Culinary Arts and Related Services
What graduates really earn, where the degree pays off most, and whether the numbers add up for you.
Earnings Range (4 Years After Graduation)
Best Schools for Culinary Arts and Related Services by Earnings
| # | School | 4yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnson & Wales University-Providence RI · Private | $55,056 |
| 2 | Southern New Hampshire University NH · Private | $52,058 |
| 3 | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi NY · Public | $51,716 |
| 4 | SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill NY · Public | $48,346 |
| 5 | Drexel University PA · Private | $48,094 |
| 6 | Nicholls State University LA · Public | $46,969 |
| 7 | Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science NY · Private | $42,652 |
| 8 | Mississippi University for Women MS · Public | $42,043 |
| 9 | University of North Alabama AL · Public | $38,735 |
| 10 | Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Carolina Campus PR · Private | $32,489 |
School-by-school analysis: Culinary Arts and Related Services
Editorial breakdowns of how culinary arts and related services graduates fare at the top-earning programs in our dataset.
Culinary Arts is JWU's largest program at 168 graduates. Median year-one earnings are $32,775 and year-four $55,056, against $27,000 median debt and a 0.824 debt-to-earnings ratio (ROI grade D). Culinary careers offer real professional pathways, but the model here is $31,027 per year for training that leads to $32,775 starting pay.
Culinary Arts graduates 14 per year with $27,738 starting and $48,346 at 4 years. Debt data is not published. Culinary careers are notoriously slow-ramp, and the data shows it: students who graduate and stay in the industry see meaningful wage growth between years 1 and 4. ROI is grade-uncomputed but directionally tight.
Culinary produced 12 graduates with first-year earnings of $31,506 against $27,000 in debt - a 0.857 ratio and D grade. Students choosing culinary here should plan on owner-operator or hospitality-management pathways rather than line-cook trajectories.
Culinary Arts and Related Services has 9 graduates in the Scorecard program cohort and an F grade under our methodology. Median earnings are $20,026 in the first year and $42,043 by year four, against median debt of $25,750 (a 1.286 debt-to-earnings ratio). With so few graduates, these program figures rest on a small cohort and can move sharply from year to year.
Culinary Arts graduates 66 students with year-one earnings of just $14,017 climbing to $32,489 by year four; the steep four-year growth suggests graduates progress from line-cook entry roles into supervisory positions in PR's substantial hospitality and tourism sector. Median debt of $13,000 produces a 0.93 ratio and a D ROI grade. The four-year trajectory tells a more optimistic story than year-one numbers suggest.
Is Culinary Arts and Related Services Worth It?
Passion Play - Manage the Cost
The money on Culinary Arts and Related Services is genuinely tough. An average $28,725 four years out is hard to square with a big tuition bill. If this is your passion, go for it - but keep debt as low as you can: in-state public, scholarships, anything that pulls the net cost down.
This is a more specialized field, offered at 10 schools in our data. Fewer options means less room to optimize on cost, so weigh each aid offer closely.
The top earner here is Drexel University, where graduates pull $48,094 four years out. But an average hides a wide spread - where you go, and what you do with the degree, matter as much as the major itself.
Earnings data represents median earnings 4 years after graduation for graduates of bachelor's programs, as reported by the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Individual outcomes vary significantly based on career path, location, and other factors.