Culinary Arts and Related Services at Nicholls State University
Thibodaux, LA · Public · Bachelor's Degree
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
65
Optimistic
64
Base Case
61
Pessimistic
Earnings
$23,038/yr (-19% vs median)
AI Risk
Low (20% exposed)
Job Market
Very Large (789,200 openings/yr)
How AI Changes the Outlook
Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Culinary Arts and Related Services graduates.
| Optimistic No Disruption |
Base Case Gradual AI |
Pessimistic Aggressive AI |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Earnings | $438K | $305K | $209K |
| Earnings Multiple (In-State) | 13.4x | 9.3x | 6.4x |
| Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) | 11.8x | 8.2x | 5.6x |
| Viable Career Paths | 13 of 13 | 13 of 13 | 13 of 13 |
| DegreeWorth Score | 65 | 64 | 61 |
10-Year Earnings Projection
*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.
4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$32,692
Out-of-state: $37,064
Median Debt at Graduation
$25,000
13.0 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$38,417
67% growth from Year 1
Career Paths
Where Culinary Arts and Related Services graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 789,200 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Wage | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food scientists and technologists | $85,310 | 1,200 | +6.5% | 35% |
| Postsecondary teachers, all other | $78,490 | 13,500 | +1.8% | 0% |
| Food service managers | $65,310 | 42,000 | +6.4% | 42% |
| Chefs and head cooks | $60,990 | 24,400 | +7.1% | 26% |
| Cooks, private household | $44,530 | 5,300 | +5.1% | 24% |
| First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers | $42,010 | 183,900 | +6.0% | 51% |
| Slaughterers and meat packers | $39,790 | 8,400 | +2.2% | 0% |
| Butchers and meat cutters | $38,960 | 16,900 | +1.0% | 13% |
Compare & Explore
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DegreeWorth Score for Culinary Arts and Related Services at Nicholls State University?
This program scores 64/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 65 (optimistic) to 61 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Culinary Arts and Related Services career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Culinary Arts and Related Services graduates retain 13 of 13 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $208,993 (pessimistic) to $437,691 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Culinary Arts and Related Services graduates?
The career paths mapped to Culinary Arts and Related Services have roughly 789,200 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a very large job market.
Is Culinary Arts and Related Services at Nicholls State University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 9.3x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 6.4x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034
(employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections.
"Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI.
Last updated 2025.