Culinary Arts at Dallas College

Dallas College's culinary certificate graduates earn $30,484 in their first year—40% above the national median and significantly higher than any other culinary program in Texas. That 80th percentile ranking among Texas schools means they're outearning four out of five comparable programs statewide, including well-known culinary institutes. At roughly $9,200 in debt, graduates face a manageable 0.30 debt-to-earnings ratio that's better than most certificate programs in any field.

The catch? This data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, so individual circumstances could be skewing the numbers higher than what's typical. However, even if actual outcomes vary somewhat, the gap between Dallas College and other Texas culinary programs is substantial enough to suggest something real—whether it's stronger employer connections in the Dallas metro area, more rigorous training, or both.

For families considering culinary training in Texas, this program appears to offer significantly better earning potential than alternatives at less than $10,000 in debt. The small sample size means you'll want to talk directly with recent graduates about job placement, but the earnings advantage over competing programs is too large to dismiss as statistical noise.