Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte

Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte's culinary arts program offers a relatively balanced entry point into the food service industry, with graduates earning $27,514 in their first year—about $1,000 above the national median and just below North Carolina's state average. More importantly, the program shows solid earning potential with 21% growth by year four, reaching $33,280, which outpaces many culinary programs that see minimal advancement.

The debt picture is notably better than state competitors. At $14,745, graduates carry nearly $9,000 less debt than the typical North Carolina culinary program, creating a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.54. This advantage becomes clearer when comparing to community college alternatives: while Asheville-Buncombe's graduates earn more initially, Johnson & Wales students enter the workforce with significantly less financial burden and show stronger earning growth.

With a robust sample size giving confidence in these outcomes, this program represents a solid middle-ground choice. Your child would graduate with reasonable debt levels and earnings that track competitively within both state and national contexts. The 21% earnings growth trajectory suggests real career advancement potential beyond the typically flat earning patterns in food service roles.