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Culinary Science/Culinology

Types of Degrees Culinary Science/Culinology Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Culinary Science/Culinology can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Bachelor’s Degree	108
Master’s Degree	192

What Culinary Science/Culinology Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Culinary Science/Culinology build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Culinary Science/Culinology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Culinary Science/Culinology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Food Production — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Production and Processing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Personnel and Human Resources — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Culinary Science/Culinology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Coordination — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Management of Personnel Resources — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Culinary Science/Culinology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Culinary Science/Culinology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others	4.0 / 7
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.0 / 7
Developing and Building Teams	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Culinary Science/Culinology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
SoftCafe MenuPro	Desktop publishing software	—
IPro Restaurant Inventory, Recipe & Menu Software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Delphi Technology	Financial analysis software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Sage MAS 90 ERP	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Google Sheets	Spreadsheet software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Culinary Science/Culinology graduates include:

• Cook Manager
• Kitchen Manager
• Menu Planner
• Chef Manager
• Cake Mixer
• Pizza Chef
• Cake Maker
• Culinary Artist
• Executive Chef (Ex Chef)
• Food and Beverage Director
• Executive Sous Chef
• Head Cook
• Head Baker
• Bread and Pastry Baker
• Culinary Specialist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Culinary Science/Culinology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	43.7%
Postsecondary certificate	17.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	15.8%
Bachelor’s degree	12.2%
Some college courses	7.1%
Less than a high school diploma	3.7%
Master’s degree	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Culinary Science/Culinology?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 56.1% women and 43.9% men among Culinary Science/Culinology graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	169	56.1%
Men	132	43.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Culinary Science/Culinology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	185	61.5%
Asian	18	6.0%
Hispanic or Latino	18	6.0%
Black or African American	33	11.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	6	2.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.3%
Two or More Races	9	3.0%
Race Unknown	19	6.3%
International Students	12	4.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Culinary Science/Culinology Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Culinary Science/Culinology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$24,617
4 years	$29,033
5 years	$32,264

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $32,264 — roughly 31% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Culinary Science/Culinology Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Culinary Science/Culinology graduates earn a median of $29,033 four years after completion — about 24% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Culinary Arts and Related Services	12.05
Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef	12.0501
Bartending/Bartender	12.0502
Culinary Arts and Related Services, Other	12.0599
Culinary Arts and Related Services	12.0500
Culinary Arts/Chef Training	12.0503
Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant	12.0505
Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, and Dining Room Management/Manager	12.0507
Institutional Food Workers	12.0508
Meat Cutting/Meat Cutter	12.0506
Reserved	12.0580
Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/Manager	12.0504

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.