Culinary Arts & Related Services Degrees (2026 stats) …

TL;DR

Culinary Arts & Related Services maps to BLS occupations averaging about N/A, with roughly 2,228,710 workers nationwide in those roles. About 665 degrees completed in recent IPEDS counts; modeled 10-year ROI is about 1111% on median net price.

Key Statistics

665

Total Degrees Awarded (2023)

$66,939

Median In-State Public Tuition

$17,036

Median Out-of-State Private Tuition

2,228,710

Workers (related occupations)

48.1%

Median Graduation Rate (4-yr schools)

Culinary Arts & Related Services: what the data shows

Common questions about culinary arts & related services degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.

What is a culinary arts & related services degree?

A Culinary Arts & Related Services program is classified under NCES CIP 12.0500 in the Culinary Arts and Related Services field family (12.05).

A program that focuses on the general study of the cooking and related culinary arts, and that may prepare individuals for a variety of jobs within the food service industry. Includes instruction in food preparation, cooking techniques, equipment operation and maintenance, sanitation and safety, communication skills, applicable regulations, and principles of food service management.

IPEDS counted 665 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.

Types of culinary arts & related services 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/Chef Training (CIP 12.0503)
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 & related services degree?

Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 12.0500 in our file:

868 Associate (100.0% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study

Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.

What degree do you need?

For Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education (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 & related services degree?

Our degree→occupation mapping links Culinary Arts & Related Services 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
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education	114,410	$61,430
Glaziers	57,000	$55,440
Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers	6,770	$101,020
Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers	32,890	$61,680
Riggers	24,190	$62,060
Cooks, Restaurant	1,452,130	$36,830
Stonemasons	8,750	$51,990

See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.

Is a culinary arts & related services 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 $66,939 and median net price is $18,967.

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 & Related Services and the types of students that study this field.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$66,939 Median In-State Public

$17,036 Median Out of State Private

Tuition costs for Culinary Arts & Related Services majors are, on average, $66,939 for in-state public colleges, and $17,036 for out of state private colleges.

Tuition costs comparison for Culinary Arts & Related Services programs.

Institutions awarding the most Culinary Arts & Related Services degrees

#	Institution	State	Completions
1	NUC University	PR	581
2	Francis Tuttle Technology Center	OK	140
3	Los Angeles Trade Technical College	CA	137
4	Los Angeles Mission College	CA	128
5	Culinary Institute Inc	TX	97
6	Pikes Peak State College	CO	91
7	Riverside City College	CA	87
8	Orange Coast College	CA	83
9	Kapiolani Community College	HI	82
10	Grossmont College	CA	71

IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), all award levels for this CIP in our extract.

Degrees Awarded Over Time

665 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Culinary Arts & Related Services from 2015 to 2023.

Historical trend of degrees awarded in Culinary Arts & Related Services.

Top 5 Schools by Enrollment

#	School	State	Enrollment
1	University of Chicago	IL	7,540

Schools with the largest enrollment offering Culinary Arts & Related Services programs.

Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition

#	School	State	Tuition
1	University of Chicago	IL	$66,939

Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Culinary Arts & Related Services programs.

Top 5 Lowest Net Price

#	School	State	Net Price
1	University of Chicago	IL	$18,967

Schools with the lowest average net price for Culinary Arts & Related Services 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 & Related Services programs across institutions.

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/Chef Training CIP 12.0503
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 12.0500 in the survey year used in our extract (868 total across levels below).

868 Associate (100.0% 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 N/A. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Culinary Arts & Related Services graduates alone.

Related occupations (BLS OEWS)

Occupation	Mean annual wage	U.S. employment
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education	$91,347	114,410
Glaziers	$78,213	57,000
Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers	$138,731	6,770
Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers	$61,189	32,890
Riggers	$88,822	24,190
Cooks, Restaurant	$45,498	1,452,130
Stonemasons	$68,053	8,750
Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners	$53,597	5,730
Software Quality Assurance Analysts	$133,790	199,800
Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic	$72,854	1,570
Special Effects Artists and Animators	$132,383	21,280
Urban and Regional Planners	$114,551	43,040
Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers	$75,101	2,860
Materials Engineers	$134,642	22,770
Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining	$77,369	6,130
Tile and Stone Setters	$62,361	38,740
Fashion Designers	—	20,910
Cooks, Fast Food	$39,512	668,230
Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians	$58,116	36,880
Artists and Related Workers, All Other	$89,549	7,370
Bartenders	$47,051	745,610
Structural Iron and Steel Workers	$77,874	64,720
Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons	$49,936	7,220
Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers	$70,575	14,140
Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders	$50,591	3,270
Nuclear Engineers	$175,195	14,740
Computer User Support Specialists	$91,367	146,450
Pile Driver Operators	$108,828	3,040
Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers	$53,741	16,290
Plumbers	$79,263	33,580
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$104,988	806,080
Upholsterers	$50,847	20,990
Set and Exhibit Designers	$105,707	10,850
Prepress Technicians and Workers	$55,064	23,070
Avionics Technicians	$93,567	20,900
Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing	$46,456	63,350
Database Administrators	$122,296	73,180
Sheet Metal Workers	$89,073	117,470
Craft Artists	$88,430	4,370
Aerospace Engineers	$161,328	68,440
Petroleum Engineers	$150,841	18,970
Designers, All Other	$98,753	9,680
Chefs and Head Cooks	$73,379	182,320
Floral Designers	$49,284	40,160
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers	$62,277	23,420
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters	$58,747	53,380
Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles	$74,250	24,850
Mechanical Door Repairers	$60,457	27,970
Manicurists and Pedicurists	$38,587	147,820
Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary	$150,347	319,630
Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers	$39,172	7,640
Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$48,139	31,510
Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters	$53,312	43,640
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$119,035	123,680
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$60,656	8,760
Carpet Installers	$56,905	14,980
Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers	$45,617	192,480
Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay	$118,943	23,040
Commercial and Industrial Designers	$106,220	30,250
Terrazzo Workers and Finishers	$43,235	1,450
Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall	$52,962	38,610
Architects, Except Landscape and Naval	$126,476	111,140
Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles	$58,578	10,140
Computer Hardware Engineers	$188,333	75,710
Floor Sanders and Finishers	$60,528	4,140
Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$42,537	8,960
Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas	$68,341	17,410
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers	$51,473	8,470
Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$54,736	36,290
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators	$156,295	10,000
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria	$48,398	448,260
Cooks, All Other	$42,958	23,590
Etchers and Engravers	$47,995	8,390
Model Makers, Metal and Plastic	$88,285	3,230
Helpers--Carpenters	$52,437	24,610
Orthotists and Prosthetists	$94,428	9,930
Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders	$47,462	27,660
Model Makers, Wood	—	360
Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers	$44,691	12,170
Foundry Mold and Coremakers	$47,010	12,720
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers	$78,450	82,900
Physicists	$192,822	21,340
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	$60,868	1,531,700
Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance	$122,805	3,320
Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$53,782	14,590
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary	$147,698	11,480
Construction Laborers	$68,084	1,057,660
Graphic Designers	$94,254	214,260
Database Architects	$167,245	64,770
Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$53,330	18,970
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters	$80,653	455,940
Landscape Architects	$114,469	19,580
Electrical Engineers	$152,423	188,790
Tool and Die Makers	$77,564	55,130
Agricultural Equipment Operators	$44,676	30,940
Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment	$93,002	7,310
Industrial Engineers	$130,739	350,230
Astronomers	$145,510	1,560
Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door	$96,463	46,920
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers	$41,631	522,010
Parts Salespersons	$48,079	265,060
Proofreaders and Copy Markers	$65,092	5,160
Construction and Building Inspectors	$106,542	137,210
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$49,144	70,110
Computer and Information Systems Managers	$237,025	645,970
Furniture Finishers	$49,985	14,230
Engine and Other Machine Assemblers	$55,362	38,420
Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners	$48,935	5,730
Chemical Engineers	—	20,330
Electricians	$88,301	742,580
Commercial Divers	$100,858	3,430
Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers	$128,201	23,340
Cooling and Freezing Equipment Operators and Tenders	$46,908	6,590
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators	$92,656	45,680
Drilling and Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$55,741	5,310
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood	$47,379	43,140
Computer Network Architects	$154,087	177,010
Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary	$155,792	36,240
Desktop Publishers	$74,409	4,000
Millwrights	$86,460	40,660
Broadcast Technicians	$88,368	21,080
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten	—	—
Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary	$133,738	9,120
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers	$63,590	424,040
Brickmasons and Blockmasons	$74,538	53,520
Boilermakers	$111,607	10,170
Computer Programmers	$123,323	109,870
Industrial Machinery Mechanics	$77,720	421,940
Film and Video Editors	$101,742	28,860
Paperhangers	$67,364	1,520
Electrical and Electronics Repairers	$83,913	59,990
Nuclear Power Reactor Operators	—	5,720
Wellhead Pumpers	$69,530	17,350
Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians	$88,062	136,390
Insulation Workers, Mechanical	$118,246	25,640
Medical Appliance Technicians	$54,849	11,490
Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers	$54,388	2,610
Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic	$74,096	5,610
Cooks, Private Household	—	900
Civil Engineers	$125,367	355,410
Carpenters	$79,963	697,740
Dental Laboratory Technicians	$58,727	33,920
Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons	—	1,100
Continuous Mining Machine Operators	$72,088	14,340
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary	$130,318	97,890
Fence Erectors	$62,855	22,640
Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$117,612	318,570
Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary	$139,306	39,910
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers	$47,431	943,430
Maintenance Workers, Machinery	$70,265	56,540
Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers	$45,803	97,540
Bicycle Repairers	$48,781	12,590
Rail Car Repairers	$75,667	18,300
Choreographers	$74,789	3,430
Sewers, Hand	$40,228	2,240
Construction Managers	$139,978	348,330
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand	$41,285	7,070
Sales Engineers	$146,137	56,690
Team Assemblers	—	—
Materials Scientists	$133,759	8,330
Segmental Pavers	—	—
Patternmakers, Wood	—	180
Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters	$53,125	79,540
Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters	$56,431	15,660
Marine Engineers and Naval Architects	$123,189	8,440
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer	$162,232	93,940
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining	$83,103	34,210
Tapers	$76,494	12,500
Cooks, Short Order	$42,207	150,420
Helpers--Electricians	$54,311	64,440
Art Directors	$154,344	50,370
Plasterers and Stucco Masons	$66,540	20,880
Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$58,675	13,810
Environmental Engineers	$131,201	37,950
Tire Builders	$43,296	20,970
Roofers	$70,081	136,740
Costume Attendants	$88,970	6,290
Interior Designers	$87,978	69,580
Office Machine Operators, Except Computer	$48,789	24,740
Machinists	$61,610	298,790
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$48,570	129,850
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic	$50,960	174,430
Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$41,767	14,530

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 & Related Services 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

$N/A Average Wage in Workforce

The average salary for Culinary Arts & Related Services majors is $N/A.

Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Culinary Arts & Related Services majors.

Occupations by Share

2,228,710 2023 Workforce

The number of Culinary Arts & Related Services graduates in the workforce has been growing.

Various jobs filled by those with a major in Culinary Arts & Related Services by share of the total number of graduates.

Return on Investment & Value

Debt and earnings fields below come from College Scorecard where present in our degree extract.

Financial value (extract)

$15,000 Median Student Debt

$91,885 Median Annual Earnings (10 years after enrollment)

16.32% Debt-to-Earnings Ratio

Debt is less than 30% of reported ten-year earnings in this extract.

1.6 years Estimated Payback Period (assuming 10% of income)

1111.12% Return on Investment (10-year earnings vs 4-year cost)

Ten-year earnings in this extract exceed four years of median net price.

$75,868 Estimated Total Cost (4 years at median net price)

Financial value comparison for Culinary Arts & Related Services degree.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Culinary Arts & Related Services 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 & Related Services.

Age distribution for Culinary Arts & Related Services degree holders in the workforce.

Gender Distribution

Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).

665 Total Degrees Awarded

248 Male (37.29%)

417 Female (62.71%)

Gender distribution of Culinary Arts & Related Services degree recipients.

Race and Ethnicity Distribution

Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).

372 White (55.94%)

122 Hispanic or Latino (18.35%)

69 Black or African American (10.38%)

28 Asian (4.21%)

22 Two or More Races (3.31%)

Racial and ethnic distribution of Culinary Arts & Related Services degree recipients.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Culinary Arts & Related Services are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.

Distribution of degree types awarded in Culinary Arts & Related Services.

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Culinary Arts & Related Services field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Required Skills

Culinary Arts & Related Services majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.

Rating of how necessary various skills are for Culinary Arts & Related Services 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 & Related Services majors.

About

In 2023, 665 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Culinary Arts & Related Services.

CIP Code

12.0500 - Culinary Arts & Related Services

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 & Related Services graduate.

Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about N/A. The largest mapped role by headcount is Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education (114,410 U.S. jobs in OEWS).

Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $66,939 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.