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Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

11 Colleges
$14,768 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$26,607 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Personal & Culinary Services Associate Degree School for You

Personal & Culinary Services is the #31 most popular major in Pennsylvania with 466 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in Pennsylvania to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for personal and culinary services students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Associate Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Personal & Culinary Services Associate Degree Schools

Our analysis found Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus to be the best value school for personal and culinary services students who want to pursue a associate degree in Pennsylvania. Located in the town of Indiana, IUP is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at IUP are $13,144 a year.

IUP also took the #3 spot in our Best Personal & Culinary Services Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania rankings.

Full Personal & Culinary Services at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus Report

#2

Douglas Education Center

Monessen, PA

The excellent associate degree programs at Douglas Education Center helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value personal and culinary services schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the suburb of Monessen, Douglas Education Center is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Douglas Education Center undergraduate students pay an average of $17,950 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Personal & Culinary Services at Douglas Education Center Report

The excellent associate degree programs at Community College of Philadelphia helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value personal and culinary services schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Community College of Philadelphia is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Community College of Philadelphia are $8,688 per year.

Read More…

Out of the 11 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Pennsylvania College of Technology landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of Williamsport, Penn College is a public school with a small student population.

Penn College undergraduate students pay an average of $17,610 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Penn College also is in the top 20% of our Best Personal & Culinary Services Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking.

Read full report on Personal & Culinary Services at Pennsylvania College of Technology

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Montgomery County Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Montco is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Blue Bell.

Montco undergraduate students pay an average of $10,350 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#6

Jna Institute of Culinary Arts

Philadelphia, PA

Jna Institute of Culinary Arts came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Jna Institute of Culinary Arts is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Jna Institute of Culinary Arts are $14,575 a year.

Full Personal & Culinary Services at Jna Institute of Culinary Arts Report

Pittsburgh Technical College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree personal and culinary services programs. Located in the rural area of Oakdale, Pittsburgh Technical College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Pittsburgh Technical College are $16,699 per year.

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The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for personal and culinary services students to get a associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College are $23,550 per year.

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Northampton County Area Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the large suburb of Bethlehem, Northampton Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Northampton Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,350 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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With a ranking of #10, YTI Career Institute-York did quite well on this year’s best value schools for personal and culinary services students working on their associate degree. Located in the midsize suburb of York, YTI is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Read full report on Personal & Culinary Services at YTI Career Institute-York

Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Value Personal & Culinary Services Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New Jersey 134
New York 1,214
Maryland 97
Delaware 21
District of Columbia 6

Personal & Culinary Services Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Cosmetology 107,895
Culinary Arts 19,806
Funeral & Mortuary Science 2,354
Casino Operations and Services 192
Other Personal & Culinary Services 81

Related Major Annual Graduates
Mechanic & Repair Technologies 96,336
Precision Production 52,913
Construction Trades 35,794
Transportation & Materials Moving 29,084

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 11 schools only.

  • 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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