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Cook/dietary aide education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Usually, cook/dietary aides don't need a college education. The most common degree for cook/dietary aides is high school diploma with 45% graduates, with only 21% cook/dietary aide graduates earning associate degree. Cook/dietary aides who decided to graduate from college often finish University of Phoenix or Johnson & Wales University. Some good skills to have in this position include meal service, food handling and patients.

Popular cook/dietary aide certifications include ServSafe Alcohol, Advanced First Aid & CPR, or Certified Food Manager (CFM). To improve cook/dietary aide qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in cook/dietary aide education paths.

What education do you need to become a cook/dietary aide?

What degree do you need to be a cook/dietary aide?

The most common degree for cook/dietary aides is high school diploma, with 45% of cook/dietary aides earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 21% and associate degree degree at 14%.
  • High School Diploma, 45%
  • Associate, 21%
  • Diploma, 14%
  • Bachelor's, 13%
  • Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a cook/dietary aide?

You should major in culinary arts to become a cook/dietary aide. 16% of cook/dietary aides major in culinary arts. Other common majors for a cook/dietary aide include business and general studies.

Best majors for cook/dietary aides

20 best online courses for cook/dietary aides

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1. Child Nutrition and Cooking

coursera

Eating patterns that begin in childhood affect health and well-being across the lifespan. The culture of eating has changed significantly in recent decades, especially in parts of the world where processed foods dominate our dietary intake. This course examines contemporary child nutrition and the impact of the individual decisions made by each family. The health risks associated with obesity in childhood are also discussed. Participants will learn what constitutes a healthy diet for children...

2. Aligning Diet and Exercise

coursera

When considering body composition goals, modifications to both diet and exercise are inevitable. Most often, an individual’s dietary interventions do not align with their exercise regimen, which may diminish the potential for success. This course explores the energy pathways and how macronutrients fuel exercise across intensity and duration, in addition to popular dietary interventions and their alignment with exercise recommendations. After completing this course, students will have a clear...

3. Cook Real Food: How to Make Simple Plant-Based Meals

udemy
4.6
(1,644)

Learn how to cook whole plant foods to make quick, easy, and healthy vegan meals for practical everyday eating...

4. Diploma Certificate in Dietary Supplements Advisor

udemy
4.5
(1,164)

Become an advisor/expert in selecting the best supplements for weight loss, muscle building and for good health...

5. Cooking for Busy Healthy People

coursera

Cooking is one of the most powerful ways in which we can optimize our enjoyment of great quality food while protecting our health. Even on a tight budget, cooking can be a cost-effective, joyful and rewarding way to love the food that will love us back for a lifetime. In this course, you’ll learn some basic recipes from a home cook and two professional chefs who prioritize healthful eating. You’ll also learn some of the fundamentals of principle-based cooking that can help you break free from...

6. Fun food safety and sanitation course

udemy
4.6
(539)

The food safety course will help prepare you for safely working in a kitchen and food handler tests like Servesafe...

7. Internationally Accredited Diploma in Keto Dietary Advisor

udemy
4
(650)

The Only Course you will need to become a Master Keto Coach...

8. Vegan Nutrition: Build Your Plant Based Diet & Meal Plan

udemy
4.8
(462)

Learn How To Set Up A Vegan Diet For Weight Loss, Building Muscle, Healthy Eating, Meal Planning & Vegan Bodybuilding...

9. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System

udemy
4.4
(976)

Understand the requirements for a food safety management system applicable for any organization in the food chain...

10. Food Safety for Managers and Supervisors

udemy
4.3
(489)

The Highfield Food Safety Level 3 syllabus presented in two hours of video tutorials. Boost your food safety knowledge...

11. Home Health Aide, Nurse Aide, Caregiver Certification Course

udemy
4.6
(1,178)

Become A Certified Home Health Aide, Personal Care Aide, Nurse Aide/ Caregiver At The End Of This Course. Enroll Now!!...

12. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

udemy
4.7
(18,204)

Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...

13. SAP Customer Service (CS/SM) - Service Management module

udemy
4.4
(960)

Real World SAP CS and SD, Repair Orders, Service Orders, Service Contracts...

14. Food Photography: Capturing Food in Your Kitchen

udemy
4.7
(3,133)

With DIY Food Photography, you'll be taking better photos in no time with what you have in your own kitchen!...

15. Nutrition Certification: Advanced Diet & Meal Planning

udemy
4.6
(1,607)

Advanced Diet And Nutrition Coach Strategies Dieting Certificate For Meal Plans, Fat Loss, Health & Sports Nutrition...

16. Eat Real Food: How to Eat a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet

udemy
4.5
(4,365)

Learn how to be a healthy vegan or vegetarian in a holistic way for best health, weight, and wellbeing...

17. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

udemy
4.6
(2,666)

Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

18. Vegan Nutrition Health Coach Certification

udemy
4.6
(2,112)

Become a Vegan Nutrition Certified Health Coach, Learn Vegan Cooking, Embrace a Holistic Approach to Food...

19. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

udemy
4.5
(941)

Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

20. First Aid

udemy
4.3
(1,797)

A guide to first aid for the common man. Covers sudden illness, wounds, burns, bone injuries and more...

Average cook/dietary aide salary by education level

Cook/dietary aides with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $29,205 annually. With a Associate degree, cook/dietary aides earn a median annual income of $28,566 compared to $27,971 for cook/dietary aides with an High School Diploma degree.
Cook/dietary aide education levelCook/dietary aide salary
High School Diploma or Less$27,971
Bachelor's Degree$29,205
No Education$27,662
Some College/ Associate Degree$28,566

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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