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Culinary chef education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a culinary chef. Culinary chefs usually study culinary arts, hospitality management, or business. 46% of culinary chefs hold a associate degree, and 30% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 467 real culinary chef resumes to see exactly what culinary chef education sections show.
The most common colleges for culinary chefs are the Johnson & Wales University and the Johnson & Wales University.
There are also many online culinary chef courses to help get the education required to be a culinary chef.
There are certain culinary chef certifications that you should consider. These culinary chef certifications include Certified Culinary Administrator (CCA) and Certified Food Manager (CFM).
What education do you need to become a culinary chef?
What degree do you need to be a culinary chef?
- Associate, 46%
- Bachelor's, 30%
- High School Diploma, 12%
- Master's, 6%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become a culinary chef?
- Culinary Arts, 42%
- Business, 11%
- Other Majors, 32%
Most common colleges for culinary chefs
| Culinary chef common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Johnson & Wales University | 32.26% |
| Culinary Institute of America | 20.97% |
| University of Phoenix | 6.45% |
| New England Culinary Institute | 3.23% |
| Remington College-Memphis Campus | 3.23% |
Best majors for culinary chefs
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Culinary Arts | 42.3% |
| 2 | Hospitality Management | 11.3% |
| 3 | Business | 11.3% |
| 4 | Health Care Administration | 4.2% |
| 5 | Food And Nutrition | 3.8% |
Best colleges for culinary chefs
The best colleges for culinary chefs are Stanford University, Cornell University, and Boston University.
A culinary chef with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for culinary chefs. 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 culinary chefs.
1. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
2. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
3. Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,244
Enrollment
15,557
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
7. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
Delhi, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,360
Enrollment
3,142
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
10. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce
Mercedita, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,914
Enrollment
4,155
20 best online courses for culinary chefs
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Top 10 most affordable universities for culinary chefs
The most affordable schools for culinary chefs are USF Sarasota-Manatee, suny farmingdale, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for culinary chefs 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 culinary chefs.
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. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
6. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
9. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
10. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for culinary chefs
The hardest universities for culinary chefs to get into are Stanford University, Cornell University, and Boston University.
Some great schools for culinary chefs 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 culinary chefs 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
9. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
10. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for culinary chefs
The easiest schools for culinary chefs to get into are University of North Texas at Dallas, oklahoma wesleyan university, and life university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a culinary chef 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 culinary chefs.
1. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
3. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
6. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
7. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
8. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
9. Cleary University
Howell, MI • Private
Admissions rate
58%
SAT average
1,039
10. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
Average culinary chef salary by education level
| Culinary chef education level | Culinary chef salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $49,018 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $53,279 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $53,991 |
Culinary chef education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common food preparation and restaurant questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025