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Best Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Region

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2023 Best Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Region

29 Colleges
$24,361 Avg Salary
$20,631 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Culinary Arts School for You

Culinary Arts is the #100 most popular major in the country with 19,806 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. This report analyzed 29 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Region

Check out the culinary arts programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Culinary Arts Schools

#1

Arizona Culinary Institute

Scottsdale, AZ

Our 2023 rankings named Arizona Culinary Institute the best school in the Southwest Region for culinary arts students. Located in the midsize city of Scottsdale, Arizona Culinary Institute is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Culinary Arts majors at Arizona Culinary Institute take out an average of $9,500 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $165.

Full Culinary Arts at Arizona Culinary Institute Report

#2

Metro Technology Centers

Oklahoma City, OK

Out of the 29 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Metro Technology Centers landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Oklahoma City, Metro Technology Centers is a public school with a small student population.

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#3

El Centro College

Dallas, TX

The excellent programs at El Centro College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best culinary arts schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the large city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that culinary arts majors at El Centro College take out is $12,971.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Austin is a great place for culinary arts students. Located in the large city of Austin, Escoffier - Austin is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

While working on their degree, culinary arts majors at Escoffier - Austin accumulate an average of around $14,346 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $133, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Culinary Arts at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts - Austin Report

The excellent programs at Tulsa Technology Center helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best culinary arts schools in the Southwest Region . Tulsa Tech is a small public school located in the city of Tulsa.

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#6

Culinary Institute Inc

Houston, TX

Culinary Institute Inc did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #6 on the list. Culinary Institute LeNotre is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Houston.

Culinary Arts majors at Culinary Institute LeNotre take out an average of $20,652 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $173.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Culinary Institute Inc

#7

Lee College

Baytown, TX

Lee College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for culinary arts students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Baytown, Lee College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Read full report on Culinary Arts at Lee College

The Art Institute of Dallas came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Culinary Arts Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. The Art Institute of Dallas is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Dallas.

The average amount in student loans that culinary arts majors at The Art Institute of Dallas take out is $33,113. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $203, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Culinary Arts at The Art Institute of Dallas Report

With a ranking of #9, Austin Community College District did quite well on this year’s best schools for culinary arts students. Located in the city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best culinary arts programs. OSU Institute of Technology is a small public school located in the town of Okmulgee.

On average, culinary arts graduates from OSU Institute of Technology take out $18,750 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Best Culinary Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best culinary arts colleges for a specific state in the Southwest region.

State Degrees Awarded
Texas 701
Arizona 87
Oklahoma 26
New Mexico 42

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 25 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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