Private university renowned for culinary arts, hospitality, and business education since 1914.
Johnson & Wales University offers degree programs through six academic colleges: Business, Food Innovation and Technology, Hospitality, Health & Wellness, Engineering & Design, and Arts & Sciences. The university is particularly renowned for its culinary arts program and is recognized as the largest food service educator in the world. Additional offerings include graduate programs through the Alan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School and the School of Education, which provides M.A.T., M.Ed., and Ed.D. degrees. The university offers 11 online bachelor's degrees and nine online master's degree programs, with classes available across fall, spring, and summer terms.
The Providence campus comprises two locations: the Downcity campus (opened 1914) housing business, hospitality, and technology programs, and the Harborside campus in Cranston (opened 1985) housing culinary and graduate programs. Combined, they cover 176 acres with ten residence halls and multiple dining locations including the Cuisinart Center for Culinary Excellence. The Charlotte campus, opened in 2004 on approximately 15 acres in Uptown Charlotte, features three residence halls and the Wildcat Center. Greek life is active at Providence with 15 fraternities and sororities organized under four governing councils.
Providence campus teams compete in NCAA Division III, primarily in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), with 15 varsity sports including baseball, basketball, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, wrestling, field hockey, rowing, softball, volleyball, and equestrian. The Charlotte campus competes in NCAA Division III (C2C conference as of 2025) with 14 varsity sports. All teams are called the Wildcats, with Wildcat Willie as the official mascot.
Founded in September 1914 with one student and one typewriter, Johnson & Wales Business School expanded significantly under founders Gertrude I. Johnson and Mary T. Wales. After their retirement in 1947, partners Edward Triangelo and Morris Gaebe led growth, earning national accreditation in 1954 and junior college status in 1960. The university officially adopted its current name in 1988. Morris Gaebe introduced the hospitality program in 1972, which grew from 141 students in 1973 to 3,000 by 1983. The university closed its Denver and North Miami campuses at the end of the 2020–21 academic year.