Best Food Science Technician programs in Georgia, 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.
50 schools in Georgia run programs that feed this job, graduating 3,964 people a year. The job pays a median of $53,150 in Georgia across about 260 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Georgia that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
7 programs in Georgia that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Georgia (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 Georgia page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 26.0101In Georgia → | 3,089 | 77.9% | 49 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 40.0501In Georgia → | 586 | 14.8% | 28 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 3 | CIP 26.0202In Georgia → | 166 | 4.2% | 9 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 4 | CIP 26.0502In Georgia → | 47 | 1.2% | 1 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 5 | CIP 01.1001In Georgia → | 35 | 0.9% | 1 | $51,883 | $21,000 |
| 6 | CIP 01.1003In Georgia → | 28 | 0.7% | 1 | $51,883 | $21,000 |
| 7 | CIP 01.1002In Georgia → | 13 | 0.3% | 1 | $51,883 | $21,000 |
Top 25 schools in Georgia
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 26 of the 50 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 5 feeder programs | 583 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $27,638 | 90% | — | 38% |
| 2 | Georgia State University Atlanta, GA Public · 2 feeder programs | 521 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $26,647 | 53% | — | 55% |
| 3 | Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA Public · 3 feeder programs | 398 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,530 | 52% | — | 69% |
| 4 | Emory University Atlanta, GA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 341 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $23,492 | 91% | $20,586 | 11% |
| 5 | Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA Public · 3 feeder programs | 268 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $19,167 | 94% | — | 14% |
| 6 | Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA Public · 3 feeder programs | 212 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $27,195 | 55% | — | 88% |
| 7 | University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA Public · 2 feeder programs | 160 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,007 | 37% | — | 68% |
| 8 | Georgia Gwinnett College Lawrenceville, GA Public · 2 feeder programs | 104 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 21% | — | 95% |
| 9 | University of West Georgia Carrollton, GA Public · 2 feeder programs | 100 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,550 | 43% | — | 52% |
| 10 | Mercer University Macon, GA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 98 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $22,100 | 70% | $22,641 | 69% |
| 11 | Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA Public · 2 feeder programs | 76 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $32,550 | 64% | — | 78% |
| 12 | Spelman College Atlanta, GA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 75 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $21,638 | 78% | $35,132 | 25% |
| 13 | Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA Public · 2 feeder programs | 75 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,628 | 42% | — | 72% |
| 14 | Berry College Mount Berry, GA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 71 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 69% | $20,108 | 64% |
| 15 | Augusta University Augusta, GA Public · 2 feeder programs | 58 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,978 | 49% | — | 86% |
| 16 | Columbus State University Columbus, GA Public · 2 feeder programs | 58 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,947 | 42% | — | 99% |
| 17 | Dalton State College Dalton, GA Public · 2 feeder programs | 56 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,839 | 25% | — | — |
| 18 | Morehouse College Atlanta, GA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 55 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $19,679 | 59% | $36,431 | 44% |
| 19 | Albany State University Albany, GA Public · 2 feeder programs | 54 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,588 | 31% | — | — |
| 20 | Savannah State University Savannah, GA Public · 2 feeder programs | 53 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $26,114 | 28% | — | — |
| 21 | Clark Atlanta University Atlanta, GA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 46 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $24,763 | 49% | $36,717 | 64% |
| 22 | Georgia Military College Milledgeville, GA Public · 1 feeder programs | 45 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 38% | — | — |
| 23 | Oglethorpe University Atlanta, GA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 45 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $27,337 | 54% | $21,022 | 88% |
| 24 | Life University Marietta, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 39 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 38% | $30,667 | 93% |
| 25 | Fort Valley State University Fort Valley, GA Public · 2 feeder programs | 36 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $26,379 | 41% | — | 66% |
All 50 schools in Georgia
Every school in Georgia 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 Georgia | Athens | Public | 583 | 5 |
| Georgia State University | Atlanta | Public | 521 | 2 |
| Kennesaw State University | Kennesaw | Public | 398 | 3 |
| Emory University | Atlanta | Private not-for-profit | 341 | 2 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus | Atlanta | Public | 268 | 3 |
| Georgia Southern University | Statesboro | Public | 212 | 3 |
| University of North Georgia | Dahlonega | Public | 160 | 2 |
| Georgia Gwinnett College | Lawrenceville | Public | 104 | 2 |
| University of West Georgia | Carrollton | Public | 100 | 2 |
| Mercer University | Macon | Private not-for-profit | 98 | 3 |
| Georgia College & State University | Milledgeville | Public | 76 | 2 |
| Spelman College | Atlanta | Private not-for-profit | 75 | 3 |
| Valdosta State University | Valdosta | Public | 75 | 2 |
| Berry College | Mount Berry | Private not-for-profit | 71 | 3 |
| Augusta University | Augusta | Public | 58 | 2 |
What food science technicians earn in Georgia
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $52,130. Georgia pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Georgia
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 Georgia
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 Georgia.
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 3,089 degrees in Georgia in 2024-25, 77.9% 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 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Food Science and Technology, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 3,964 people a year in Georgia.
How much do food science technicians earn in Georgia?+
The median is $53,150 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 2.0% above 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 Georgia?+
50 institutions in Georgia reported graduates from at least one of the 7 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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