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Institutional Food Workers

Types of Degrees Institutional Food Workers Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Institutional Food Workers can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	35
Associate’s Degree	31
Master’s Degree	115

What Institutional Food Workers Majors Need to Know

Programs in Institutional Food Workers develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Institutional Food Workers graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Institutional Food Workers emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Food Production — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Institutional Food Workers program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 2.9 / 7.
• Quality Control Analysis — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 2.5 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Institutional Food Workers careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Institutional Food Workers graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	3.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.8 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	3.7 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.6 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Institutional Food Workers professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
PCS Revenue Control Systems FASTRAK School Meal Software	Point of sale POS software	—
Point of sale POS software	Point of sale POS software	—
Meals Plus	Data base user interface and query software	—
IBM Lotus 1-2-3	Spreadsheet software	—
GNOME Gnutrition	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Institutional Food Workers graduates include:

• Galley Cook
• School Cook
• Sous Chef
• Cook
• Special Diet Cook
• School Cafeteria Cook
• Mess Cook
• Camp Cook
• Prep Cook (Preparatory Cook)
• Nutrition Care Specialist
• Cafeteria Cook
• Line Cook
• Kitchen Cook
• Dietary Aide
• Institutional Cook

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Institutional Food Workers graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	71.1%
Postsecondary certificate	14.2%
Bachelor’s degree	6.8%
Some college courses	5.8%
Less than a high school diploma	1.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Institutional Food Workers?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 51.4% women and 48.6% men among Institutional Food Workers graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	93	51.4%
Men	88	48.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Institutional Food Workers graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	88	48.6%
Asian	8	4.4%
Hispanic or Latino	24	13.3%
Black or African American	36	19.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	7	3.9%
Two or More Races	8	4.4%
Race Unknown	10	5.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Institutional Food Workers Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Institutional Food Workers graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb 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 Institutional Food Workers Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Institutional Food Workers 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
Culinary Science/Culinology	12.0509
Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant	12.0505
Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, and Dining Room Management/Manager	12.0507
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.