Culinary Arts and Related Services programs in California
110 schools in California teach this, at certificate or associate level. 8 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $28,236 at Cerritos College.
What this work pays in California
Cooks, Restaurant in California earn a median of $44,880 a year across 152,250 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in California |
|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $46,980 | 130,190 |
| Bartenders | $36,220 | 71,470 |
| Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | $100,690 | 37,770 |
| Food Service Managers | $78,260 | 33,180 |
| Chefs and Head Cooks | $64,500 | 31,670 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cerritos College Norwalk | Undergraduate certificate | — | $28,236 (11 grads) | 37 |
| Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa | Associate's degree | — | $27,765 (15 grads) | 10 |
| Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa | Undergraduate certificate | — | $27,439 (12 grads) | 14 |
| CET-San Jose San Jose | Undergraduate certificate | — | $24,615 (35 grads) | 15 |
| Institute of Technology Clovis | Associate's degree | $17,298 | $19,508 (52 grads) | — |
| Baldwin Park Adult & Community Education Baldwin Park | Undergraduate certificate | — | $19,045 (37 grads) | 8 |
| Los Angeles Trade Technical College Los Angeles | Associate's degree | — | $19,045 (18 grads) | 66 |
| Institute of Technology Clovis | Undergraduate certificate | $9,500 | $17,208 (95 grads) | 34 |
| Institute of Culinary Education Pasadena | Undergraduate certificate | $6,439 | not published | 317 |
| Allan Hancock College Santa Maria | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
| Allan Hancock College Santa Maria | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| American River College Sacramento | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 18 |
| American River College Sacramento | Associate's degree | — | not published | 15 |
| Bakersfield College Bakersfield | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| Bakersfield College Bakersfield | Associate's degree | — | not published | 24 |
| Cabrillo College Aptos | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 26 |
| Cabrillo College Aptos | Associate's degree | — | not published | 9 |
| Cerritos College Norwalk | Associate's degree | — | not published | 27 |
| Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 21 |
| Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga | Associate's degree | — | not published | 29 |
| City College of San Francisco San Francisco | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
| City College of San Francisco San Francisco | Associate's degree | — | not published | 27 |
| Coalinga College Coalinga | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| College of the Canyons Santa Clarita | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 31 |
| College of the Canyons Santa Clarita | Associate's degree | — | not published | 11 |
| College of the Desert Palm Desert | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 5 |
| College of the Desert Palm Desert | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| College of the Redwoods Eureka | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| College of the Redwoods Eureka | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| College of the Sequoias Visalia | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| College of the Sequoias Visalia | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Columbia College Sonora | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 11 |
| Columbia College Sonora | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
| Contra Costa College San Pablo | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 5 |
| Contra Costa College San Pablo | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
| Copper Mountain Community College Joshua Tree | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Cosumnes River College Sacramento | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 7 |
| Cosumnes River College Sacramento | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| Cuesta College San Luis Obispo | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 32 |
| Cuesta College San Luis Obispo | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Cypress College Cypress | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 78 |
| Cypress College Cypress | Associate's degree | — | not published | 37 |
| Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 16 |
| Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill | Associate's degree | — | not published | 8 |
| Feather River Community College District Quincy | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Fresno City College Fresno | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| Fresno City College Fresno | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Glendale Community College Glendale | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Glendale Community College Glendale | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Grossmont College El Cajon | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 29 |
| Grossmont College El Cajon | Associate's degree | — | not published | 11 |
| Hacienda La Puente Adult Education La Puente | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 4 |
| Institute of Culinary Education Pasadena | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Lake Tahoe Community College South Lake Tahoe | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Lake Tahoe Community College South Lake Tahoe | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Laney College Oakland | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 34 |
| Laney College Oakland | Associate's degree | — | not published | 19 |
| Lemoore College Lemoore | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 23 |
| Long Beach City College Long Beach | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Long Beach City College Long Beach | Associate's degree | — | not published | 28 |
| Los Angeles Harbor College Wilmington | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 37 |
| Los Angeles Harbor College Wilmington | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Los Angeles Mission College Sylmar | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 96 |
| Los Angeles Mission College Sylmar | Associate's degree | — | not published | 20 |
| Los Angeles Trade Technical College Los Angeles | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 79 |
| Mendocino College Ukiah | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Merced College Merced | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 4 |
| Merced College Merced | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| MiraCosta College Oceanside | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| MiraCosta College Oceanside | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Mission College Santa Clara | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 11 |
| Mission College Santa Clara | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Modesto Junior College Modesto | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Modesto Junior College Modesto | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Monterey Peninsula College Monterey | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Monterey Peninsula College Monterey | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Moreno Valley College Moreno Valley | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Mt San Antonio College Walnut | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 9 |
| Mt San Antonio College Walnut | Associate's degree | — | not published | 16 |
| Napa Valley College Napa | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| National Holistic Institute Emeryville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 18 |
| Orange Coast College Costa Mesa | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 66 |
| Orange Coast College Costa Mesa | Associate's degree | — | not published | 22 |
| Oxnard College Oxnard | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| Oxnard College Oxnard | Associate's degree | — | not published | 10 |
| Pasadena City College Pasadena | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Riverside City College Riverside | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 47 |
| Riverside City College Riverside | Associate's degree | — | not published | 15 |
| Saddleback College Mission Viejo | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 13 |
| Saddleback College Mission Viejo | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| San Bernardino Valley College San Bernardino | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 11 |
| San Bernardino Valley College San Bernardino | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| San Diego Mesa College San Diego | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 6 |
| San Diego Mesa College San Diego | Associate's degree | — | not published | 8 |
| San Joaquin Delta College Stockton | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
| San Joaquin Delta College Stockton | Associate's degree | — | not published | 18 |
| Santa Ana College Santa Ana | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 4 |
| Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara | Associate's degree | — | not published | 8 |
| Shasta College Redding | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 5 |
| Shasta College Redding | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Skyline College San Bruno | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Southwestern College Chula Vista | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 18 |
| Southwestern College Chula Vista | Associate's degree | — | not published | 7 |
| Victor Valley College Victorville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| Victor Valley College Victorville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Woodland Community College Woodland | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 5 |
| Woodland Community College Woodland | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Yuba College Marysville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| Yuba College Marysville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Culinary Arts and Related Services — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.