Fry Cook Education Requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Usually, fry cooks don't need a college education. The most common degree for fry cooks is high school diploma with 53% graduates, with only 16% fry cook graduates earning associate degree. Fry cooks who decided to graduate from college often finish University of Phoenix or Johnson & Wales University. Some good skills to have in this position include kitchen equipment, customer service and safety standards.

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

What education do you need to become a fry cook?

What degree do you need to be a fry cook?

The most common degree for fry cooks is high school diploma, with 53% of fry cooks earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 16% and associate degree degree at 14%.
  • High School Diploma, 53%
  • Associate, 16%
  • Diploma, 14%
  • Bachelor's, 13%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a fry cook?

You should major in culinary arts to become a fry cook. 20% of fry cooks major in culinary arts. Other common majors for a fry cook include business and general studies.

Best majors for fry cooks

Rank
ascdesc
Major
ascdesc
Percentages
ascdesc
1Culinary Arts20.5%
2Business16.4%
3General Studies13.3%
4Criminal Justice7.2%
5Psychology5.4%

20 best online courses for fry cooks

Advertising Disclosure

1. Cooking for Busy Healthy People

coursera

Cooking is one of the most powerful ways in which we can optimize our enjoyment of great quality food while protecting our health. Even on a tight budget, cooking can be a cost-effective, joyful and rewarding way to love the food that will love us back for a lifetime. In this course, you’ll learn some basic recipes from a home cook and two professional chefs who prioritize healthful eating. You’ll also learn some of the fundamentals of principle-based cooking that can help you break free from...

2. Fun food safety and sanitation course

udemy
4.6
(539)

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

3. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System

udemy
4.4
(976)

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

4. Food Safety for Managers and Supervisors

udemy
4.3
(489)

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

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

udemy
4.6
(1,644)

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

6. SAP Customer Service (CS/SM) - Service Management module

udemy
4.4
(960)

Real World SAP CS and SD, Repair Orders, Service Orders, Service Contracts...

7. Food Photography: Capturing Food in Your Kitchen

udemy
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!...

8. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

udemy
4.5
(941)

Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

9. ISO 22000 (HACCP and PRPs) for Food Safety

udemy
4.4
(618)

Standards, analysis, control points, and risk management related to ISO 22000 for food industry professionals...

10. Basic Food Photography

udemy
4.2
(1,349)

Learn how to take delicious food photos from scratch...

Average fry cook salary by education level

Fry cooks with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $32,530 annually. With a Associate degree, fry cooks earn a median annual income of $31,819 compared to $31,158 for fry cooks with an High School Diploma degree.
Fry Cook education level
ascdesc
Fry Cook salary
ascdesc
High School Diploma or Less$31,158
Bachelor's Degree$32,530
No Education$30,814
Some College/ Associate Degree$31,819

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse food preparation and restaurant jobs