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2025 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

9 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
824 Associate Degrees
$25,372 Avg Early-Career Salary
Culinary Arts is of the hottest associate degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #23 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 9 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 824 associate degrees in culinary arts to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Culinary Arts School for Your Associate Degree

Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region Your choice of culinary arts for getting your associate degree school matters. Important measures of a quality culinary arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. 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 include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of associate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their associate degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

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 students working on their associate degree.

More Ways to Rank Culinary Arts Schools

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More Culinary Arts Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Culinary Arts in the Far Western US Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in culinary arts.

Top Far Western US Region Schools for an Associate in Culinary Arts

1

It is hard to beat Southwestern Oregon Community College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in culinary arts. SWOCC is a small public college located in the town of Coos Bay.

Associate recipients from the culinary arts degree program at Southwestern Oregon Community College make $2,483 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a associate in culinary arts from Southwestern Oregon Community College

2
17 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Clover Park Technical College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in culinary arts. Located in the city of Lakewood, CPTC is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Clover Park Technical College

3

Kapiolani Community College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in culinary arts. Located in the city of Honolulu, Kapiolani CC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Associate students who receive their degree from the culinary arts program earn about $26,882 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a associate in culinary arts from Kapiolani Community College

4
21 Annual Graduates

Riverside City College is a wonderful decision for students pursuing an associate degree in culinary arts. Riverside City College is a very large public college located in the city of Riverside.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Riverside City College

5
18 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Spokane, Spokane Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Spokane Community College

6

Located in the large city of Las Vegas, CSN is a public college with a very large student population.

After graduating, culinary arts associate recipients typically make an average of $22,428 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a associate in culinary arts from College of Southern Nevada

7
61 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Trade Technical College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Los Angeles Trade Technical College

8
10 Annual Graduates

Leeward CC is a moderately-sized public college located in the suburb of Pearl City.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Leeward Community College

9
21 Annual Graduates

Institute of Culinary Education - Los Angeles is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Institute of Culinary Education - Los Angeles

Best Culinary Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best culinary arts colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 192 408
Oregon 147 66
Washington 131 152
Nevada 112 61
Hawaii 59 111
Alaska 54 10

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

Culinary Arts Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Cooking & Related Culinary Arts 468
Culinary Arts/Chef Training 172
Restaurant, Culinary, & Catering Management/Manager 101
Baking & Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef 81
Wine Steward/Sommelier 2

Related Major Annual Graduates
Cosmetology 371
Funeral & Mortuary Science 100

Notes and References

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