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UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a undergraduate certificate or diploma in Culinary Arts and Related Services worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 99 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$33,155 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$33,155Median year-4 earnings
$13,547Average institution net-price context
$11,834Median federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$33,155Typical earnings four years after completion
$25,173Average earnings five years after completion
$11,834Typical federal student debt
14thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
7,634Degrees awarded in 2024–25
89College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 82 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Culinary Arts and Related Services

How much do Culinary Arts and Related Services undergraduate certificate or diploma graduates earn?

The national median is $33,155 four years after completion across reportable undergraduate certificate or diploma programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $11,834. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Culinary Arts and Related Services?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $27,210 to $37,522 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Culinary Arts and Related Services?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 12 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

CURRENT VIEW

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$33,155
Federal debt
$11,834
Programs in the comparison
99
89 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$38,508
Federal debt
$15,584
Programs in the comparison
111
108 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$47,139
Federal debt
$27,000
Programs in the comparison
20
20 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$51,558
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$31,636
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$27,210National median$33,15575th percentile$37,522
89 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$37,52275th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$11,834Median federal debt across programs that report it
5Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Scottsdale Community College

$52,191 four years after completionScottsdale, AZ · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

Institute of Culinary Education

$6,777 among completer borrowersNew York, NY · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Arizona Culinary Institute

133 reported awards in 2024–25Scottsdale, AZ · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$47,176Observed year-4 earnings$36,480
$3,214Annual college-wide average net price$34,306
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Scottsdale Community College$52,1912Miami Dade College$50,3443Saint Paul College$47,1764Institute of Culinary Education$46,8935Institute of Culinary Education$46,8936Arizona Culinary Institute$44,8007Dallas College$44,4908Madison Area Technical College$44,2069Brookdale Community College$44,03710Southeast Community College Area$42,728

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Chefs and Head Cooks$62,470 median wage200,040 jobs nationwide+6.6% projected growth through 2035 · 25,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$37,900–$98,560 typical wage rangeFirst-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers$44,080 median wage1,223,240 jobs nationwide+5.4% projected growth through 2035 · 171,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$29,940–$65,570 typical wage rangeCooks, All Other$37,690 median wage19,350 jobs nationwide+5.2% projected growth through 2035 · 2,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: No formal educational credential$27,040–$51,140 typical wage rangeFood Service Managers$69,390 median wage238,430 jobs nationwide+5.8% projected growth through 2035 · 38,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$45,960–$107,640 typical wage rangeCooks, Private Household$47,940 median wage1,100 jobs nationwide+5.1% projected growth through 2035 · 5,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$36,090–$91,130 typical wage rangeCooks, Institution and Cafeteria$37,450 median wage441,050 jobs nationwide+2.8% projected growth through 2035 · 62,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: No formal educational credential$28,480–$49,670 typical wage rangeCooks, Restaurant$37,390 median wage1,409,890 jobs nationwide+12.1% projected growth through 2035 · 218,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: No formal educational credential$28,700–$47,900 typical wage rangeFood Scientists and Technologists$88,720 median wage13,060 jobs nationwide+6.2% projected growth through 2035 · 1,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$52,920–$145,280 typical wage rangePostsecondary Teachers, All Other$77,640 median wage149,840 jobs nationwide+2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 12,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$44,300–$160,700 typical wage rangeButchers and Meat Cutters$40,140 median wage136,430 jobs nationwide+2.4% projected growth through 2035 · 15,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: No formal educational credential$29,460–$58,110 typical wage rangeSlaughterers and Meat Packers$40,130 median wage69,950 jobs nationwide+2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 7,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: No formal educational credential$33,340–$51,090 typical wage rangeBakers$37,160 median wage236,200 jobs nationwide+5.5% projected growth through 2035 · 36,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: No formal educational credential$28,120–$49,020 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services

Year-4 earnings
$26,547
Federal debt
$9,833
1,199 reporting programs →Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Funeral Service and Mortuary Science

Year-4 earnings
$56,401
Federal debt
$23,668
4 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

PR13 programs$15,328 average earningsFL11 programs$33,602 average earningsTX6 programs$34,141 average earningsMI5 programs$33,290 average earningsCA5 programs$35,368 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.