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2025 Best Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Region

10 Colleges in the Southwest Region
2,346 Culinary Arts Degrees Awarded
$24,750 Avg Early-Career Salary
Culinary Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #97 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 10 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,346 degrees in culinary arts to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Culinary Arts School

Best Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Region The culinary arts program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Culinary Arts rankings. We derive our Best Overall Culinary Arts School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Culinary Arts Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Culinary Arts

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Culinary Arts in the Southwest Region

The schools below may not offer all types of culinary arts degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Culinary Arts

1
El Centro College crest
El Centro College
Dallas, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
112 Culinary Arts Degrees Awarded
$31,127 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in culinary arts has to check out El Centro College. El Centro College is a fairly large public college located in the city of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #281 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means El Centro College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 112 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at El Centro College in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the culinary arts program at El Centro College make $6,377 more than the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

2
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In TX
38 Culinary Arts Degrees Awarded

It's difficult to beat San Jacinto Community College if you wish to pursue a degree in culinary arts. San Jacinto College is a very large public college located in the midsize city of Pasadena. This college ranks 31st out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 38 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at San Jacinto College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in culinary arts from San Jacinto Community College

3
Lee College crest
Lee College
Baytown, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In TX
68 Culinary Arts Degrees Awarded

It is difficult to beat Lee College if you want to pursue a degree in culinary arts. Located in the city of Baytown, Lee College is a public college with a medium-sized student population. This college ranks 27th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 68 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at Lee College in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in culinary arts from Lee College

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
80 Culinary Arts Degrees Awarded
33.8% Growth in Graduates

Houston Community College is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in culinary arts. Located in the large city of Houston, Houston Community College is a public college with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #474 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Houston Community College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 80 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at Houston Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the culinary arts program report average early career earnings of $26,419.

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

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
$25,272 Median Starting Salary

Located in the distant town of Okmulgee, OSU Institute of Technology is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 7th out of 31 schools for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were roughly 21 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at OSU Institute of Technology in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, culinary arts degree recipients usually earn an average of $25,272 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in culinary arts from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Culinary Arts Degrees Awarded
29.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Albuquerque, CNM is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 2nd out of 24 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Mexico.

There were about 99 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at CNM in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the culinary arts program earn about $23,139 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in culinary arts from Central New Mexico Community College

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Culinary Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,445 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Waco, TSTC is a public college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #156 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means TSTC is a great college overall.

There were about 38 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at TSTC in the most recent data year. After graduation, culinary arts degree recipients typically earn about $26,445 in the first five years of their career.

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

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
15th Most Popular In TX
45 Culinary Arts Degrees Awarded

Tarrant County College is a fairly large public college located in the city of Fort Worth. A Best Colleges rank of #272 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Tarrant County College is a great college overall.

There were about 45 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at Tarrant County College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in culinary arts from Tarrant County College District

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
254 Culinary Arts Degrees Awarded
2.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Austin, Escoffier - Austin is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

There were approximately 254 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at Escoffier - Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, culinary arts degree recipients usually make around $25,976 at the beginning of their careers.

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

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
108 Culinary Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,339 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Houston, Culinary Institute LeNotre is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

There were about 108 culinary arts students who graduated with this degree at Culinary Institute LeNotre in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the culinary arts program earn around $26,339 in their early career salary.

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

Best Culinary Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best culinary arts colleges for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 701
Arizona 287 87
Oklahoma 257 26
New Mexico 219 42

View All Rankings >

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

Culinary Arts Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Culinary Arts/Chef Training 1,215
General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts 479
Baking & Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef 441
Restaurant, Culinary, & Catering Management/Manager 68
Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, & Dining Room Management/Manager 54
Institutional Food Workers 42
Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant 25
Bartending/Bartender 10
Meat Cutting/Meat Cutter 7
Culinary Science/Culinology 4

View All Culinary Arts Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Culinary Arts

Related Major Annual Graduates
Cosmetology 18,825
Funeral & Mortuary Science 423
Other Personal & Culinary Services 9

View All Culinary Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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