South Georgia Technical College ranked 1st in nation in Culinary Arts Degree programs for 2017 – 2018

April 18, 2018

South Georgia Technical College was ranked number one in the nation in Culinary Arts degree programs. Shown above is South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford (right) sharing the good news with SGTC Culinary Arts Instructor Chef Ricky Watzlowick and his students who are preparing rosemary to be used as part of the South Georgia Technical College Foundation Donor Appreciation Dinner. Shown (l to r) are: Tommy Lamaree, Gussie Jackson, Chef Ricky Watzlwick, Ryan Faaborg and Corcynthia Monts with SGTC President Dr. John Watford.

South Georgia Technical College has been ranked as the best college in the nation for Culinary Arts Degree Programs for 2017 – 2018 based on eight distinct metrics of student support, engagement, and success by Schools.com recently. South Georgia Technical College earned the top spot as the Best Community College in Georgia for 2017 twice by Best Colleges and Niche 2017 and was listed as the third best community college in the nation by AffordableColleges.com in 2017. Now the college is tops in the nation in Culinary Arts. The latest rankings can be viewed at https://www.schools.com/programs/culinary-arts.

“South Georgia Technical College has a tremendous reputation for providing an outstanding education that prepares students for the workforce,” said South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford. “We are very pleased that Schools.com has ranked us as the leader in Culinary Arts degree programs in the nation for 2017 – 2018 for both two-year and four-year colleges. I would like to congratulate Vice President of Academic Affairs David Kuipers, Academic Dean over Culinary Arts David Finley and Culinary Arts Instructor Chef Ricky Watzlowick. We currently have an opening for a second Culinary Arts full-time instructor and this honor lets any interested applicants be aware that we have high expectations for our instructors.”

Schools.com is a website that rigorously analyzes data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and ranked hundreds of schools on eight distinct metrics of student support, engagement and success. Schools.com also used data from Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), which is run by the U.S. Department of Education. They looked at graduation rate, in-state undergraduate tuition & fees, accessibility, institutional spending, student-to-faculty ratio, flexibility, size of programs, and related subjects.

South Georgia Technical College placed near the top on several of the metrics, including taking the number two spot among schools in the top ten for its graduation rate. It also posted the list’s second-highest percentage of culinary arts students in its 2015 graduating class, losing out only to an institution that awards culinary arts degrees exclusively.

The student-faculty ratio at SGTC was 14:1 in 2015, about 12 percent better than the national average of 16:1 reported by the U.S. News and World Report in 2016. The program aims to provide a balanced combination of practical skills and culinary theory that can be applied professionally to cooking, baking, catering, or management.

South Georgia Technical College took the top spot in the nation and Cypress College, a public university in Cypress, California was second. Los Angeles Technical College in California was ranked third, Lake Tahoe Community College was fourth, and Atlanta Technical College in Atlanta, GA rounded out the top five spots. Scottsdale Community College in Phoenix, Arizona, was ranked sixth, the Culinary Institute Inc. finished seventh and then Oxnard College, Laney College, and Grossmont College closed out the top 10 in eighth, ninth, and tenth place respectively.

A culinary arts degree may be able to help individuals who love food and cooking to transform a passion into a profession. Up-close instruction from industry insiders and hands-on experience in a professional kitchen are invaluable resources for aspiring chefs, bakers and culinary entrepreneurs. The average salary for food preparation and service related occupations is around $24,000 with food service managers expected to make $56,000. The projected job growth percentage for these position is between 8.8% and 11.8 percent.

The nearly 2,800 students enrolled in classes at South Georgia Tech pay $89 per credit hour for tuition and those who live on campus pay an additional $2,500 for housing and food, a very economical cost of living in comparison to residence hall rates at many other colleges. The Hope Scholarship, Hope Grant, Hope Career Grant and Pell Grant help with the cost of tuition and housing. SGTC provides books at no cost to its students.

“South Georgia Technical College is an excellent choice for an individual that is interested in finding the career of a lifetime. We offer over 200 different associate degree, diploma, or technical certificate of credit programs that individuals can choose from,” said Dr. Watford. “We also have a near perfect job placement rating for our graduates.”

Partnerships with industry leaders such as Caterpillar, John Deere, Georgia Power, MetroPower, Delta, and others have helped the college to earn world-wide recognition in graduating students while also taking advantage of the complete college experience including on-campus housing, a full-service cafeteria, men’s and women’s basketball, intramural sports, and clubs and student organizations. The college also highlights particularly successful students through its Student of Excellence program and by participation in the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) program.

To apply or for more information contact the SGTC admissions office at 229-931-2394 in Americus or 229-271-4040 for the Crisp County Center campus. The college website is: www.southgatech.edu.