Best degree programs for First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers, ranked by enrollment
5 college programs and 526 schools train First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $44,080 median wage, 1,223,240 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
5 college programs at 526 schools train first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers, graduating 18,372 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Culinary Arts/Chef Training. The job pays a median of $44,080 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in preparing and serving food.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
5 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 12.0503 | 11,808 | 64.3% | 353 | $25,404 | $13,000 |
| 2 | CIP 12.0500 | 4,439 | 24.2% | 153 | $25,404 | $13,000 |
| 3 | CIP 12.0504 | 1,663 | 9.1% | 115 | $25,404 | $13,000 |
| 4 | CIP 19.0505 | 333 | 1.8% | 30 | $32,286 | $25,275 |
| 5 | CIP 12.0507 | 129 | 0.7% | 9 | $25,404 | $13,000 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $46,980 | 130,190 | 0.91× | 59 | 2,315 |
| Colorado | $50,550 | 25,510 | 1.13× | 9 | 2,165 |
| Texas | $36,480 | 137,930 | 1.25× | 31 | 1,564 |
| New York | $47,190 | 65,580 | 0.86× | 25 | 1,545 |
| Florida | $44,470 | 91,500 | 1.17× | 48 | 1,358 |
| Illinois | $39,470 | 41,030 | 0.86× | 20 | 744 |
| North Carolina | $45,010 | 39,750 | 1.02× | 28 | 743 |
| Louisiana | $35,800 | 16,680 | 1.10× | 10 | 598 |
| Oklahoma | $35,420 | 18,900 | 1.41× | 14 | 455 |
| Georgia | $38,600 | 48,420 | 1.26× | 17 | 399 |
| Arizona | $40,550 | 21,450 | 0.84× | 10 | 387 |
| Michigan | $37,940 | 32,890 | 0.95× | 13 | 329 |
| Arkansas | $33,800 | 11,200 | 1.09× | 5 | 313 |
| Virginia | $45,550 | 30,640 | 0.95× | 12 | 313 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $48,400 | 3,320 | 0.84× | 2 | 283 |
| Ohio | $37,340 | 51,990 | 1.19× | 13 | 276 |
| Wisconsin | $39,670 | 21,240 | 0.92× | 12 | 261 |
| Kentucky | $35,810 | 18,010 | 1.14× | 8 | 251 |
| Utah | $38,750 | 13,670 | 1.00× | 8 | 232 |
| South Carolina | $38,520 | 20,120 | 1.11× | 8 | 228 |
| Tennessee | $40,500 | 29,100 | 1.13× | 7 | 213 |
| Pennsylvania | $43,050 | 35,560 | 0.75× | 19 | 212 |
| Washington | $59,400 | 20,700 | 0.74× | 14 | 201 |
| Maryland | $42,450 | 20,150 | 0.93× | 7 | 198 |
| Mississippi | $36,530 | 10,480 | 1.15× | 11 | 197 |
| New Jersey | $48,420 | 27,750 | 0.82× | 11 | 179 |
| Hawaii | $48,880 | 7,330 | 1.49× | 5 | 178 |
| Iowa | $38,760 | 11,400 | 0.93× | 8 | 154 |
| Alabama | $37,110 | 19,180 | 1.15× | 5 | 143 |
| Nevadalimited | $44,030 | 14,230 | 1.17× | 2 | 127 |
| Nebraskamoderate | $39,230 | 7,840 | 0.97× | 4 | 122 |
| New Mexico | $39,310 | 6,540 | 0.95× | 7 | 105 |
| Oregon | $46,950 | 16,880 | 1.09× | 6 | 99 |
| Massachusetts | $46,600 | 23,220 | 0.81× | 7 | 92 |
| Missouri | $37,400 | 21,650 | 0.94× | 8 | 88 |
| Connecticutlimited | $52,940 | 10,770 | 0.81× | 2 | 86 |
| Kansasmoderate | $38,220 | 10,520 | 0.93× | 4 | 78 |
| Minnesota | $45,270 | 20,760 | 0.89× | 5 | 56 |
| Mainemoderate | $47,990 | 3,740 | 0.74× | 4 | 44 |
| Alaskamoderate | $46,570 | 2,390 | 0.93× | 3 | 39 |
| Delawarelimited | $48,120 | 4,030 | 1.06× | 1 | 29 |
| Indianamoderate | $44,880 | 23,500 | 0.93× | 3 | 28 |
| West Virginiamoderate | $33,070 | 6,390 | 1.16× | 4 | 24 |
| Montanalimited | $44,010 | 4,650 | 1.15× | 2 | 17 |
| New Hampshiremoderate | $49,710 | 3,840 | 0.71× | 3 | 14 |
| Idaholimited | $38,190 | 7,440 | 1.10× | 2 | 11 |
| South Dakotalimited | $40,640 | 2,920 | 0.81× | 2 | 8 |
| North Dakotalimited | $44,720 | 2,780 | 0.82× | 1 | 6 |
| Wyominglimited | $36,820 | 2,680 | 1.21× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Resolve customer complaints regarding food service.
- Train workers in food preparation, and in service, sanitation, and safety procedures.
- Assign duties, responsibilities, and work stations to employees in accordance with work requirements.
- Present bills and accept payments.
- Perform various financial activities, such as cash handling, deposit preparation, and payroll.
- Supervise and participate in kitchen and dining area cleaning activities.
- Recommend measures for improving work procedures and worker performance to increase service quality and enhance job safety.
- Specify food portions and courses, production and time sequences, and workstation and equipment arrangements.
Skills
- Speaking3.9
- Monitoring3.9
- Active Listening3.8
- Reading Comprehension3.3
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Learning Strategies3.1
- Writing3.0
- Mathematics3.0
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.1
- Administration and Management3.6
- Food Production3.5
- English Language3.5
- Production and Processing3.3
- Sales and Marketing3.3
Abilities
- Oral Expression4.0
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Problem Sensitivity3.9
- Deductive Reasoning3.8
- Speech Clarity3.6
- Speech Recognition3.5
Core activities
- Getting Information4.4
- Training and Teaching Others4.0
- Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates3.9
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards3.9
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships3.9
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public3.9
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation
Job zone 2 of 5 · SVP Below 6.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Work experience needed
- Less than 5 years
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 5 majors mapped to First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers5 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 12.0500Cooking and Related Culinary Arts, General
- 12.0503Culinary Arts/Chef Training
- 12.0504Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/Manager
- 12.0507Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, and Dining Room Management/Manager
- 19.0505Foodservice Systems Administration/Management
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Culinary Arts/Chef Training, which awarded 11,808 degrees in 2024-25, 64.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Culinary Arts and Related Services, Foods. Together they graduate about 18,372 people a year.
How much do first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers earn?+
The median is $44,080 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $29,940 at the 10th percentile to $65,570 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers growing?+
BLS projects a +6.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 183,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
526 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 5 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Kitchen Manager, Dietary Supervisor, Restaurant Manager, Food Service Supervisor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 35-1012.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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