Culinary Artsat University of North Alabama
Graduates earn $33,884/yr in their first year — about 18.0% above the national Culinary Arts average. Base-case 10-year earnings $449K; scenarios range from $426K to $449K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at University of North Alabama
While many culinary programs focus strictly on the kitchen, UNA's program has a strong undercurrent of food science and management. This is the key to understanding your potential career path. Florence isn’t a massive culinary hub, so graduates often leverage this broader education for roles in corporate food service, product development, or institutional management across the Southeast. Think less about becoming a celebrity chef in a major city and more about managing the dining operations for a large university, developing new products for a regional food brand, or ensuring quality control in a large-scale production facility. Your most important step will be securing internships that align with this business and science side of the food industry, as that experience, not just your cooking skill, will unlock the higher-paying management and technical roles right after graduation.
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.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to University of North Alabama's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
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.
Peer schools offering Culinary Arts
How University of North Alabama stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at University of North Alabama
Other highest-scoring programs offered at University of North Alabama, 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 →Frequently asked about Culinary Arts at University of North Alabama
What does a 47/100 DegreeOutlook Score mean for Culinary Arts at University of North Alabama?
At 47/100, the financial outlook is modest. Higher-scoring Culinary Arts programs exist, though non-financial factors may justify this choice.
Is University of North Alabama one of the best schools for Culinary Arts?
Among 12 Culinary Arts programs, University of North Alabama's #2 position reflects consistently above-average results across earnings, ROI, and employment probability.