Caterer Education Requirements And Courses

Caterer Education Requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Usually, caterers don't need a college education. The most common degree for caterers is bachelor's degree with 41% graduates, with only 28% caterer graduates earning high school diploma. Caterers who decided to graduate from college often finish Johnson & Wales University or University of Phoenix. Some good skills to have in this position include food service, kitchen equipment and food delivery.

Popular caterer certifications include Certified Food Manager (CFM), Certified Professional - Food Safety (CP-FS), or Certified Food Protection Professional (CFPP). To improve caterer qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in caterer education paths.

What education do you need to become a caterer?

What degree do you need to be a caterer?

The most common degree for caterers is bachelor's degree, with 41% of caterers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 28% and high school diploma degree at 18%.

Bachelor's, 41%

High School Diploma, 28%

Associate, 18%

Diploma, 7%

Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a caterer?

You should major in business to become a caterer. 19% of caterers major in business. Other common majors for a caterer include culinary arts and psychology.

Business, 19%

Culinary Arts, 11%

Psychology, 9%

General Studies, 6%

Other Majors, 55%

Best majors for caterers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	18.9%
2	Culinary Arts	10.9%
3	Psychology	9.0%
4	General Studies	6.0%
5	Criminal Justice	5.9%

Show more common caterer majors

20 best online courses for caterers

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1. Successful Events: Event Planning, Marketing & Management

4.7

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Create a single successful event or event-series with effective event promotion, planning, management, and monetization...

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2. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System

4.4

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Understand the requirements for a food safety management system applicable for any organization in the food chain...

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3. Fun food safety and sanitation course

4.6

(539)

The food safety course will help prepare you for safely working in a kitchen and food handler tests like Servesafe...

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4. Food Safety for Managers and Supervisors

4.3

(489)

The Highfield Food Safety Level 3 syllabus presented in two hours of video tutorials. Boost your food safety knowledge...

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5. The Ultimate Guide to Professional Event Planning Management

4.4

(402)

Learn techniques to become an amazing event planner. You'll get all the skills you need for event management & planning...

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6. Learn how to become an Event Planner

4.7

(596)

Join one of the most lucrative, and fastest growing industries... Learn how to become an Event Planner...

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7. Customer Service: 6 Keys To Exceptional Customer Service

4.6

(601)

Master Customer Satisfaction & Astonish Your Customers With A+ Customer Service...

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8. Food Photography: Capturing Food in Your Kitchen

4.7

(3,133)

With DIY Food Photography, you'll be taking better photos in no time with what you have in your own kitchen!...

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9. Cook Real Food: How to Make Simple Plant-Based Meals

4.6

(1,644)

Learn how to cook whole plant foods to make quick, easy, and healthy vegan meals for practical everyday eating...

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10. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

4.6

(2,666)

Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

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Average caterer salary by education level

According to our data, caterers with a Associate degree earn the highest average salary, at $31,567 annually. Caterers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $31,456.

Caterer education level	Caterer salary
High School Diploma or Less	$29,429
Bachelor's Degree	$31,456
Some College/ Associate Degree	$31,567