2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 21,906 people earned their degree in culinary arts, making the major the 80th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, culinary arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $23,822 and had an average of $19,004 in loans still to pay off.

Across Iowa, there were 177 culinary arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,000 and $13,021 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 72 culinary arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,684 and $18,179 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in culinary arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality culinary arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the culinary arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 4 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $75-$110k) in Iowa

#1

Des Moines Area Community College

Ankeny, Iowa

#1 in overall quality

$12,709 Average Net Price

$29,487 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Des Moines Area Community College. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Ankeny, Iowa, this large public school handed out 27 degrees to qualified associates’s culinary arts students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $75-$110k list, DMACC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $12,709 for iowa associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend DMACC.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Des Moines Area Community College

#2

Western Iowa Tech Community College

Sioux City, Iowa

#2 in overall quality

$10,322 Average Net Price

$30,228 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Iowa Tech Community College landed the #2 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Sioux City, Iowa, and it awarded 12 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Western Iowa Tech Community College also made our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Western Iowa Tech Community College is $10,322 for Iowa Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $75-$110k.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Western Iowa Tech Community College

#3

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

#3 in overall quality

$14,055 Average Net Price

$28,816 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Kirkwood Community College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k. Kirkwood Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It awarded 14 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Kirkwood Community College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Kirkwood Community College is $14,055 for Iowa Associate Degree Culinary Arts students whose families make $75-$110k.

Full Kirkwood Community College Culinary Arts Report

#4

Iowa Western Community College

Council Bluffs, Iowa

#4 in overall quality

$14,625 Average Net Price

$33,993 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Culinary Arts Schools for an Associate in Iowa For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa Western Community College landed the #4 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and it awarded 5 associates’s culinary arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa Western Community College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $14,625 for iowa associate degree culinary arts students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Iowa Western Community College.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Iowa Western Community College

• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $75-$110k) in the Plains States Region
• Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Culinary Arts (Income $75-$110k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to U.S. Army Europe Images.

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