by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2020-2021, culinary science/culinology was the 984th most popular major nationwide with 196 degrees awarded. This is a difference of 38 over the prior year, a growth of 19.4%.
Our 2023 Best Culinary Science/Culinology Schools ranking analyzes 2 of these schools to determine the best overall colleges for culinary science/culinology students. Explore this or one of our many other custom culinary science rankings further below.
When studying Culinary Science, you’ll learn that talking to others to convey information effectively will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs. Monitoring assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action and giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times are all required skills for careers related to this major.
New students will need to have completed high school or a GED program and each school will have their own minimum GPA and SAT/ACT test requirements. Once you obtain your degree, additional culinary science certifications required to pursue a career in this field.
Culinary Science degree levels vary. Culinary Science/Culinology programs offered by schools range from a to a , which is the highest culinary science degree you can get. The type of culinary science degree you choose will determine how long it takes to get your diploma.
| Degree | Credit Requirements | Typical Program Length |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 60-70 credits | 2 years |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 120 credits | 4 years |
| Master’s Degree | 50-70 credits | 1-3 years |
| Doctorate | Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation | At least 4 years |
A bachelor's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to culinary science, with approximately 27.4% of workers getting one. See the the most common levels of education for culinary science workers below.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | 26.7% |
| High School Diploma | 23.5% |
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 15.1% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 9.2% |
| Some College Courses | 9.1% |
55.2% of culinary science workers have at least a associate. The chart below shows what degree level those who work in culinary science/culinology have obtained.
The education level required is different depending on the culinary science career you are seeking.
Want a job when you graduate with your culinary science degree? Culinary Science/Culinology careers are expected to grow 9.2% between 2016 and 2026.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to culinary science/culinology.
| Occupation Name | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Food Service Managers | 336,400 | 9.0% |
| Professors | 258,700 | 9.4% |
| Chefs and Head Cooks | 160,600 | 9.6% |
| Cooks | 19,400 | 9.0% |
| Food Scientists and Technologists | 18,000 | 5.9% |
As you might expect, salaries for culinary science graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.
Salaries for culinary science/culinology graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers culinary science grads often go into.
| Occupation Name | Median Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Professors | $76,990 |
| Food Scientists and Technologists | $72,570 |
| Food Service Managers | $58,960 |
| Chefs and Head Cooks | $52,160 |
| Cooks | $30,360 |
With over 20 different culinary science degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased culinary science school rankings to help you with this.
One of 11 majors within the Culinary Arts area of study, Culinary Science/Culinology has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Culinary Arts/Chef Training | 9,052 |
| Baking & Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef | 4,322 |
| General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts | 3,156 |
| Restaurant, Culinary, & Catering Management/Manager | 1,380 |
| Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant | 801 |
Image Credit: By U.S. Army Europe Images under License More about our data sources and methodologies.
