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2025 Best Culinary Arts/Chef Training Associate Degree Schools

73 Colleges in the United States
3,952 Associate Degrees
Ranked #38 in popularity, culinary arts/chef training is one of the most sought-after associate degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 73 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Culinary Arts/Chef Training Associate Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,952 associate degrees in culinary arts/chef training to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Culinary Arts/Chef Training School for Your Associate Degree

Best Culinary Arts/Chef Training Associate Degree Schools Your choice of culinary arts/chef training for getting your associate degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

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

Other Factors We Consider

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

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

More Ways to Rank Culinary Arts/Chef Training Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Culinary Arts/Chef Training Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Culinary Arts/Chef Training Associate Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Culinary Arts/Chef Training in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in culinary arts/chef training. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

14 Top Schools for an Associate in Culinary Arts/Chef Training

1
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
393 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in an associate degree in culinary arts/chef training has to take a look at Culinary Institute of America. The Culinary Institute of America is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Hyde Park.More information about a associate in culinary arts/chef training from Culinary Institute of America

2
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
109 Annual Graduates

Johnson & Wales University - Providence is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in culinary arts/chef training. Located in the city of Providence, JWU Providence is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts/chef training from Johnson & Wales University - Providence

3
Sullivan University crest
Sullivan University
Louisville, KY
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Sullivan University if you wish to pursue an associate degree in culinary arts/chef training. Located in the large city of Louisville, Sullivan University is a private for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts/chef training from Sullivan University

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
80 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte if you want to pursue an associate degree in culinary arts/chef training. JWU Charlotte is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Charlotte.More information about a associate in culinary arts/chef training from Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
10 Annual Graduates

Madison College is a large public college located in the city of Madison.More information about a associate in culinary arts/chef training from Madison Area Technical College

6
ECPI University crest
ECPI University
Virginia Beach, VA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Virginia Beach, ECPI University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts/chef training from ECPI University

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
11 Annual Graduates

SWOCC is a small public college located in the town of Coos Bay.More information about a associate in culinary arts/chef training from Southwestern Oregon Community College

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
17 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Milwaukee, MATC is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts/chef training from Milwaukee Area Technical College

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
59 Annual Graduates

NLU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a associate in culinary arts/chef training from National Louis University

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
19 Annual Graduates

Located in the rural area of Sanborn, Niagara County Community College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts/chef training from Niagara County Community College

11
El Centro College crest
El Centro College
Dallas, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
23 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts/chef training from El Centro College

12
Saint Paul College crest
Saint Paul College
Saint Paul, MN
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
18 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Saint Paul College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts/chef training from Saint Paul College

13
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
13 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Dover, Delaware Tech is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts/chef training from Delaware Technical Community College - Terry

14
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
15 Annual Graduates

Located in the rural area of Mays Landing, Atlantic Cape Community College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts/chef training from Atlantic Cape Community College

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Culinary Arts/Chef Training students that almost earned our Best Culinary Arts/Chef Training Associate Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
15 Savannah Technical College Savannah, GA
16 Nassau Community College Garden City, NY
17 Fox Valley Technical College Appleton, WI
18 Baker College Owosso, MI
19 Lee College Baytown, TX
20 Suffolk County Community College Selden, NY
21 Monroe College Bronx, NY
22 Sinclair Community College Dayton, OH
23 Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Cincinnati, OH
24 Grand Rapids Community College Grand Rapids, MI

Culinary Arts/Chef Training by Region

View the Best Culinary Arts/Chef Training Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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One of 11 majors within the Culinary Arts area of study, Culinary Arts/Chef Training has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Culinary Arts/Chef Training

Related Major Annual Graduates
Baking & Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef 1,593
General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts 828
Restaurant, Culinary, & Catering Management/Manager 545
Other Culinary Arts & Related Services 62
Institutional Food Workers 37
Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant 16
Meat Cutting/Meat Cutter 3
Wine Steward/Sommelier 2
Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, & Dining Room Management/Manager 1

Notes and References

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