read our more focused pages on different universities and read a couple of our background articles on important things to look out for as your school search continues.



 ### POPULARITY

 Culinary arts is the 224th most popular degree in America, with 875 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #225 [Broadcast Journalism](/rankings/best-colleges-for-broadcast-journalism), and narrowly lost to #223 [Art Teacher Education](/rankings/best-colleges-for-art-teacher-education).

 The degree is offered at a total of 50 colleges across the nation, and is the 278th most widely offered degree. It is only offered at 1% of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America.

 It is also worth noting that a little less than six sevenths of colleges offering culinary arts are public making it a very accessible field.

 The new england produces the most culinary arts graduates, largely led by [Southern New Hampshire University](/colleges/southern-new-hampshire-university), while it’s the Great Northeast Athletic Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, Rhode Island ranks highest, with particular help from [Johnson & Wales University-Providence](/colleges/johnson-wales-university-providence) and [Gadsden State Community College](/colleges/gadsden-state-community-college), which graduated 158 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study culinary arts). More students studied culinary arts as a percentage of total students at [Cypress College](/colleges/cypress-college) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Culinary arts is the 354th most expensive degree in the US, with a median cost of $19,260 amongst the top 50 programs.

 The Rocky Mountains have the most expensive schools with great culinary arts programs led by [Johnson & Wales University-Denver](/colleges/johnson-wales-university-denver) with an annual cost of $33,054. The most expensive state for culinary arts is Pennsylvania led by [Drexel University](/colleges/drexel-university) and [Point Park University](/colleges/point-park-university).

 Public schools with solid programs typically charge 67.56% less than private schools for in-state students. However, when looking at out-of-state tuition, the median top 50 Public school charges 38.79% less than the median private school. So, if you're hoping to attend a state school, make sure you're eligible for in-state tuition sooner rather than later.

 The most high-priced option in the top 25 is [Drexel University](/colleges/drexel-university), which is the 96th most expensive college in the nation. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Carolina Campus](/colleges/universidad-ana-g-mendez-carolina-campus). It costs just $4,920 per year, and it's its culinary arts program is ranked #11. Another more affordable option would be #12, [Nicholls State University](/colleges/nicholls-state-university) in Lafourche Parish, LA with a cost of $4,922 for in-state students and $6,015 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 Enrolling in college is a massive investment for most undergraduates. It's important to ensure you justify that spend. We wish for the following career and earnings data to support you in deciding your major at college.

 Fresh out of university, Culinary Arts students draw $18,507 per annum on average (bottom 0%). Further into their professional lives, they can make as much as $88,580 to as little as $25,041, but average more or less $47,016. For context, that's 22% greater than the national average.

 The most popular job title for a Culinary Arts graduate is Delivery Driver, which normally earn around $26,000; next are Inside Sales Representative and Account Executive, which typically earn roughly $26,000 and $36,000 respectively.

 The Plains has the best paid Culinary Arts graduates. MN has the highest grossing Culinary Arts graduates of any state. Big Ten Conference has the highest grossing Culinary Arts graduates of any conference..



### PROFESSORS

 Fast Facts for Culinary Arts: Median Professor Rating: 4.1 / 5, which is above average.

 Instructors constantly play a hefty role in shaping your college experience, no matter what you major in. A thought-provoking professor could provide inspiration and even make a difficult subject seem easy. On the other hand, a bad professor can disenchant you from a subject or even worse... flunk you!

 Professors of Culinary Arts have a median student rating of 4.1 out of 5, which puts these professors in the top 44th percentile in the United States based on overall professor quality. For context a 4.1 rating is 2.5% above the national median professor rating for all subjects. Culinary Arts professors barely out-ranked those from ["Information Science"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-information-science), whereas ["Entrepreneurship"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-entrepreneurship)&nbspprofessors ranked one slot above Culinary Arts.

 Now for some statistics about Culinary Arts professors. Colleges located in distant towns tend to have the best Culinary Arts professors. The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has the highest rated Culinary Arts professors. The Southwest region has the highest rated Culinary Arts professors. Private universities tend to have higher rated Culinary Arts professors than public colleges. Finally, Michigan has the highest rated Culinary Arts professors in the US.

 Clinton Hewan, instructor at [Northern Kentucky University](/colleges/northern-kentucky-university)&nbspin Highland Heights, KY is the most popular Culinary Arts professor in the United States. Todd Ramljak, professor at [Elgin Community College](/colleges/elgin-community-college)&nbspin Elgin, IL is the highest rated Culinary Arts professor in the nation, with a rating of 5 / 5.

 Take a look at which institutions have the [Best Professors](/rankings/best-professors)!



### STUDENTS

 College is an awfully productive period of one's life; it is a time for personal growth and expansion. Pupils try to realize what they would like to do and build many of the required skills to become a flourishing member of society. But learning isn't simply found in the classroom - the late nights discussing Thoreau with a classmate, the wild anecdote received from an old professor, the exposure to a different position. Therefore, attending a diverse college greatly enriches what you gain from your time spent at university.

 Culinary Arts is a more racially diverse focus than average\*. 50% of the United States' Culinary Arts majors are white students, followed by latino students (22%), black students (12%), and students of other races\*\*(12%). The most ethnically diverse college\* in the top 100 is [Johnson & Wales University-North Miami](/colleges/johnson-wales-university-north-miami)&nbspin North Miami, FL.

 Secondly, Culinary Arts significatly skews female, with 64% of students majoring in Culinary Arts identifying as women. [University of Minnesota-Twin Cities](/colleges/university-of-minnesota-twin-cities) in Minneapolis, MN has the most gender balanced student body in the top 100.

 Another significant type of diversity is economic diversity. Sadly, Culinary Arts is one of the nation's least fiscally diverse subjects (Bottom 4%). 40% of its students come from low income families, 14% are from homes who earn between $30,000 and $48,000 a year, and 21% grew up in homes that bring in above $110,000 a year. [Point Park University](/colleges/point-park-university) is the most socioeconomically diverse institution in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall FL is the most diverse state for Culinary Arts. The Southeast is the most diverse region, and the Colonial Athletic Association is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 4%
* Black: 12%
* Latino: 22%
* White: 50%
* Other: 12%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 36%
* Female: 64%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 40%
* 30k - 48k: 14%
* 48k - 75k: 13%
* 75k - 110k: 12%
* Over 110k: 21%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 54%
* Out of State: 43%
* International: 3%


2023 Culinary Arts Cost

There are about 416,870 students enrolled in Culinary Arts in the USA.

COST