Food Science and Technology: is it worth it?
A 0–100 score blending this major’s national earnings, ROI and typical debt. How it’s scored.
National picture across 34 college programs, at a typical net price.
Graduate earnings clearly outpace the cost and debt — this degree pays back quickly.
What Food Science and Technology pays
Career outlook for Food Science and Technology graduates
The job market for the occupations Food Science and Technology graduates typically enter, projected through 2034 — from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is the demand side, complementing the IRS-verified graduate earnings above.
Top jobs for this major
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | Growth to 2034 | Median pay | Typical entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers | 836,100 | -1.3% | $87,980 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Food batchmakers | 173,500 | +6.9% | $40,790 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers | 65,400 | +2.5% | $59,330 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders | 54,400 | -4.3% | $49,500 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Soil and plant scientists | 20,700 | +5.4% | $71,410 | Bachelor's degree |
| Food science technicians | 20,400 | +4.8% | $49,430 | Associate's degree |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections (2024–34) & the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupation pay is the national median wage for the role — not the same as graduate earnings, which we draw from IRS records.
Food Science and Technology vs similar majors
How Food Science and Technology stacks up against the closest fields in Agriculture & Related Sciences on pay, debt, ROI and the DR Rating. The best figure in each row is highlighted.
| Food Science and Technology Agriculture & Related Sciences · this major | Veterinary Medicine | Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences | Agricultural and Food Products Processing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 72 B | 80 A | 76 B | 75 B |
| ROI verdict | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $69,951 | $120,579 | $84,630 | $71,906 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $53,965 | $100,829 | $55,544 | $76,052 |
| ROI vs cost | +213% | +460% | +343% | +234% |
| Typical debt | $21,089 | $172,552 | $47,703 | $23,250 |
| Colleges offering it | 34 | 28 | 6 | 2 |
Food Science and Technology earnings over time
National median earnings one year after graduating, by cohort year — the consistent measure available across the federal data’s history.
Best colleges for Food Science and Technology
Ranked by the ROI of this major at each college — its graduate earnings against the cost.
| # | College | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | Associate's | $73,595 | — | +2,086% | Strong return |
| 2 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | Certificate | $77,336 | — | +1,136% | Strong return |
| 3 | University of Georgia Athens, GA | Associate's | $79,355 | — | +1,133% | Strong return |
| 4 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA | Associate's | $75,173 | $22,350 | +867% | Strong return |
| 5 | Brigham Young University Provo, UT | Associate's | $73,994 | — | +831% | Strong return |
| 6 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA | Associate's | $82,237 | $19,500 | +821% | Strong return |
| 7 | California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA | Associate's | $63,092 | $16,500 | +804% | Strong return |
| 8 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI | Associate's | $74,120 | — | +739% | Strong return |
| 9 | Kansas State University Manhattan, KS | Certificate | $107,229 | — | +702% | Strong return |
| 10 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA | Associate's | $72,469 | $14,666 | +689% | Strong return |
| 11 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN | Associate's | $79,504 | $20,632 | +659% | Strong return |
| 12 | Washington State University Pullman, WA | Associate's | $70,646 | $13,750 | +634% | Strong return |
| 13 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA | Certificate | $86,959 | — | +612% | Strong return |
| 14 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI | Certificate | $107,428 | $28,404 | +601% | Strong return |
| 15 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA | Associate's | $74,581 | — | +561% | Strong return |
| 16 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY | Associate's | $84,555 | $14,749 | +530% | Strong return |
| 17 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH | Associate's | $70,674 | $18,750 | +519% | Strong return |
| 18 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN | Associate's | $70,228 | $19,887 | +518% | Strong return |
| 19 | University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD | Associate's | $69,427 | $23,015 | +515% | Strong return |
| 20 | Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX | Associate's | $70,751 | — | +504% | Strong return |
| 21 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI | Associate's | $70,225 | $25,000 | +420% | Strong return |
| 22 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE | Associate's | $60,931 | — | +349% | Strong return |
| 23 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL | Associate's | $60,678 | $18,000 | +345% | Strong return |
| 24 | Iowa State University Ames, IA | Associate's | $63,741 | $23,530 | +310% | Strong return |
| 25 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA | Associate's | $74,291 | $25,000 | +291% | Strong return |
Related majors
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.