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Cooking instructor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Usually, cooking instructors don't need a college education. The most common degree for cooking instructors is bachelor's degree with 56% graduates, with only 22% cooking instructor graduates earning associate degree. Cooking instructors who decided to graduate from college often finish Culinary Institute of America or University of Wisconsin Colleges. Some good skills to have in this position include kids, culinary and nutrition education.

What education do you need to become a cooking instructor?

What degree do you need to be a cooking instructor?

The most common degree for cooking instructors is bachelor's degree, with 56% of cooking instructors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 22% and associate degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 56%
  • Associate, 22%
  • Master's, 12%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a cooking instructor?

You should major in culinary arts to become a cooking instructor. 24% of cooking instructors major in culinary arts. Other common majors for a cooking instructor include dietetics and food and nutrition.

Best majors for cooking instructors

RankMajorPercentages
1Culinary Arts23.6%
2Dietetics10.6%
3Food And Nutrition9.7%
4Psychology6.5%
5Business5.6%

20 best online courses for cooking instructors

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1. 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...

2. 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...

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. 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...

5. Stanford Introduction to Food and Health

coursera

Around the world, we find ourselves facing global epidemics of obesity, Type 2 Diabetes and other predominantly diet-related diseases. To address these public health crises, we urgently need to explore innovative strategies for promoting healthful eating. There is strong evidence that global increases in the consumption of heavily processed foods, coupled with cultural shifts away from the preparation of food in the home, have contributed to high rates of preventable, chronic disease. In this...

6. Healthy Aging and the Future of Cannabis Research

coursera

This Healthy Aging and Future of Cannabis Research course is designed to have you think critically about the health effects of cannabis (i.e., marijuana) in the context of inflammation, exercise, and aging. You'll learn how inflammation and the microbiome may be related to the disorders discussed in class, and how cannabis may influence these disorders through modulating inflammation. We'll describe the relationship between the endocannabinoid system and exercise, and how cannabinoids may...

7. 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...

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. 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...

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. 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!...

12. 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...

13. Basic Food Photography

udemy
4.2
(1,349)

Learn how to take delicious food photos from scratch...

14. Internationally Accredited Diploma in Diet Planning

udemy
4.4
(2,190)

Learn how to Create Your Clients(or your)perfect diet and nutrition plan based on their goals, preferences and lifestyle...

15. Weight Loss And Nutrition: Lose Fat & Get Your Dream Body

udemy
4.7
(2,115)

Learn The Truth About Dieting For Weight Loss, Healthy Eating, Meal Planning, Fat Loss, Weight Loss Motivation...

16. Modern Food Recipes App - Android Development with Kotlin

udemy
4.7
(846)

Develop beautiful and fully functional Android App in Android Studio using the power of Kotlin programming language...

17. Nutrition Masterclass: Build Your Perfect Diet & Meal Plan

udemy
4.6
(7,065)

Learn The Truth About Nutrition, Dieting For Weight Loss, Building Muscle, Healthy Eating, Meal Planning, Fat Loss...

18. Successful Events: Event Planning, Marketing & Management

udemy
4.7
(2,141)

Create a single successful event or event-series with effective event promotion, planning, management, and monetization...

19. 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...

20. Fully Accredited Professional Nutritionist Diploma Course

udemy
4.2
(969)

Complete Nutrition For All - Exploring All Elements of Nutrition. Healthy Eating & Nutrition for all ages!...

Average cooking instructor salary by education level

Cooking instructors with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $110,426 annually. With a Associate degree, cooking instructors earn a median annual income of $101,429 compared to $93,551 for cooking instructors with an High School Diploma degree.
Cooking instructor education levelCooking instructor salary
High School Diploma or Less$93,551
Bachelor's Degree$110,426
No Education$89,650
Some College/ Associate Degree$101,429

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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