by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools in North Carolina to determine which ones were the best for culinary arts students pursuing a associate degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 349 associate degrees in culinary arts during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
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:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
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.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full 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.
The culinary arts school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in culinary arts.
Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte is a great choice for students interested in an associate degree in culinary arts. JWU Charlotte is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Charlotte.
Students who graduate with their associate from the culinary arts program report average early career income of $27,514.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University - Charlotte
Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in culinary arts needs to look into Wake Technical Community College. Wake Technical Community College is a fairly large public college located in the large suburb of Raleigh.More information about a associate in culinary arts from Wake Technical Community College
Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in culinary arts has to look into Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. A-B Tech is a moderately-sized public college located in the small city of Asheville.
Culinary Arts associate degree recipients from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College get an earnings boost of around $7,088 above the typical income of culinary arts graduates.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
It's difficult to beat Central Piedmont Community College if you want to pursue an associate degree in culinary arts. Located in the large city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a public college with a large student population.
Soon after graduation, culinary arts associate recipients generally earn around $27,127 in their early careers.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Central Piedmont Community College
Located in the suburb of Jamestown, Guilford Technical Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Associate students who receive their degree from the culinary arts program earn around $14,813 in their early career salary.
More information about a associate in culinary arts from Guilford Technical Community CollegeExplore all the Best Culinary Arts Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 143 | 89 |
| Georgia | 121 | 184 |
| Florida | 121 | 294 |
| Arkansas | 105 | 53 |
| Tennessee | 102 | 36 |
| Virginia | 97 | 250 |
| West Virginia | 92 | 33 |
| Kentucky | 90 | 109 |
| Louisiana | 80 | 90 |
| South Carolina | 77 | 85 |
| Alabama | 69 | 63 |
One of 4 majors within the Personal & Culinary Services area of study, Culinary Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Culinary Arts/Chef Training | 220 |
| Baking & Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef | 129 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Cosmetology | 262 |
| Funeral & Mortuary Science | 65 |
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