California · Foods

Best colleges for Foods in California

Ranked by graduates a year

Long Beach City College, University of California-Davis and Fullerton College award the most Foods degrees and certificates in California: 31, 25 and 19 graduates a year (IPEDS 2024–25). 73 California colleges offer Foods and award 469 degrees and certificates a year in all.

The Foods program, officially titled Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services, is designed for individuals interested in exploring the multifaceted relationship between food and society. This program falls under the field of Family and…

Institutions
73
offering CIP 19.05
States offered
46
with a program page
Degrees / yr
469
IPEDS completions 2024–25
Median starting salary
—
1 yr after graduation, College Scorecard
With earnings data
0
College Scorecard
Median net price
$26,873
IPEDS 2024–25
Avg graduation rate
41%
IPEDS 2024–25
State pay · Dietitians and Nutritionists
$98,780
BLS OEWS May 2025

73 institutions offering Foods in California

Graduate earnings are not yet reported for these institutions; ordered by graduates a year.

Starting salary (1 yr): median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard.
#InstitutionStarting salary (1 yr)Graduates / yrGrad rateNet priceMedian debt
1Long Beach City College
Long Beach Public
—3130%——
2University of California-Davis
Davis Public
—2586%——
3Fullerton College
Fullerton Public
—1934%——
4Santa Monica College
Santa Monica Public
—1836%——
5Mt San Antonio College
Walnut Public
—1645%——
6East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park Public
—1537%——
7Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles Public
—1529%——
8Los Angeles Mission College
Sylmar Public
—1520%——
9Fresno City College
Fresno Public
—1424%——
10Riverside City College
Riverside Public
—1437%——
11Bakersfield College
Bakersfield Public
—1221%——
12Saddleback College
Mission Viejo Public
—1248%——
13Cuesta College
San Luis Obispo Public
—1148%——
14Glendale Community College
Glendale Public
—1137%——
15Moorpark College
Moorpark Public
—1144%——
16Orange Coast College
Costa Mesa Public
—1148%——
17San Diego Mesa College
San Diego Public
—1135%——
18American River College
Sacramento Public
—937%——
19Mission College
Santa Clara Public
—939%——
20Allan Hancock College
Santa Maria Public
—826%——
21Butte College
Oroville Public
—845%——
22Cosumnes River College
Sacramento Public
—840%——
23Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego Private not-for-profit
—877%$48,795—
24Folsom Lake College
Folsom Public
—844%——
25Diablo Valley College
Pleasant Hill Public
—749%——
26Santa Ana College
Santa Ana Public
—731%——
27Chaffey College
Rancho Cucamonga Public
—636%——
28Merced College
Merced Public
—636%——
29College of San Mateo
San Mateo Public
—661%——
30University of Southern California
Los Angeles Private not-for-profit
—692%$26,873—
31San Jose City College
San Jose Public
—534%——
32Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara Public
—534%——
33Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa Public
—537%——
34Cabrillo College
Aptos Public
—438%——
35Los Angeles Southwest College
Los Angeles Public
—434%——
36Merritt College
Oakland Public
—426%——
37Pasadena City College
Pasadena Public
—448%——
38Rio Hondo College
Whittier Public
—425%——
39San Bernardino Valley College
San Bernardino Public
—428%——
40Ventura College
Ventura Public
—438%——
41Las Positas College
Livermore Public
—453%——
42Santiago Canyon College
Orange Public
—448%——
43Azusa Pacific University
Azusa Private not-for-profit
—362%$20,686—
44Los Angeles Harbor College
Wilmington Public
—336%——
45Los Angeles Trade Technical College
Los Angeles Public
—335%——
46Monterey Peninsula College
Monterey Public
—340%——
47Mt San Jacinto Community College District
San Jacinto Public
—336%——
48Solano Community College
Fairfield Public
—336%——
49West Valley College
Saratoga Public
—351%——
50University of Massachusetts Global
Aliso Viejo Public Online
—343%——
51City College of San Francisco
San Francisco Public
—240%——
52Columbia College
Sonora Public
—227%——
53Evergreen Valley College
San Jose Public
—241%——
54Foothill College
Los Altos Hills Public
—256%——
55Imperial Valley College
Imperial Public
—245%——
56La Sierra University
Riverside Private not-for-profit
—260%$26,504—
57Loma Linda University
Loma Linda Private not-for-profit
—2———
58Sacramento City College
Sacramento Public
—233%——
59San Diego Miramar College
San Diego Public
—248%——
60College of the Sequoias
Visalia Public
—239%——
61Sierra College
Rocklin Public
—242%——
62Victor Valley College
Victorville Public
—262%——
63West Los Angeles College
Culver City Public
—228%——
64Woodland Community College
Woodland Public
—243%——
65Canada College
Redwood City Public
—147%——
66Chabot College
Hayward Public
—147%——
67Citrus College
Glendora Public
—141%——
68Coastline Community College
Fountain Valley Public Online
—134%——
69Crafton Hills College
Yucaipa Public
—131%——
70Oxnard College
Oxnard Public
—134%——
71Palomar College
San Marcos Public
—138%——
72Southwestern College
Chula Vista Public
—135%——
73Clovis Community College
Fresno Public
—145%——

Colleges awarding the most Foods degrees in California

Top 10 by graduates a year (IPEDS 2024–25 completions). Online, degree-completion and graduate-only schools, and schools with a graduation rate under 30% are listed in full below.

Graduates / yr: degrees and certificates awarded in a year, IPEDS completions. Starting salary (1 yr): median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard.
#InstitutionGraduates / yrStarting salary (1 yr)
1Long Beach City College
Long Beach Public
31Not reported
2University of California-Davis
Davis Public
25Not reported
3Fullerton College
Fullerton Public
19Not reported
4Santa Monica College
Santa Monica Public
18Not reported
5Mt San Antonio College
Walnut Public
16Not reported
6East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park Public
15Not reported
7Riverside City College
Riverside Public
14Not reported
8Saddleback College
Mission Viejo Public
12Not reported
9Cuesta College
San Luis Obispo Public
11Not reported
10Glendale Community College
Glendale Public
11Not reported
Show the other 63 California colleges offering Foods
InstitutionCityControlGraduates / yr
Los Angeles City CollegeLos AngelesPublic15
Los Angeles Mission CollegeSylmarPublic15
Fresno City CollegeFresnoPublic14
Bakersfield CollegeBakersfieldPublic12
Moorpark CollegeMoorparkPublic11
Orange Coast CollegeCosta MesaPublic11
San Diego Mesa CollegeSan DiegoPublic11
American River CollegeSacramentoPublic9
Mission CollegeSanta ClaraPublic9
Allan Hancock CollegeSanta MariaPublic8
Butte CollegeOrovillePublic8
Cosumnes River CollegeSacramentoPublic8
Point Loma Nazarene UniversitySan DiegoPrivate not-for-profit8
Folsom Lake CollegeFolsomPublic8
Diablo Valley CollegePleasant HillPublic7
Santa Ana CollegeSanta AnaPublic7
Chaffey CollegeRancho CucamongaPublic6
Merced CollegeMercedPublic6
College of San MateoSan MateoPublic6
University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesPrivate not-for-profit6
San Jose City CollegeSan JosePublic5
Santa Barbara City CollegeSanta BarbaraPublic5
Santa Rosa Junior CollegeSanta RosaPublic5
Cabrillo CollegeAptosPublic4
Los Angeles Southwest CollegeLos AngelesPublic4
Merritt CollegeOaklandPublic4
Pasadena City CollegePasadenaPublic4
Rio Hondo CollegeWhittierPublic4
San Bernardino Valley CollegeSan BernardinoPublic4
Ventura CollegeVenturaPublic4
Las Positas CollegeLivermorePublic4
Santiago Canyon CollegeOrangePublic4
Azusa Pacific UniversityAzusaPrivate not-for-profit3
Los Angeles Harbor CollegeWilmingtonPublic3
Los Angeles Trade Technical CollegeLos AngelesPublic3
Monterey Peninsula CollegeMontereyPublic3
Mt San Jacinto Community College DistrictSan JacintoPublic3
Solano Community CollegeFairfieldPublic3
West Valley CollegeSaratogaPublic3
University of Massachusetts Global (Online)Aliso ViejoPublic3
City College of San FranciscoSan FranciscoPublic2
Columbia CollegeSonoraPublic2
Evergreen Valley CollegeSan JosePublic2
Foothill CollegeLos Altos HillsPublic2
Imperial Valley CollegeImperialPublic2
La Sierra UniversityRiversidePrivate not-for-profit2
Loma Linda UniversityLoma LindaPrivate not-for-profit2
Sacramento City CollegeSacramentoPublic2
San Diego Miramar CollegeSan DiegoPublic2
College of the SequoiasVisaliaPublic2
Sierra CollegeRocklinPublic2
Victor Valley CollegeVictorvillePublic2
West Los Angeles CollegeCulver CityPublic2
Woodland Community CollegeWoodlandPublic2
Canada CollegeRedwood CityPublic1
Chabot CollegeHaywardPublic1
Citrus CollegeGlendoraPublic1
Coastline Community College (Online)Fountain ValleyPublic1
Crafton Hills CollegeYucaipaPublic1
Oxnard CollegeOxnardPublic1
Palomar CollegeSan MarcosPublic1
Southwestern CollegeChula VistaPublic1
Clovis Community CollegeFresnoPublic1

Career outlook

What this program leads to: Dietitians and Nutritionists (SOC 29-1031).

Projected growth (2024–2034)
+5.5%
Faster than average
Openings / yr (US)
~6,200
BLS Employment Projections
US median wage
$73,850
typically Bachelor's degree

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingActive ListeningSpeakingMonitoringWriting

What Dietitians and Nutritionists earn in California

Jobs in California
8,720
BLS OEWS May 2025
State average pay
$98,780
median $98,850
Best-paying metro
$118,870
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

Related careers

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
$52,810 avg · 130,190 jobs
Food Service Managers
$84,300 avg · 33,180 jobs
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
$47,900 avg · 31,660 jobs
Dietitians and Nutritionists
$98,780 avg · 8,720 jobs
Dietetic Technicians
$48,240 avg · 6,310 jobs
Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
$96,870 avg · 380 jobs

Common questions

Answers for students comparing Foods programs in California.

Which California colleges award the most Foods degrees?+

Long Beach City College (31 graduates a year), University of California-Davis (25 graduates a year) and Fullerton College (19 graduates a year) award the most Foods degrees and certificates in California, per IPEDS 2024–25 completions. In all, 73 California colleges offer Foods.

How much do Dietitians and Nutritionists earn in California?+

The average annual wage for Dietitians and Nutritionists in California is $98,780 (median $98,850), across about 8,720 jobs. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.

What is the focus of the Foods program?+

The Foods program, officially titled Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services, is designed for individuals interested in exploring the multifaceted relationship between food and society. This program falls under the field of Family and…

What skills will I develop in this program?+

You will develop reading comprehension, critical thinking, active listening, speaking, and related professional skills.

What is the job outlook for Dietitians and Nutritionists?+

The national job outlook is about +5.5% growth with around 6,200 annual openings (BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034).

What is the typical education requirement?+

A Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education for this field (BLS).

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDSFall 2025–26 release, published July 28, 2026
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
PSEO graduate earnings2019–21 graduation cohorts (release V4.13.0)
Earnings and employment outcomes of graduates by institution, degree level, and field of study, measured from state wage records.
BLS wages & outlookOEWS May 2025 release
Occupational employment and wage estimates plus 10-year job outlook, used to connect programs to real-world earnings.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.

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