Best Food Science Technician programs in Arkansas, ranked by enrollment
Work with food scientists or technologists to perform standardized qualitative and quantitative tests to determine physical or chemical properties of food or beverage products.
20 schools in Arkansas run programs that feed this job, graduating 935 people a year. The job pays a median of $46,810 in Arkansas across about 140 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Arkansas that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
5 programs in Arkansas that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Arkansas (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Arkansas page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 26.0101In Arkansas → | 746 | 79.8% | 20 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 40.0501In Arkansas → | 149 | 15.9% | 14 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 3 | CIP 01.1001In Arkansas → | 28 | 3.0% | 1 | $51,883 | $21,000 |
| 4 | CIP 26.0202In Arkansas → | 8 | 0.9% | 2 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 5 | CIP 01.1002In Arkansas → | 4 | 0.4% | 1 | $51,883 | $21,000 |
Top 20 schools in Arkansas
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 9 of the 20 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR Public · 4 feeder programs | 318 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,061 | 71% | — | 74% |
| 2 | University of Central Arkansas Conway, AR Public · 2 feeder programs | 116 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $32,390 | 54% | — | 89% |
| 3 | University of Arkansas - East Arkansas Community College Forrest City, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 89 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 51% | — | — |
| 4 | Arkansas State University Jonesboro, AR Public · 2 feeder programs | 58 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $25,730 | 55% | — | 82% |
| 5 | University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock, AR Public · 2 feeder programs | 51 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $32,096 | 42% | — | 59% |
| 6 | University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Fort Smith, AR Public · 2 feeder programs | 41 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $26,541 | 38% | — | 80% |
| 7 | Ouachita Baptist University Arkadelphia, AR Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 40 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 61% | $21,322 | 68% |
| 8 | University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Pine Bluff, AR Public · 2 feeder programs | 35 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $26,612 | 40% | — | 41% |
| 9 | Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Magnolia, AR Public · 2 feeder programs | 34 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $26,044 | 49% | — | 75% |
| 10 | Arkansas Tech University Russellville, AR Public · 2 feeder programs | 28 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $29,596 | 49% | — | 96% |
| 11 | University of the Ozarks Clarksville, AR Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 28 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $27,992 | 51% | $13,608 | 60% |
| 12 | Harding University Searcy, AR Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 18 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 69% | $19,423 | 71% |
| 13 | Hendrix College Conway, AR Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 16 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 72% | $22,415 | 56% |
| 14 | John Brown University Siloam Springs, AR Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 13 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 72% | $20,325 | 76% |
| 15 | Lyon College Batesville, AR Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 13 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 47% | $22,199 | 63% |
| 16 | Philander Smith University Little Rock, AR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 30% | $16,387 | — |
| 17 | University of Arkansas at Monticello Monticello, AR Public · 2 feeder programs | 9 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 49% | — | — |
| 18 | Williams Baptist University Walnut Ridge, AR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 26% | $16,443 | 83% |
| 19 | Central Baptist College Conway, AR Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 34% | $16,728 | 63% |
| 20 | Henderson State University Arkadelphia, AR Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 37% | — | — |
All 20 schools in Arkansas
Every school in Arkansas with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arkansas | Fayetteville | Public | 318 | 4 |
| University of Central Arkansas | Conway | Public | 116 | 2 |
| University of Arkansas - East Arkansas Community College | Forrest City | Public | 89 | 1 |
| Arkansas State University | Jonesboro | Public | 58 | 2 |
| University of Arkansas at Little Rock | Little Rock | Public | 51 | 2 |
| University of Arkansas - Fort Smith | Fort Smith | Public | 41 | 2 |
| Ouachita Baptist University | Arkadelphia | Private not-for-profit | 40 | 2 |
| University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | Pine Bluff | Public | 35 | 2 |
| Southern Arkansas University Main Campus | Magnolia | Public | 34 | 2 |
| Arkansas Tech University | Russellville | Public | 28 | 2 |
| University of the Ozarks | Clarksville | Private not-for-profit | 28 | 2 |
| Harding University | Searcy | Private not-for-profit | 18 | 3 |
| Hendrix College | Conway | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 2 |
| John Brown University | Siloam Springs | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 2 |
| Lyon College | Batesville | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 2 |
What food science technicians earn in Arkansas
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $52,130. Arkansas pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Arkansas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Food Science Technicians page.
How to become a Food Science Technician
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Associate's degree
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Arkansas
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 10 majors mapped to Food Science Technicians10 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 01.0401Agricultural and Food Products Processing
- 01.1001Food Science
- 01.1002Food Technology and Processing
- 01.1003Brewing Science
- 01.1005Zymology/Fermentation Science
- 01.1099Food Science and Technology, Other
- 26.0101Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- 26.0202Biochemistry
- 26.0502Microbiology, General
- 40.0501Chemistry, General
Common questions
Answers for people weighing food science technicians programs in Arkansas.
What degree do you need to become a Food Science Technician?+
Associate's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Biology/Biological Sciences, General, which awarded 746 degrees in Arkansas in 2024-25, 79.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Food Science Technician?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Chemistry, Food Science and Technology, Biochemistry. Together they graduate about 935 people a year in Arkansas.
How much do food science technicians earn in Arkansas?+
The median is $46,810 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 10.2% below the U.S. median of $52,130. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for food science technicians growing?+
BLS projects a +4.8% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 3,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Arkansas?+
20 institutions in Arkansas reported graduates from at least one of the 5 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do food science technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech), Central Laboratory Technician (CLT), QC Tech (Quality Control Technician), Quality Assurance Analyst (QA Analyst) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-4013.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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