Food Science and Technology Degrees (2026 stats)
Executive Summary (TL;DR)
Food Science and Technology maps to BLS occupations averaging about $111,866, with roughly 32,580 workers nationwide in those roles. Median program completion runs near 64%; median in-state published tuition is about $7,373.
Food Science and Technology: what the data shows
Common questions about food science and technology degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a food science and technology degree?
A Food Science and Technology program is classified under NCES CIP 01.1000 in the Food Science and Technology field family (00.01).
Types of food science and technology degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 00.01 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Agricultural Mechanization (CIP 00.0102)
- Agricultural Production Operations (CIP 00.0103)
- Agricultural Public Services (CIP 00.0108)
- Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services (CIP 00.0105)
- Agricultural and Food Products Processing (CIP 00.0104)
- Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs (CIP 00.0113)
- Animal Sciences (CIP 00.0109)
- Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services (CIP 00.0106)
- International Agriculture (CIP 00.0107)
- Plant Sciences (CIP 00.0111)
- Soil Sciences (CIP 00.0112)
- Veterinary Administrative Services (CIP 00.0182)
- Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (CIP 00.0181)
- Veterinary Medicine (CIP 00.0180)
- Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians (CIP 00.0183)
What do you learn in food science and technology?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Active Learning, Speaking, Science, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What jobs can you get with a food science and technology degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Food Science and Technology to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Scientists, All Other | 59,710 | $93,330 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | 16,600 | $71,410 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 84,930 | $80,060 |
| Conservation Scientists | 25,590 | $67,950 |
| Animal Scientists | 2,470 | $79,120 |
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | 22,510 | $99,240 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a food science and technology degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Food Science and Technology bachelor's program family: median debt $33,533, median earnings $70,873 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.65.
About 2.1% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $7,373 and median net price is $14,046.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Food Science and Technology and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$7,373 Median In-State Public
$43,300 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Food Science and Technology majors are, on average, $7,373 for in-state public colleges, and $43,300 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Food Science and Technology programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
N/A Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Food Science and Technology from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Food Science and Technology.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,099 |
| 2 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 44,617 |
| 3 | Brigham Young University-Idaho | ID | 42,090 |
| 4 | University of Arizona | AZ | 40,769 |
| 5 | Michigan State University | MI | 40,243 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Food Science and Technology programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Mesa College | CA | $1,150 |
| 2 | MiraCosta College | CA | $1,152 |
| 3 | Allan Hancock College | CA | $1,156 |
| 4 | Napa Valley College | CA | $1,156 |
| 5 | Las Positas College | CA | $1,168 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Food Science and Technology programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $29 |
| 2 | Reedley College | CA | $1,584 |
| 3 | Hartnell College | CA | $2,895 |
| 4 | California State University-Los Angeles | CA | $4,113 |
| 5 | Las Positas College | CA | $4,175 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Food Science and Technology programs.
Graduation Rates
63.63% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
62.69% Average Graduation Rate
75 Institutions Reporting
52.00% - 73.45% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Food Science and Technology programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 00.01 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Agricultural Mechanization CIP 00.0102
- Agricultural Production Operations CIP 00.0103
- Agricultural Public Services CIP 00.0108
- Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services CIP 00.0105
- Agricultural and Food Products Processing CIP 00.0104
- Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs CIP 00.0113
- Animal Sciences CIP 00.0109
- Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services CIP 00.0106
- International Agriculture CIP 00.0107
- Plant Sciences CIP 00.0111
- Soil Sciences CIP 00.0112
- Veterinary Administrative Services CIP 00.0182
- Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences CIP 00.0181
- Veterinary Medicine CIP 00.0180
- Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians CIP 00.0183
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $111,866. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Food Science and Technology graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Scientists, All Other | $124,288 | 59,710 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | $94,151 | 16,600 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | $110,339 | 84,930 |
| Conservation Scientists | $90,227 | 25,590 |
| Animal Scientists | — | 2,470 |
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | $122,337 | 22,510 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Food Science and Technology CIP family (3 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Food Science and Technology graduate.
- $33,533 median federal loan debt among completers
- $70,873 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.65 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 2.1% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$114,838 Average wage, mapped occupations (OEWS)
Occupations mapped to Food Science and Technology average $114,838 a year in the BLS OEWS extract.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Food Science and Technology majors.
Occupations by Share
32,580 2023 Workforce
The number of Food Science and Technology graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Food Science and Technology by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Food Science and Technology in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Food Science and Technology.
Age distribution for Food Science and Technology degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Gender distribution of Food Science and Technology degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Racial and ethnic distribution of Food Science and Technology degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Food Science and Technology are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Food Science and Technology.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Food Science and Technology field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Food Science and Technology majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Food Science and Technology majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Food Science and Technology majors.
About
Food Science and Technology
In 2023, N/A degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Food Science and Technology.
CIP Code
01.1000 - Food Science and Technology
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $33,533 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $70,873, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.65. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Food Science and Technology graduate.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $111,866. The largest mapped role by headcount is Biological Scientists, All Other (59,710 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $7,373 in-state at public colleges and $43,300 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.