Culinary Arts/Chef Training Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Culinary Arts/Chef Training maps to BLS occupations averaging about $106,692, with roughly 252,920 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $4,322; common paths include Personal Financial Advisors and Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents.
Key Statistics
Culinary Arts/Chef Training: what the data shows
Common questions about culinary arts/chef training degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a culinary arts/chef training degree?
A Culinary Arts/Chef Training program is classified under NCES CIP 12.0503 in the Culinary Arts and Related Services field family (12.05).
A program that prepares individuals to provide professional chef and related cooking services in restaurants and other commercial food establishments. Includes instruction in recipe and menu planning, preparing and cooking of foods, supervising and training kitchen assistants, the management of food supplies and kitchen resources, aesthetics of food presentation, and familiarity or mastery of a wide variety of cuisines and culinary techniques
IPEDS counted 183 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of culinary arts/chef training degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 12.05 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef (CIP 12.0501)
- Bartending/Bartender (CIP 12.0502)
- Culinary Arts & Related Services (CIP 12.0500)
- Culinary Science/Culinology (CIP 12.0509)
- Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant (CIP 12.0505)
- Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, and Dining Room Management/Manager (CIP 12.0507)
- Institutional Food Workers (CIP 12.0508)
- Meat Cutting/Meat Cutter (CIP 12.0506)
- Reserved (CIP 12.0580)
- Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/Manager (CIP 12.0504)
- Wine Steward/Sommelier (CIP 12.0510)
How long does it take to get a culinary arts/chef training degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 12.0503 in our file:
- 4,543 Associate (48.4% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 183 Bachelor's (1.9% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 4,543 Master's (48.4% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 127 Doctorate (1.4% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in culinary arts/chef training?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Writing, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Personal Financial Advisors (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a culinary arts/chef training degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Culinary Arts/Chef Training to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Financial Advisors | 270,480 | $102,140 |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | 472,300 | $78,140 |
| Personal Care Aides | — | — |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 1,189,330 | $66,260 |
| Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other | 62,390 | $37,900 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a culinary arts/chef training degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Culinary Arts and Related Services bachelor's program family: median debt $47,936, median earnings $47,668 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 1.62.
About 2.1% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $4,322 and median net price is $8,562.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Culinary Arts/Chef Training and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$4,322 Median In-State Public
$17,036 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Culinary Arts/Chef Training majors are, on average, $4,322 for in-state public colleges, and $17,036 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Culinary Arts/Chef Training programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
183 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Culinary Arts/Chef Training from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Culinary Arts/Chef Training.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benedictine University | IL | 1,817 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Culinary Arts/Chef Training programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benedictine University | IL | $34,290 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Culinary Arts/Chef Training programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benedictine University | IL | $23,529 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Culinary Arts/Chef Training programs.
Graduation Rates
48.11% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
49.22% Average Graduation Rate
346 Institutions Reporting
34.93% - 61.21% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Culinary Arts/Chef Training programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Culinary Arts/Chef Training is in RI (76 completions). That state represents about 41.5% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is RI (0.30% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| RI | 76 | 41.5% | 0.30% |
| NY | 36 | 19.7% | 0.01% |
| LA | 30 | 16.4% | 0.06% |
| IL | 13 | 7.1% | 0.01% |
| MI | 7 | 3.8% | 0.01% |
| MO | 7 | 3.8% | 0.01% |
| PA | 7 | 3.8% | 0.00% |
| PR | 7 | 3.8% | 0.02% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 12.05 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef CIP 12.0501
- Bartending/Bartender CIP 12.0502
- Culinary Arts & Related Services CIP 12.0500
- Culinary Science/Culinology CIP 12.0509
- Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant CIP 12.0505
- Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, and Dining Room Management/Manager CIP 12.0507
- Institutional Food Workers CIP 12.0508
- Meat Cutting/Meat Cutter CIP 12.0506
- Reserved CIP 12.0580
- Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/Manager CIP 12.0504
- Wine Steward/Sommelier CIP 12.0510
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 12.0503 in the survey year used in our extract (9,396 total across levels below).
- 4,543 Associate (48.4% of IPEDS total)
- 183 Bachelor's (1.9% of IPEDS total)
- 4,543 Master's (48.4% of IPEDS total)
- 127 Doctorate (1.4% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $106,692. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Culinary Arts/Chef Training graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Financial Advisors | $173,641 | 270,480 |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | $108,560 | 472,300 |
| Personal Care Aides | — | — |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | $96,116 | 1,189,330 |
| Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other | $44,634 | 62,390 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $88,062 | 136,390 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Culinary Arts and Related Services CIP family (3 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Culinary Arts/Chef Training graduate.
- $47,936 median federal loan debt among completers
- $47,668 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 1.62 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 2.1% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$107,678 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Culinary Arts/Chef Training majors is $107,678.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Culinary Arts/Chef Training majors.
Occupations by Share
252,920 2023 Workforce
The number of Culinary Arts/Chef Training graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Culinary Arts/Chef Training by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Culinary Arts/Chef Training in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Culinary Arts/Chef Training.
Age distribution for Culinary Arts/Chef Training degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
183 Total Degrees Awarded
98 Male (53.55%)
85 Female (46.45%)
Gender distribution of Culinary Arts/Chef Training degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
94 White (51.37%)
30 Hispanic or Latino (16.39%)
24 Black or African American (13.11%)
10 Asian (5.46%)
7 Two or More Races (3.83%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Culinary Arts/Chef Training degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Culinary Arts/Chef Training are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Culinary Arts/Chef Training.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Culinary Arts/Chef Training field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Culinary Arts/Chef Training majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Culinary Arts/Chef Training majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Culinary Arts/Chef Training majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals to provide professional chef and related cooking services in restaurants and other commercial food establishments. Includes instruction in recipe and menu planning, preparing and cooking of foods, supervising and training kitchen assistants, the management of food supplies and kitchen resources, aesthetics of food presentation, and familiarity or mastery of a wide variety of cuisines and culinary techniques
In 2023, 183 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Culinary Arts/Chef Training.
CIP Code
12.0503 - Culinary Arts/Chef Training
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $47,936 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $47,668, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.62. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Culinary Arts/Chef Training graduate.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $106,692. The largest mapped role by headcount is Personal Financial Advisors (270,480 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $4,322 in-state at public colleges and $17,036 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.