Home Schools Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte Culinary Arts
Culinary & Personal Services · Culinary Arts Rank #11 of 12

Culinary Artsat Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte

Graduates earn $32,775/yr in their first year — about 15.0% above the national Culinary Arts average. Base-case 10-year earnings $455K; scenarios range from $431K to $455K depending on AI disruption.

Charlotte, NC Private nonprofit Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
36 AT RISK
37
Optimistic
36
Pessimistic
Earnings
$32,775
1-year post-graduation
ROI
1.4x
Earnings : tuition
10-yr Base
$455K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
Low
24% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte

Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte’s culinary program uniquely positions you within a rapidly expanding hospitality market. Your education here extends beyond kitchen skills, emphasizing the business and management aspects crucial for leadership roles in Charlotte's vibrant food scene, which includes everything from upscale restaurants and major hotel chains to corporate catering and large-scale event venues. This comprehensive approach, combined with the university's strong industry connections and practical training, helps explain why graduates often pursue diverse and higher-earning career paths like food service management or even food science, rather than just traditional chef roles. To maximize your financial and career outcomes, actively engage with every internship opportunity and networking event, leveraging the university's ties to the local and regional culinary landscape.

AI Outlook Integration

Three scenarios, ten years out

Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$431K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score36/100
Earnings Multiple2.7x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$455K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score36/100
Earnings Multiple2.8x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$455K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score37/100
Earnings Multiple2.8x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Culinary Arts graduates typically work

Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.

1
Food scientists and technologists
+6.5% 10-yr growth · 1,200 openings/yr
$85,310/yr
Moderate
2
Postsecondary teachers, all other
+1.8% 10-yr growth · 13,500 openings/yr
$78,490/yr
Low
3
Food service managers
+6.4% 10-yr growth · 42,000 openings/yr
$65,310/yr
Moderate
4
Chefs and head cooks
+7.1% 10-yr growth · 24,400 openings/yr
$60,990/yr
Low
5
Cooks, private household
+5.1% 10-yr growth · 5,300 openings/yr
$44,530/yr
Low
6
First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers
+6.0% 10-yr growth · 183,900 openings/yr
$42,010/yr
High
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Culinary Arts

How Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
Culinary Institute of America
NY · Private nonprofit
50
DW Score
$44K
1-yr earn
1.9x
ROI
Southern New Hampshire University
NH · Private nonprofit
46
DW Score
$36K
1-yr earn
5.8x
ROI
University of North Alabama
AL · Public
47
DW Score
$34K
1-yr earn
6.1x
ROI
Johnson & Wales University-Providence
RI · Private nonprofit
36
DW Score
$33K
1-yr earn
1.4x
ROI
Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science
NY · Private nonprofit
37
DW Score
$32K
1-yr earn
2.3x
ROI
Also at Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte

Other top programs at Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte

Other highest-scoring programs offered at Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

Consider the trade route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Culinary Arts offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Compare Culinary Arts trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →
FAQ

Frequently asked about Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte

How does Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte's Culinary Arts program score?

This program scores 36/100 — on the lower end for Culinary Arts. Prospective students should carefully weigh costs against likely earnings.