2025 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
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.
College Factual looked at 20 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 675 associate degrees in culinary arts to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Culinary Arts School for Your Associate Degree
The culinary arts associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
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
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to culinary arts students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of culinary arts students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How much debt culinary arts students go into to obtain their associate degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized culinary arts related body.
Our complete 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.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Culinary Arts in the Great Lakes Region
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in culinary arts.
10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools for an Associate in Culinary Arts
Madison Area Technical College is a wonderful option for students pursuing an associate degree in culinary arts. Located in the large city of Madison, Madison College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Madison Area Technical College
It is hard to beat Milwaukee Area Technical College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in culinary arts. MATC is a fairly large public college located in the city of Milwaukee.
Associate students who receive their degree from the culinary arts program earn an average of $25,304 for their early career.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Milwaukee Area Technical College
National Louis University is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in culinary arts. Located in the city of Chicago, NLU is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.
Students who graduate with their associate from the culinary arts program state that they receive average early career income of $24,786.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from National Louis University
Fox Valley Technical College is one of the best schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in culinary arts. FVTC is a fairly large public college located in the midsize suburb of Appleton.
Culinary Arts associate degree recipients from Fox Valley Technical College receive an earnings boost of around $7,655 over the average earnings of culinary arts majors.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Fox Valley Technical College
Located in the town of Owosso, Baker College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Soon after graduating, culinary arts associate recipients generally earn around $25,204 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Baker College