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Culinary manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a culinary manager. Culinary managers usually study business, culinary arts, or hospitality management. 48% of culinary managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 28% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,809 real culinary manager resumes to see exactly what culinary manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for culinary managers are the Johnson & Wales University and the Johnson & Wales University.

There are also many online culinary manager courses to help get the education required to be a culinary manager.

There are certain culinary manager certifications that you should consider. These culinary manager certifications include ServSafe Alcohol and Food Safety Manager Certification.

What education do you need to become a culinary manager?

What degree do you need to be a culinary manager?

The most common degree for culinary managers is bachelor's degree, with 48% of culinary managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 28% and associate degree degree at 14%.
  • Bachelor's, 48%
  • Associate, 28%
  • High School Diploma, 14%
  • Master's, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 7%

What should I major in to become a culinary manager?

You should major in business to become a culinary manager. 24% of culinary managers major in business. Other common majors for a culinary manager include culinary arts and hospitality management.

Most common colleges for culinary managers

Culinary managers often get their degrees at Johnson & Wales University, Culinary Institute of America, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for culinary managers in the US based on their resumes.
Culinary manager common collegePercentages
Johnson & Wales University21.85%
Culinary Institute of America12.58%
University of Phoenix7.28%
Pennsylvania State University5.96%
Ohio State University3.97%

Best majors for culinary managers

Best colleges for culinary managers

The best colleges for culinary managers are Cornell University, New York University, and Boston University.

A culinary manager 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 managers. 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 managers.

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 culinary managers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for culinary managers

The most affordable schools for culinary managers are USF Sarasota-Manatee, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for culinary managers 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 managers.

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 culinary managers

The hardest universities for culinary managers to get into are Cornell University, New York University, and Boston University.

Some great schools for culinary managers 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 managers 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 culinary managers

The easiest schools for culinary managers 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 a culinary manager 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 managers.

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 culinary manager salary by education level

Culinary managers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $59,590 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, culinary managers earn a median annual income of $57,786 compared to $52,582 for culinary managers with an Associate degree.
Culinary manager education levelCulinary manager salary
Master's Degree$59,590
High School Diploma or Less$50,446
Bachelor's Degree$57,786
Some College/ Associate Degree$52,582

Culinary manager education FAQs

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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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