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Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

3 Colleges
$25,593 Avg Salary
$17,005 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree School for You

Culinary Arts is the #102 most popular major in Illinois with 253 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. This report analyzed 3 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Colleges.

Top Illinois Schools for an Associate in Culinary Arts

Our analysis found National Louis University to be the best school for culinary arts students who want to pursue a associate degree in Illinois. Located in the large city of Chicago, NLU is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, culinary arts graduates from NLU carry an average student debtload of $17,353. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $479, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at National Louis University

#2

Joliet Junior College

Joliet, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Joliet Junior College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Illinois list. Joliet Junior College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Joliet.

On average, culinary arts graduates from Joliet Junior College take out $13,635 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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The excellent associate degree programs at City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best culinary arts schools in Illinois. Kennedy-King College is a small public school located in the city of Chicago.

On average, culinary arts graduates from Kennedy-King College take out $12,994 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at City Colleges of Chicago - Kennedy-King College

Best Culinary Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Culinary Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 228
Ohio 133
Indiana 12
Wisconsin 106

One of 4 majors within the area of study, culinary arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Cosmetology 107,895
Funeral & Mortuary Science 2,354
Casino Operations and Services 192
Other Personal & Culinary Services 81

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 3 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to U.S. Army Europe Images.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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