Director of catering education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a director of catering. Directors of catering usually study business, hospitality management, or culinary arts. 68% of directors of catering hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,678 real director of catering resumes to see exactly what director of catering education sections show.

The most common colleges for directors of catering are the Johnson & Wales University and the Johnson & Wales University.

There are also many online director of catering courses to help get the education required to be a director of catering.

There are certain director of catering certifications that you should consider. These director of catering certifications include ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification and Certified Sales Professional (CSP).

What education do you need to become a director of catering?

What degree do you need to be a director of catering?

The most common degree for directors of catering is bachelor's degree, with 68% of directors of catering earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 19% and associate degree degree at 5%.

Bachelor's, 68%

Associate, 19%

Master's, 5%

High School Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a director of catering?

You should major in business to become a director of catering. 22% of directors of catering major in business. Other common majors for a director of catering include hospitality management and culinary arts.

Business, 22%

Hospitality Management, 20%

Culinary Arts, 7%

Health Care Administration, 7%

Other Majors, 44%

Most common colleges for directors of catering

Directors of catering often get their degrees at Johnson & Wales University, Culinary Institute of America, and University of Phoenix. Here are the most common colleges for directors of catering in the US based on their resumes.

Director of catering common college	Percentages
Johnson & Wales University	21.14%
Culinary Institute of America	9.71%
University of Phoenix	7.14%
Florida State University	5.43%
University of Central Florida	4.86%

Show more common director of catering colleges

Best majors for directors of catering

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	22.2%
2	Hospitality Management	20.0%
3	Culinary Arts	7.4%
4	Health Care Administration	6.5%
5	Marketing	5.7%

Show more common director of catering majors

Best colleges for directors of catering

The best colleges for directors of catering are Cornell University, New York University, and Boston University.

A director of catering with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for directors of catering. 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 directors of catering.

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. University of Alaska Anchorage

Anchorage, AK • Private

In-state tuition

$8,580

Enrollment

10,482

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

20 best online courses for directors of catering

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Top 10 most affordable universities for directors of catering

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

If the best universities for directors of catering 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 directors of catering.

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 directors of catering

The hardest universities for directors of catering to get into are Cornell University, New York University, and Boston University.

Some great schools for directors of catering 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 directors of catering 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

SAT average

1,497

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

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

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

SAT average

1,492

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for directors of catering

The easiest schools for directors of catering 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 director of catering 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 directors of catering.

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 director of catering salary by education level

According to our data, directors of catering with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $80,558 annually. Directors of catering with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $77,347.

Director of catering education level	Director of catering salary
Master's Degree	$80,558
High School Diploma or Less	$64,621
Bachelor's Degree	$77,347
Some College/ Associate Degree	$68,265

Director of catering education FAQs

What is the best college for Directors Of Catering?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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