---
title: Is a Culinary Arts and Related Services degree worth the debt?
cip: 1205
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

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

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **18** colleges (18 of 18 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $29,862 ($29,290 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $27,000 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.97× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $27,937–$31,732 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Certificate | $19,572 | $9,500 | 0.43× | 45 | 45/45 |
| Associate's | $25,539 | $14,167 | 0.54× | 107 | 107/107 |
| Bachelor's | $29,862 | $27,000 | 0.97× | 18 | 18/18 |

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

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Culinary Institute of America (NY) | $45,756 | $26,750 |
| Southern New Hampshire University (NH) | $37,855 | $23,500 |
| Pennsylvania College of Technology (PA) | $35,542 | — |
| Walnut Hill College (PA) | $34,514 | $27,000 |
| SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill (NY) | $31,830 | — |
| Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science (NY) | $31,439 | $27,000 |
| Johnson & Wales University-Providence (RI) | $30,833 | $27,000 |
| Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte (NC) | $30,833 | $27,000 |
| AI Miami International University of Art and Design | $29,862 | $29,333 |
| Miami International University of Art & Design-Art Institute Dallas | $29,862 | $29,333 |
| The Art Institute of Atlanta | $28,105 | $32,584 |
| The Art Institute of Virginia Beach | $28,105 | $32,584 |
| The Art Institute of Houston | $27,937 | $35,095 |
| The Art Institute of Austin | $27,937 | $35,095 |
| The Art Institute of San Antonio | $27,937 | $35,095 |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/culinary-arts-and-related-services.jsonld` · `/education/fields/culinary-arts-and-related-services.json`