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Food service manager education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a food service manager. Food service managers usually study business, culinary arts, or hospitality management. 42% of food service managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 28% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 10,254 real food service manager resumes to see exactly what food service manager education sections show.
The most common colleges for food service managers are the Johnson & Wales University and the Johnson & Wales University.
There are also many online food service manager courses to help get the education required to be a food service manager.
There are certain food service manager certifications that you should consider. These food service manager certifications include ServSafe Alcohol and Certified Food Manager (CFM).
What education do you need to become a food service manager?
What degree do you need to be a food service manager?
- Bachelor's, 42%
- Associate, 28%
- High School Diploma, 17%
- Diploma, 5%
- Other Degrees, 8%
What should I major in to become a food service manager?
- Business, 23%
- Culinary Arts, 14%
- Other Majors, 45%
Most common colleges for food service managers
| Food service manager common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Johnson & Wales University | 26.38% |
| University of Phoenix | 14.01% |
| Culinary Institute of America | 10.26% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 4.56% |
| University of Florida | 4.23% |
Best majors for food service managers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 22.5% |
| 2 | Culinary Arts | 14.3% |
| 3 | Hospitality Management | 11.2% |
| 4 | Food And Nutrition | 6.9% |
| 5 | Health Care Administration | 5.9% |
Best colleges for food service managers
The best colleges for food service managers are Cornell University, New York University, and Boston University.
A food service 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 food service 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 food service 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 food service managers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for food service managers
The most affordable schools for food service managers are USF Sarasota-Manatee, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for food service 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 food service 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 food service managers
The hardest universities for food service managers to get into are Cornell University, New York University, and Boston University.
Some great schools for food service 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 food service 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 food service managers
The easiest schools for food service 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 food service 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 food service 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 food service manager salary by education level
| Food service manager education level | Food service manager salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $53,785 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $42,801 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $51,565 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $45,305 |
Food service manager education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025