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Third cook education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Usually, third cooks don't need a college education. The most common degree for third cooks is associate degree with 37% graduates, with only 34% third cook graduates earning high school diploma. Third cooks who decided to graduate from college often finish The Art Institute of Philadelphia or Johnson & Wales University. Some good skills to have in this position include food preparation, kitchen equipment and culinary.

What education do you need to become a third cook?

What degree do you need to be a third cook?

The most common degree for third cooks is associate degree, with 37% of third cooks earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 34% and high school diploma degree at 12%.
  • Associate, 37%
  • High School Diploma, 34%
  • Bachelor's, 12%
  • Master's, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 12%

What should I major in to become a third cook?

You should major in culinary arts to become a third cook. 31% of third cooks major in culinary arts. Other common majors for a third cook include business and general studies.

Best majors for third cooks

RankMajorPercentages
1Culinary Arts31.0%
2Business9.5%
3General Studies9.5%
4Education7.1%
5Criminal Justice4.8%

20 best online courses for third cooks

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1. 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...

2. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff

coursera

Now that you've been introduced to the world of Health IT and the important role played by electronic health records (EHRs), we'll focus on other technologies that play a role in maintaining ongoing operations in healthcare. Telemedicine, patient portals, barcode scanners, printers, and medical devices are just some of the technologies that impact providers and patients. As an IT support specialist, you’ll be asked to troubleshoot issues with a wide variety of tools. You'll see a scenario with...

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. 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...

6. Nutrition Hot Topics and Controversies

coursera

Within the ever-changing nutrition landscape, it becomes difficult to understand current trending topics. Without a doubt, your friends and neighbors will have questions regarding these nutrition hot topics. Most people want to know what to believe or discard from what they hear, but they often lack the tools or the knowledge (or the time) to research topics as they become popular. This course has been designed to take an in-depth approach to explain the science behind many nutrition hot topics...

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. 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...

10. Stanford Introduction to Food and Health

coursera

Around the world, we find ourselves facing global epidemics of obesity, Type 2 Diabetes and other predominantly diet-related diseases. To address these public health crises, we urgently need to explore innovative strategies for promoting healthful eating. There is strong evidence that global increases in the consumption of heavily processed foods, coupled with cultural shifts away from the preparation of food in the home, have contributed to high rates of preventable, chronic disease. In this...

11. 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...

12. 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!...

13. Child Nutrition and Cooking

coursera

Eating patterns that begin in childhood affect health and well-being across the lifespan. The culture of eating has changed significantly in recent decades, especially in parts of the world where processed foods dominate our dietary intake. This course examines contemporary child nutrition and the impact of the individual decisions made by each family. The health risks associated with obesity in childhood are also discussed. Participants will learn what constitutes a healthy diet for children...

14. Basic Food Photography

udemy
4.2
(1,349)

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

15. 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...

16. 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...

17. The Ultimate Food and Restaurant Business Course

udemy
4.5
(1,874)

For Existing Food & Restaurant Businesses & Start Ups. This course will significantly improve you chance of success...

18. Operational Risks Management ORM

udemy
4.3
(1,174)

Operational Risks Management ORM Case Studies for Risk Management, Compliance, Audit, IS Security, Banking Professionals...

19. Get to Know Your Food: Claims, Labels & Ingredients

udemy
4.4
(813)

Learn how to make the healthiest and best food choices amidst processed and packaged foods...

20. Isla Verde Spa Hot Stones Massage Certificate Course (4 CEU)

udemy
4.8
(1,641)

Learn Exactly How to Do Our Famous Hot Stones Massage Sequence Used in Our Award Winning Isla Verde Massage Spa...

Average third cook salary by education level

Third cooks with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $35,968 annually. With a Associate degree, third cooks earn a median annual income of $35,226 compared to $34,534 for third cooks with an High School Diploma degree.
Third cook education levelThird cook salary
High School Diploma or Less$34,534
Bachelor's Degree$35,968
No Education$34,175
Some College/ Associate Degree$35,226

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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