Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Assistant food service director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an assistant food service director. Assistant food service directors usually study business, hospitality management, or culinary arts. 55% of assistant food service directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 27% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,885 real assistant food service director resumes to see exactly what assistant food service director education sections show.
The most common colleges for assistant food service directors are the Johnson & Wales University and the Johnson & Wales University.
There are also many online assistant food service director courses to help get the education required to be an assistant food service director.
There are certain assistant food service director certifications that you should consider. These assistant food service director certifications include ServSafe Alcohol and Certified Dietary Manager (CDM).
What education do you need to become an assistant food service director?
What degree do you need to be an assistant food service director?
- Bachelor's, 55%
- Associate, 27%
- High School Diploma, 7%
- Master's, 5%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become an assistant food service director?
- Business, 18%
- Culinary Arts, 16%
- Other Majors, 40%
Most common colleges for assistant food service directors
| Assistant food service director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Johnson & Wales University | 27.96% |
| Culinary Institute of America | 11.47% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 10.04% |
| Michigan State University | 5.02% |
| Widener University | 4.66% |
Best majors for assistant food service directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 17.9% |
| 2 | Hospitality Management | 17.7% |
| 3 | Culinary Arts | 16.0% |
| 4 | Food And Nutrition | 8.2% |
| 5 | Dietetics | 7.4% |
Best colleges for assistant food service directors
The best colleges for assistant food service directors are Cornell University, New York University, and Boston University.
An assistant food service director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for assistant food service directors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become assistant food service directors.
1. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
2. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
Delhi, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,360
Enrollment
3,142
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce
Mercedita, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,914
Enrollment
4,155
6. University of Akron
Akron, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$11,463
Enrollment
13,676
7. SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Morrisville
Morrisville, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,670
Enrollment
2,758
8. SUNY College at Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,369
Enrollment
5,229
9. Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,244
Enrollment
15,557
10. University of Alaska Anchorage
Anchorage, AK • Private
In-state tuition
$8,580
Enrollment
10,482
20 best online courses for assistant food service directors
Advertising disclosure
1. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System
Understand the requirements for a food safety management system applicable for any organization in the food chain...
2. Fun food safety and sanitation course
The food safety course will help prepare you for safely working in a kitchen and food handler tests like Servesafe...
3. Food Safety for Managers and Supervisors
The Highfield Food Safety Level 3 syllabus presented in two hours of video tutorials. Boost your food safety knowledge...
4. ISO 22000 (HACCP and PRPs) for Food Safety
Standards, analysis, control points, and risk management related to ISO 22000 for food industry professionals...
5. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer
Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...
6. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service
Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...
7. Customer Service Basics: Improve your Service now
The basic golden rules to kickstart your service...
8. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives
Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...
9. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience
Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...
10. Customer Service: 6 Keys To Exceptional Customer Service
Master Customer Satisfaction & Astonish Your Customers With A+ Customer Service...
11. SAP Customer Service (CS/SM) - Service Management module
Real World SAP CS and SD, Repair Orders, Service Orders, Service Contracts...
12. The Customer: Build a Customer Service Strategy (BITE SIZE)
For you and your team to be successful in providing great customer service, start by putting your customer first...
13. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service
Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...
14. Food Photography: Capturing Food in Your Kitchen
With DIY Food Photography, you'll be taking better photos in no time with what you have in your own kitchen!...
15. Customer Service
How to Approach New Customers and Maintain Existing Ones...
16. Customer Service: Keep 'em coming back!
How to give the best customer service in your industry and keep those customers raving about your business...
17. Your Customer Service Toolbox: Best Practices for Beginners
Excel as a front-line customer service agent using problem-solving & relationship-building skills, etiquette, and more...
18. Windows Service Programming, Debugging, Installing in C#.Net
Windows Service Tutorial: How to Create Windows Services in C# .Net/Visual Studio, Windows Service debugging techniques...
19. Cook Real Food: How to Make Simple Plant-Based Meals
Learn how to cook whole plant foods to make quick, easy, and healthy vegan meals for practical everyday eating...
20. Customer Service Success: Take Your Skills to the Next Level
3-in-1 Customer Service Training: Levels 1, 2, 3 Improve Your Soft Communication Skills, Customer Support & Experience...
Top 10 most affordable universities for assistant food service directors
The most affordable schools for assistant food service directors are USF Sarasota-Manatee, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for assistant food service directors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for assistant food service directors.
1. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
10. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for assistant food service directors
The hardest universities for assistant food service directors to get into are Cornell University, New York University, and Boston University.
Some great schools for assistant food service directors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for assistant food service directors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
2. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
8. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
9. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,367
10. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for assistant food service directors
The easiest schools for assistant food service directors to get into are Life University, university of north texas at dallas, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an assistant food service director without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for assistant food service directors.
1. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
2. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
8. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
9. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
10. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
Average assistant food service director salary by education level
| Assistant food service director education level | Assistant food service director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $49,820 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $41,265 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $48,118 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $43,246 |
Assistant food service director education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.
Search for assistant food service director jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025