College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Culinary Arts and Related Services degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 18 colleges (18 of 18 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$29,862

Graduates only, early career.$29,290 two years out.

Median federal debt

$27,000

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.97×

97% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is under a year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Culinary Arts and Related Services report early-career pay between $27,937 and $31,732 — a spread of $3,795 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $27,937 median $29,862 75th pct $31,732

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Certificate 45 colleges $19,572 $9,500 0.43×

Associate's 107 colleges $25,539 $14,167 0.54×

Bachelor's 18 colleges $29,862 $27,000 0.97×

Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

Culinary Institute of America NY $45,756 $26,750 debt

Southern New Hampshire University NH $37,855 $23,500 debt

Pennsylvania College of Technology PA $35,542 —

Walnut Hill College PA $34,514 $27,000 debt

SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill NY $31,830 —

Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science NY $31,439 $27,000 debt

Johnson & Wales University-Providence RI $30,833 $27,000 debt

Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte NC $30,833 $27,000 debt

AI Miami International University of Art and Design $29,862 $29,333 debt

Miami International University of Art & Design-Art Institute Dallas $29,862 $29,333 debt

The Art Institute of Atlanta $28,105 $32,584 debt

The Art Institute of Virginia Beach $28,105 $32,584 debt

The Art Institute of Houston $27,937 $35,095 debt

The Art Institute of Austin $27,937 $35,095 debt

The Art Institute of San Antonio $27,937 $35,095 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Culinary Arts and Related Services, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard