9 colleges and career schools in Missouri train cooks, chefs and bakers, 8 of them public community or technical colleges. After grants, students pay between $5,837 and $30,618 a year on average, with a median of $8,440; the lowest-cost option is St Charles Community College in Cottleville. Of these, one teaches baking & pastry and 2 offer culinary or restaurant management.
The table below lists every Missouri school that reported culinary graduates to the U.S. Department of Education and whose own catalog still shows the program, checked in November 2026. Net price is what aid recipients actually paid per year, school-wide, from the federal College Scorecard; sort by it rather than by the published tuition. Programs we single out further down were checked on each school’s website.
| School | City | Type | Tuition/yr | Net price/yr | Enrollment | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center | Cape Girardeau | Public | - | $17,598 | 159 | Culinary Arts |
| Franklin Technology Center Adult Education | Joplin | Public | - | $30,618 | 91 | Culinary Arts |
| St Charles Community CollegeLowest average net price in the state: $5,837/yr after grants. | Cottleville | Public | $3,048 | $5,837 | 5,017 | Culinary Arts |
| Saint Louis Community CollegeCulinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts AAS at the Forest Park campus (Jack E. Miller Hospitality Center), both ACF-accredited (Exemplary) through 6/30/2028. Fall 2026-Spring 2027: $127/credit in-district, fees included. | St. Louis | Public | $3,660 | $8,440 | 11,788 | Baking & Pastry Culinary Arts |
| East Central College | Union | Public | $4,272 | $13,128 | 1,639 | Culinary Arts |
| Ozarks Technical Community CollegeNow branded Ozarks Tech (otc.edu redirects to ozarkstech.edu). ACF-accredited (Exemplary) Associate Degrees in Culinary Arts and in Baking & Pastry. Culinary courses are Tier II: $153/credit in-district plus per-credit fees. | Springfield | Public | $4,512 | $6,936 | 8,165 | Culinary Arts Culinary Management |
| Jefferson College | Hillsboro | Public | $5,250 | $7,378 | 2,552 | Culinary Arts |
| Missouri State University-West PlainsReports culinary/restaurant management as its program in this family. | West Plains | Public | $5,936 | $9,750 | 965 | Culinary Management |
| College of the Ozarks | Point Lookout | Private | $22,320 | $6,100 | 1,444 | Culinary Arts |
Showing 9 of 9 schools
Standout culinary programs in Missouri
Four Missouri colleges are on the American Culinary Federation’s accredited program list: St. Louis Community College, Ozarks Tech, College of the Ozarks and East Central College. We do not rank schools.
St. Louis Community College: Forest Park, St. Louis
STLCC teaches its “AAS in Culinary Arts” and “AAS in Baking and Pastry Arts” at the Jack E. Miller Hospitality Center on the Forest Park campus. Both degrees, plus a hospitality management (food and beverage) AAS, are ACF-accredited through June 2028. The culinary degree ends with a restaurant-style capstone, and the baking capstone prepares students for ACF’s Certified Pastry Culinarian exam. For fall 2026 to spring 2027, in-district students pay $127 per credit with fees included, the lowest culinary rate we confirmed in Missouri. It suits St. Louis city and county residents, and anyone in Missouri who wants a baking degree.
Ozarks Tech: Springfield
Ozarks Technical Community College now calls itself Ozarks Tech, and its old otc.edu address redirects to ozarkstech.edu. ACF lists its “Associate Degree in Culinary Arts” and “Associate Degree in Baking & Pastry” as Exemplary programs, with ACF accreditation through December 2026; ask the college whether it has been renewed. We could not find a culinary page on the new website, so confirm details with admissions. Culinary courses are billed at the Tier II rate of $153 per credit for district residents. It suits Springfield and Branson-area students who want an associate degree close to home.
College of the Ozarks: Point Lookout
College of the Ozarks offers Missouri’s only ACF-accredited culinary bachelor’s degree, the “Bachelors Degree in Culinary Arts”, accredited through June 2027. Its average net price is $6,100 a year. Its website blocked our checks, so confirm admission and costs directly. It suits students who want a four-year degree rather than an associate.
St. Charles Community College: Cottleville
SCC’s culinary degree is built around its Field to Table Institute on the Dardenne Creek Campus, where culinary students work with agriculture and healthcare students; the degree has embedded certificates. It is not ACF-accredited. SCC has the lowest average net price in our data, $5,837, but that is a school-wide figure: culinary courses are billed at its Tier II rate of $216 per credit for in-district students, the highest district rate we found among Missouri community colleges. It suits St. Charles County residents who want farm-to-table training.
Elsewhere in Missouri
In the St. Louis area, East Central College in Union has an ACF-accredited AAS in culinary arts, with ACF accreditation through December 2026, and Jefferson College in Hillsboro runs a late-afternoon culinary arts program; we could not confirm program details or culinary tuition for either. In Kansas City, we found no Missouri-side culinary degree: Metropolitan Community College offers a hospitality management AAS and ServSafe courses, but its culinary arts page no longer exists. Kansas City students can compare options on our Kansas page. In Cape Girardeau, the Career and Technology Center runs an adult culinary arts program that full-day students can finish in one year, with a campus restaurant. Missouri State University-West Plains offers an AAS in Culinary and Hospitality Leadership with online coursework.
What culinary school costs in Missouri
Missouri community colleges charge by district, and culinary courses often carry a higher tier rate. At STLCC, fall 2026 to spring 2027 tuition is $127 per credit in district, $176 out of district and $238 out of state, with fees built in; for 60 credits that is an estimated $7,620, $10,560 or $14,280. In-district there means St. Louis City, St. Louis County and parts of Franklin and Jefferson counties. Ozarks Tech’s culinary rate is $153 per credit in district plus about $47 per credit in fees, roughly $200 a credit; out-of-district students pay about $262 and out-of-state students about $322 with fees (the college’s tuition page does not print an academic year). SCC’s fall 2026 culinary rate is $216 in district, $285 out of district and $347 out of state, plus a $10 per-credit technology fee.
By average net price, what aid recipients paid per year school-wide, St. Charles is lowest at $5,837, followed by College of the Ozarks at $6,100 and Ozarks Tech at $6,936. Franklin Technology Center Adult Education in Joplin shows the highest, $30,618, but its website could not be reached to confirm that its adult culinary program still runs, so call before applying. See our methodology.
Culinary jobs and pay in Missouri
Chefs and head cooks in Missouri earn a little more than the national median; cooks, bakers and food service managers earn a little less.
| Job | Jobs in Missouri | Median pay in Missouri | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant cooks | 25,990 | $36,940 | $37,390 |
| Bakers | 4,190 | $35,130 | $37,160 |
| Chefs and head cooks | 1,750 | $64,480 | $62,470 |
| Food service managers | 1,600 | $65,520 | $69,390 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Studying online from Missouri?
If no campus is close enough, accredited online diplomas and associate degrees in culinary arts and baking & pastry exist, but every one ends with an in-person externship in a working kitchen. Escoffier’s online baking & pastry diploma costs $22,800 and its associate degree $34,425 for the whole program. Missouri residents can also enroll in the Institute of Culinary Education’s online diplomas ($22,000 to $22,500). We compare every option, with accreditation and outcomes, on our online culinary schools page. For in-person options, see our baking & pastry and culinary management program pages.
Closed or changed schools you may still see listed
- L’École Culinaire, St. Louis and Kansas City: closed when its parent, Vatterott College, shut all campuses on December 17, 2018.
- Waynesville Career Center: its culinary arts program is open only to high-school juniors and seniors; it has no adult culinary program, so we removed it from our list in November 2026.
- Metropolitan Community College, Kansas City: its culinary arts program page now returns “page not found”; the college lists hospitality management and ServSafe courses instead.
Missouri culinary school FAQs
How many culinary schools are in Missouri?
9 Missouri colleges and career schools report culinary programs to the U.S. Department of Education and still list them, 8 of them public. Four are on the American Culinary Federation's accredited list: St. Louis Community College, Ozarks Tech, College of the Ozarks and East Central College.
How much does culinary school cost in Missouri?
After grants, students pay between $5,837 and $30,618 a year on average, with a median of $8,440. For fall 2026 to spring 2027, St. Louis Community College charges in-district students $127 per credit with fees included, an estimated $7,620 for 60 credits.
What is the cheapest culinary school in Missouri?
St. Charles Community College has the lowest average net price at $5,837 a year, but that is school-wide, and its culinary courses cost $216 per credit in district. For culinary courses, St. Louis Community College's $127 per credit with fees included is the lowest rate we confirmed.
Which Missouri schools offer baking and pastry programs?
St. Louis Community College offers an ACF-accredited AAS in Baking and Pastry Arts at its Forest Park campus. ACF's list also shows an Associate Degree in Baking & Pastry at Ozarks Tech in Springfield, with ACF accreditation through December 2026.
Is there a culinary school in Kansas City, Missouri?
We found no culinary degree on the Missouri side of Kansas City. Metropolitan Community College offers a hospitality management AAS and ServSafe courses, and L'Ecole Culinaire's Kansas City campus closed with Vatterott College in December 2018.
What are the best culinary schools in Missouri?
We do not rank schools. ACF accreditation is one useful check: St. Louis Community College (through June 2028), College of the Ozarks' bachelor's (through June 2027), and Ozarks Tech and East Central College (both through December 2026) are on ACF's list.
Culinary schools in nearby states
Sources
- American Culinary Federation, Accredited Postsecondary Programs, retrieved November 9, 2026
- St. Louis Community College, Culinary Arts, retrieved November 9, 2026
- St. Louis Community College, Baking and Pastry Arts, retrieved November 9, 2026
- St. Louis Community College, Tuition, retrieved November 9, 2026
- Ozarks Tech, Tuition and Fees, retrieved November 9, 2026
- Ozarks Tech, Tier Tuition Rate Courses, retrieved November 9, 2026
- St. Charles Community College, Culinary, retrieved November 9, 2026
- St. Charles Community College, Tuition and Payment, retrieved November 9, 2026
- Jefferson College, Area Technical School Culinary Arts, retrieved November 9, 2026
- Missouri State University-West Plains, Culinary and Hospitality Leadership, retrieved November 9, 2026
- Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center, Culinary Arts, retrieved November 9, 2026
- Metropolitan Community College, Hospitality (Continuing Education), retrieved November 9, 2026
- Waynesville Career Center, Culinary Arts, retrieved November 9, 2026
- Wikipedia, Vatterott College, retrieved November 9, 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, retrieved November 9, 2026
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, retrieved November 9, 2026