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Culinary worker education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Usually, culinary workers don't need a college education. The most common degree for culinary workers is bachelor's degree with 46% graduates, with only 20% culinary worker graduates earning high school diploma. Culinary workers who decided to graduate from college often finish University of Georgia or Whatcom Community College. Some good skills to have in this position include dishes, food carts and cooking equipment.

What education do you need to become a culinary worker?

What degree do you need to be a culinary worker?

The most common degree for culinary workers is bachelor's degree, with 46% of culinary workers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 20% and high school diploma degree at 13%.
  • Bachelor's, 46%
  • High School Diploma, 20%
  • Associate, 13%
  • Diploma, 9%
  • Other Degrees, 12%

What should I major in to become a culinary worker?

You should major in culinary arts to become a culinary worker. 19% of culinary workers major in culinary arts. Other common majors for a culinary worker include business and general studies.

Best majors for culinary workers

RankMajorPercentages
1Culinary Arts18.9%
2Business10.8%
3General Studies10.8%
4Marketing8.1%
5Photography5.4%

20 best online courses for culinary workers

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1. Introduction to Food and Our Environment

coursera

This course is designed to help learners around the world become more sustainable eaters. Course videos can be watched in any order. Feel free to explore special areas of interest by skipping ahead and coming back to less familiar topics at a later stage. Together, we’ll explore key topics, like how food production impacts the environment and why meat production and protein consumption are often at the center of the debate around sustainability. We’ll introduce the pros and cons of different...

2. Sustainable Food Production Through Livestock Health Management

coursera

Learn about the impact of infectious disease on sustainable animal-based food production by understanding the science of growth, immunity, and infection and by learning the problem-solving skills needed to advance animal health and food production through optimal management practices. There is a growing global need in agricultural production for a workforce that is capable of integrating knowledge of animal health and production with an understanding of consumer preferences in the context of...

3. 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...

4. 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...

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. Unravelling solutions for Future Food problems

coursera

Our society depends on the availability of food and accessibility to it. According to the United Nations nearly 800 million people are hungry and on the other hand, over 650 million people are obese. While many people in developing countries experience food shortage, in industrialized countries people are throwing food away. These facts show how paradoxical and complex the world’s food problem is. ln this course, more than 10 food researchers from Utrecht University will address the main issues...

7. 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...

8. 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...

9. 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!...

10. Basic Food Photography

udemy
4.2
(1,349)

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

11. 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...

12. 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...

13. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

udemy
4.7
(18,204)

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

14. ISO 22000 (HACCP and PRPs) for Food Safety

udemy
4.4
(618)

Standards, analysis, control points, and risk management related to ISO 22000 for food industry professionals...

15. 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...

16. Blockchain applications in Food Safety, Healthcare & Pharma

udemy
4.5
(3,019)

Best course to learn about Blockchain Business Applications in Pharma, Food Safety, Healthcare and Insurance Industries...

17. Customer Service: 6 Keys To Exceptional Customer Service

udemy
4.6
(601)

Master Customer Satisfaction & Astonish Your Customers With A+ 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. 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...

Average culinary worker salary by education level

According to our data, culinary workers with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $34,166 annually. Culinary workers with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $32,484.
Culinary worker education levelCulinary worker salary
High School Diploma or Less$31,965
Bachelor's Degree$34,166
Some College/ Associate Degree$32,484

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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