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Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Virginia

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

Finding the Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree School for You

With 261 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, culinary arts is the #84 most popular major in Virginia.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

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 Virginia ranking. This report analyzed 5 schools in Virginia to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Virginia

The colleges and universities below are the best for culinary arts majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top Virginia Schools for an Associate in Culinary Arts

#1

Stratford University

Fairfax, VA

Our analysis found Stratford University to be the best school for culinary arts students who want to pursue a associate degree in Virginia. Located in the city of Fairfax, Stratford University is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, culinary arts majors at Stratford University accumulate an average of around $36,398 in student debt.

Full Culinary Arts at Stratford University Report

#2

ECPI University

Virginia Beach, VA

The excellent associate degree programs at ECPI University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best culinary arts schools in Virginia. Located in the city of Virginia Beach, ECPI University is a private for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that culinary arts majors at ECPI University take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,370. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $135, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Culinary Arts at ECPI University Report

The excellent associate degree programs at The Art Institute of Virginia Beach helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best culinary arts schools in Virginia. Ai Virginia Beach is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Virginia Beach.

After completing their Associate Degree, culinary arts graduates from Ai Virginia Beach carry an average student debtload of $23,771. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $266.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tidewater Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Culinary Arts Associate Degree Schools in Virginia list. Tidewater Community College is a large public school located in the midsize city of Norfolk.

While working on their Associate Degree, culinary arts majors at Tidewater Community College accumulate an average of around $24,567 in student debt.

Full Culinary Arts at Tidewater Community College Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Virginia Western Community College is a great place for culinary arts students working on their associate degree. Virginia Western Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Roanoke.

Culinary Arts majors at Virginia Western Community College take out an average of $18,539 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

Best Culinary Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Culinary Arts Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 192
North Carolina 401
Florida 298
Tennessee 36
Kentucky 109
South Carolina 85
Louisiana 132
Arkansas 53
Alabama 64
Mississippi 105
West Virginia 33

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

Majors Similar to Culinary Arts

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 5 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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