Associate+10% vs national median356 grads tracked
Culinary Arts and Related Services at College Of DuPage
Ranked 18th of 105 associate programs in Culinary Arts and Related Services by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$32,990
middle 50%: $25,266 – $43,784
Median · 5 years out
$44,324
middle 50%: $34,107 – $55,413
Median · 10 years out
$70,365
middle 50%: $51,576 – $87,005
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Culinary Arts and Related Services (associate) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Culinary Arts students at College of DuPage earn a median of $33k in their first year. This increases to $70k by the tenth year.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.
Will the degree pay for itself?
Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.
Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).
Paid off in
8.8 yrs
≈ $10,837 total interest
Same major at other universities
Austin Community College
$46,024 · 5 yrs out
North Shore Community College
$45,075 · 5 yrs out
Kauai Community College
$45,014 · 5 yrs out
Des Moines Area Community College
$44,576 · 5 yrs out
Kapiolani Community College
$44,515 · 5 yrs out
Joliet Junior College
$44,398 · 5 yrs out
Cincinnati State Technical & Community College
$44,262 · 5 yrs out
South Central College
$44,060 · 5 yrs out
Triton College
$43,647 · 5 yrs out
Tarrant County College District
$43,626 · 5 yrs out
College of Lake County
$43,463 · 5 yrs out
Elgin Community College
$43,189 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at College Of DuPage
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians (Certificate)
$105,399 · 5 yrs out
Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians (Certificate)
$105,399 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Associate)
$87,221 · 5 yrs out
Engineering, General (Associate)
$86,855 · 5 yrs out
Fire Protection (Associate)
$81,833 · 5 yrs out
Data Entry/Microcomputer Applications (Certificate)
$81,462 · 5 yrs out
Geography and Cartography (Certificate)
$80,415 · 5 yrs out
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) (Associate)
$80,258 · 5 yrs out
Social Sciences (Certificate)
$79,787 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate)
$78,118 · 5 yrs out
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Certificate)
$77,087 · 5 yrs out
Computer Programming (Associate)
$75,704 · 5 yrs out