Best Culinary & Pastry Schools in South Carolina (2026)

Quick answer: Culinary professionals in South Carolina earn a median of $71,860 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited culinary professional schools in South Carolina with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

Culinary professional training in South Carolina prepares students for entry-level work across the wider South Carolina labor market. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $71,860 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

South Carolina Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$71,860BLS OEWS, May 2025
South Carolina pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$47,640 to $88,880BLS OEWS, May 2025
Top-paying South Carolina metro for this fieldCharleston, SC, $74,210BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+7.1% growth, about 24,400 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment2,650 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
South Carolina location quotient0.89BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the Culinary professional Career

What You’ll Find Below

The school listings below are sorted by proximity to Programs. Each entry includes the school name, address, and the credentials offered. Use the South Carolina figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.

How We Rank Schools

We first gather the schools closest to the city or state page you are viewing, then rank that local group by BOC Score, with the highest at the top. The BOC Score is computed from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data; schools without enough data to score appear last.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
25%
Average net price (lower is better)
20%
Retention rate
15%
Fully online availability
10%

Schools without enough federal outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Central Piedmont Community College

Charlotte, NC 102.8 miles away BOC Score 52.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 81
  • Annual completions: 5637
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,441 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte

Charlotte, NC 103.9 miles away BOC Score 52.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
  • Academic Center, 801 West Trade Street Charlotte, NC 28202
  • (866) 598-2427
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 50.7% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 8
  • Annual completions: 305
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $54,530 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Spartanburg Community College

Spartanburg, SC 111.2 miles away BOC Score 51.3
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 42
  • Annual completions: 936
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,991 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Trident Technical College

Charleston, SC 69.2 miles away BOC Score 50.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 69
  • Annual completions: 1858
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $58,783 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Horry-Georgetown Technical College

Conway, SC 100.5 miles away BOC Score 50.3
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 32.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 60
  • Annual completions: 1760
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $46,000 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Ogeechee Technical College

Statesboro, GA 111.1 miles away BOC Score 50.1
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 95
  • Annual completions: 1808
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $40,635 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Robeson Community College

Lumberton, NC 119.1 miles away BOC Score 49.3
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 31.3% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 30
  • Annual completions: 501
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $46,135 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Augusta Technical College

Augusta, GA 77.9 miles away BOC Score 45.4
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 30.9% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 94
  • Annual completions: 2339
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $43,469 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#9

Northeastern Technical College

Cheraw, SC 81.4 miles away BOC Score 35.2
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 28.8% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 27
  • Annual completions: 416
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $36,017 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

Helms College

Augusta, GA 76.6 miles away BOC Score 30.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 10
  • Annual completions: 144
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $33,374 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#11

Technical College of the Lowcountry

Beaufort, SC 90.7 miles away BOC Score 27.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 14.8% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 40
  • Annual completions: 334
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $47,361 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#12

Denmark Technical College

Denmark, SC 36.1 miles away BOC Score 16.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 13.0% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 21
  • Annual completions: 89
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $28,350 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Culinary Worker Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile - Chefs and Head Cooks
Chefs and Head Cooks annual wage percentiles, BLS OEWS May 2025P10 $37900, P25 $48440, P50 $62470, P75 $78750, P90 $98560.10th$37,90025th$48,44050th (median)$62,47075th$78,75090th$98,560
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Chefs and Head Cooks annual wage percentiles
PercentileAnnual wage
10th$37,900
25th$48,440
50th (median)$62,470
75th$78,750
90th$98,560
Projected employment growth, Chefs and Head Cooks, 2024-2034
Chefs and Head Cooks employment 2024 vs 2034 projection, BLS Employment Projections2024 employment 197300; 2034 projected employment 211300; percent change +7.1%.2024197,300 jobs2034 (proj.)211,300 jobsChange: +7.1%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Chefs and Head Cooks employment projection 2024 to 2034
YearEmployment
2024197,300
2034 projected211,300
Percent change+7.1%

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does culinary professional training take in South Carolina?

Culinary professional certificate programs in South Carolina typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.

How much do culinary professionals earn in South Carolina?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), culinary professionals in South Carolina earned a median annual wage of approximately $71,860. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $47,640 to $88,880 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many culinary professional schools are in South Carolina?

The schools listed above are within about 800 miles of Programs. Compare them by tuition, program length, and the credential each one awards.


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)