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2025 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Texas

8 Colleges in Texas
622 Associate Degrees
$27,063 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a associate degree in culinary arts, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #23 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 8 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Texas ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 622 associate degrees in culinary arts during the 2022-2023 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Culinary Arts School for Your Associate Degree

Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Texas Your choice of culinary arts for getting your associate degree school matters. Important measures of a quality culinary arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their associate degree from the school. After all, your associate degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for culinary arts students working on their associate degree.

More Ways to Rank Culinary Arts Schools

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More Culinary Arts Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The culinary arts school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Texas.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Culinary Arts in Texas

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in culinary arts.

Top Texas Schools for an Associate in Culinary Arts

1
El Centro College crest
El Centro College
Dallas, TX

It is difficult to beat El Centro College if you want to pursue an associate degree in culinary arts. Located in the large city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a very large student population.

Those culinary arts students who get their associate degree from El Centro College earn $4,707 more than the average culinary arts graduate.

More information about a associate in culinary arts from El Centro College

2
17 Annual Graduates

San Jacinto Community College is one of the best schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in culinary arts. Located in the midsize city of Pasadena, San Jacinto College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts from San Jacinto Community College

3
Lee College crest
Lee College
Baytown, TX
24 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in an associate degree in culinary arts has to look into Lee College. Lee College is a moderately-sized public college located in the city of Baytown.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Lee College

4

Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in culinary arts has to check out Houston Community College. Houston Community College is a very large public college located in the city of Houston.

Soon after graduating, culinary arts associate recipients usually make about $26,419 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a associate in culinary arts from Houston Community College

5

TSTC is a large public college located in the medium-sized city of Waco.

Associate graduates who receive their degree from the culinary arts program make about $26,927 in their early career salary.

More information about a associate in culinary arts from Texas State Technical College

6
12 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Fort Worth, Tarrant County College is a public college with a very large student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Tarrant County College District

7
197 Annual Graduates
$26,613 Median Starting Salary
$12,094 Median Student Debt

Escoffier - Austin is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Austin.

Students who graduate with their associate from the culinary arts program state that they receive average early career wages of $26,613.

More information about a associate in culinary arts from Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Austin

8
93 Annual Graduates
$28,089 Median Starting Salary
$19,101 Median Student Debt

Culinary Institute LeNotre is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Houston.

Associate graduates who receive their degree from the culinary arts program make about $28,089 in their early career salary.

More information about a associate in culinary arts from Culinary Institute Inc

Best Culinary Arts Colleges in the Southwest Region

Explore all the Best Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Arizona 169 87
New Mexico 140 38
Oklahoma 136 26

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One of 4 majors within the Personal & Culinary Services area of study, Culinary Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Culinary Arts Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Culinary Arts/Chef Training 359
Baking & Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef 171
General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts 73
Restaurant, Culinary, & Catering Management/Manager 12
Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant 7

Related Major Annual Graduates
Funeral & Mortuary Science 313
Cosmetology 156

Notes and References

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