Best degree programs for Food Scientists and Technologists, ranked by enrollment
9 college programs and 241 schools train Food Scientists and Technologists. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $88,720 median wage, 13,060 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
9 college programs at 241 schools train food scientists and technologists, graduating 5,632 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Agriculture, General. The job pays a median of $88,720 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About food scientists and technologists
Use chemistry, microbiology, engineering, and other sciences to study the principles underlying the processing and deterioration of foods; analyze food content to determine levels of vitamins, fat, sugar, and protein; discover new food sources; research ways to make processed foods safe, palatable, and healthful; and apply food science knowledge to determine best ways to process, package, preserve, store, and distribute food.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
9 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 01.0000 | 2,983 | 53.0% | 143 | $39,350 | $20,340 |
| 2 | Food Sciencemain feeder CIP 01.1001 | 1,565 | 27.8% | 65 | $51,883 | $21,000 |
| 3 | CIP 12.0509 | 261 | 4.6% | 8 | $25,404 | $13,000 |
| 4 | Viticulture and Enologymain feeder CIP 01.1004 | 239 | 4.2% | 27 | $51,883 | $21,000 |
| 5 | International Agriculturemain feeder CIP 01.0701 | 148 | 2.6% | 10 | $52,068 | $16,900 |
| 6 | Food Science and Technology, Othermain feeder CIP 01.1099 | 126 | 2.2% | 14 | $51,883 | $21,000 |
| 7 | Brewing Sciencemain feeder CIP 01.1003 | 113 | 2.0% | 19 | $51,883 | $21,000 |
| 8 | Zymology/Fermentation Sciencemain feeder CIP 01.1005 | 99 | 1.8% | 4 | $51,883 | $21,000 |
| 9 | Food Technology and Processingmain feeder CIP 01.1002 | 98 | 1.7% | 20 | $51,883 | $21,000 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN Public · 2 feeder programs | 230 | Culinary Science/Culinology | 40% | — | — |
| 2 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 140 | Food Science | 95% | $17,613 | 9% |
| 3 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 134 | Agriculture, General | 86% | — | 31% |
| 4 | Blinn College District Brenham, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 133 | Agriculture, General | 11% | — | — |
| 5 | Illinois State University Normal, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 117 | Agriculture, General | 65% | — | 88% |
| 6 | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 115 | Food Science | 85% | — | 42% |
| 7 | University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 112 | Food Science | 86% | — | 42% |
| 8 | Oregon State University Corvallis, OR Public · 3 feeder programs | 107 | Agriculture, General | 70% | — | 77% |
| 9 | University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE Public · 3 feeder programs | 103 | Food Science | 67% | — | 87% |
| 10 | Clemson University Clemson, SC Public · 2 feeder programs | 99 | Food Science | 87% | — | 38% |
| 11 | Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 99 | Agriculture, General | 48% | — | 90% |
| 12 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC Public · 2 feeder programs | 96 | Agriculture, General | 85% | — | 42% |
| 13 | Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO Public · 2 feeder programs | 95 | International Agriculture | 58% | — | 91% |
| 14 | University of Kentucky Lexington, KY Public · 2 feeder programs | 95 | Zymology/Fermentation Science | 71% | — | 93% |
| 15 | Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Public · 2 feeder programs | 86 | Food Science | 83% | — | 50% |
| 16 | Kansas State University Manhattan, KS Public · 3 feeder programs | 83 | Food Science | 71% | — | 82% |
| 17 | South Dakota State University Brookings, SD Public · 2 feeder programs | 80 | Agriculture, General | 62% | — | 98% |
| 18 | University of Wisconsin - Stout Menomonie, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 72 | Food Science | 55% | — | 88% |
| 19 | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 2 feeder programs | 70 | Food Science | 86% | — | 61% |
| 20 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 70 | Agriculture, General | 86% | — | 55% |
| 21 | Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY Public · 2 feeder programs | 69 | Agriculture, General | 56% | — | 94% |
| 22 | Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 68 | Agriculture, General | 53% | — | 94% |
| 23 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 2 feeder programs | 63 | Food Science | 81% | — | 85% |
| 24 | University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 4 feeder programs | 63 | Food Science | 90% | — | 38% |
| 25 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 62 | Agriculture, General | 45% | — | 71% |
| 26 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL Public · 2 feeder programs | 61 | Agriculture, General | 53% | — | 21% |
| 27 | Prairie View A & M University Prairie View, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 60 | Agriculture, General | 43% | — | 79% |
| 28 | McNeese State University Lake Charles, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 56 | Agriculture, General | 47% | — | 78% |
| 29 | California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 55 | Food Science | 57% | — | 95% |
| 30 | Culinary Institute of America Hyde Park, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 54 | Culinary Science/Culinology | 63% | $31,271 | 91% |
| 31 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 53 | Agriculture, General | 55% | — | 89% |
| 32 | East Texas A&M University Commerce, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 51 | Agriculture, General | 43% | — | 92% |
| 33 | University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD Public · 2 feeder programs | 51 | Food Science | 89% | — | 45% |
| 34 | West Texas A & M University Canyon, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 51 | Agriculture, General | 55% | — | 99% |
| 35 | North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 49 | Agriculture, General | 57% | — | 50% |
| 36 | Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · 1 feeder programs | 49 | Food Science | 88% | — | 61% |
| 37 | Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 5 feeder programs | 49 | Agriculture, General | 84% | — | 57% |
| 38 | Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 48 | Food Science | 75% | $19,899 | 55% |
| 39 | Tennessee State University Nashville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 47 | Agriculture, General | 34% | — | 70% |
| 40 | Kaskaskia College Centralia, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 46 | Agriculture, General | 49% | — | — |
| 41 | Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK Public · 3 feeder programs | 46 | Food Science | 68% | — | 75% |
| 42 | Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College Miami, OK Public · 1 feeder programs | 44 | Agriculture, General | 26% | — | — |
| 43 | Southern University and A & M College Baton Rouge, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 43 | Agriculture, General | 27% | — | 35% |
| 44 | Fort Hays State University Hays, KS Public · 1 feeder programs | 42 | Agriculture, General | 48% | — | 90% |
| 45 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 42 | Food Science | 91% | — | 24% |
| 46 | Yavapai College Prescott, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs | 42 | Viticulture and Enology | 34% | — | — |
| 47 | University of Massachusetts - Amherst Amherst, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 41 | Food Science | 83% | — | 60% |
| 48 | The University of Tennessee - Martin Martin, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 40 | Agriculture, General | 53% | — | 88% |
| 49 | Redlands Community College El Reno, OK Public · 1 feeder programs | 39 | Agriculture, General | 35% | — | — |
| 50 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 39 | Food Science | 84% | — | 58% |
What food scientists and technologists earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $90,610 | 840 | 0.71× | 26 | 695 |
| California | $93,950 | 2,210 | 1.44× | 18 | 479 |
| Illinois | $94,340 | 780 | 1.53× | 10 | 417 |
| Indianamoderate | $69,350 | 300 | 1.12× | 3 | 324 |
| Oklahoma | $84,750 | 50 | 0.32× | 11 | 291 |
| Missouri | $105,930 | 390 | 1.59× | 11 | 255 |
| New York | $94,070 | 660 | 0.81× | 8 | 222 |
| Tennessee | $81,760 | 70 | 0.25× | 7 | 194 |
| Kentuckymoderate | $98,710 | 170 | 1.04× | 4 | 180 |
| North Carolina | $79,840 | 230 | 0.56× | 6 | 172 |
| Kansas | $85,130 | 380 | 3.19× | 5 | 148 |
| Oregon | $81,660 | 270 | 1.64× | 6 | 131 |
| Nebraskamoderate | $72,230 | 230 | 2.64× | 4 | 125 |
| Wisconsin | $83,020 | 410 | 1.67× | 8 | 125 |
| Floridamoderate | $101,160 | 170 | 0.20× | 3 | 113 |
| Georgiamoderate | $86,050 | 560 | 1.38× | 4 | 103 |
| Virginiamoderate | $93,590 | 70 | 0.21× | 3 | 103 |
| South Carolinalimited | $108,660 | 90 | 0.46× | 1 | 99 |
| Pennsylvania | $83,380 | 400 | 0.79× | 7 | 97 |
| Michigan | $76,940 | 430 | 1.15× | 7 | 83 |
| Ohio | $76,780 | 270 | 0.59× | 6 | 80 |
| South Dakotalimited | $71,330 | 90 | 2.30× | 1 | 80 |
| Marylandlimited | $93,330 | 270 | 1.18× | 2 | 79 |
| Iowamoderate | $82,010 | 380 | 2.87× | 4 | 73 |
| Arizona | $90,450 | — | — | 6 | 67 |
| Massachusettsmoderate | $103,580 | 420 | 1.38× | 4 | 67 |
| Washington | $94,990 | 250 | 0.85× | 5 | 55 |
| Arkansas | $84,330 | 310 | 2.82× | 5 | 54 |
| Minnesota | $99,280 | 670 | 2.70× | 5 | 47 |
| Coloradomoderate | $99,580 | 320 | 1.31× | 4 | 46 |
| New Jerseylimited | $104,340 | 630 | 1.76× | 2 | 40 |
| New Mexicomoderate | $79,130 | 30 | 0.44× | 4 | 34 |
| Alabamalimited | $97,480 | 60 | 0.31× | 2 | 33 |
| Mainelimited | $89,480 | 30 | 0.58× | 2 | 32 |
| Idahomoderate | $77,440 | 140 | 1.98× | 3 | 23 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $87,970 | 40 | 1.03× | 1 | 20 |
| Utahlimited | $73,280 | 120 | 0.81× | 1 | 20 |
| Nevadalimited | $80,580 | 50 | 0.37× | 1 | 16 |
| Montanalimited | $52,230 | 30 | 0.72× | 2 | 3 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.
- Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.
- Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience.
- Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications.
- Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature.
- Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing.
- Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development.
- Test new products for flavor, texture, color, nutritional content, and adherence to government and industry standards.
Skills
- Active Learning4.0
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Writing3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Science3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Monitoring3.6
Knowledge areas
- Production and Processing4.4
- Food Production4.1
- Chemistry4.0
- English Language4.0
- Mathematics3.7
- Engineering and Technology3.7
Abilities
- Problem Sensitivity4.1
- Information Ordering4.0
- Inductive Reasoning4.0
- Deductive Reasoning4.0
- Category Flexibility4.0
- Near Vision4.0
Core activities
- Documenting/Recording Information4.5
- Getting Information4.4
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards4.4
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.3
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.3
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.2
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Food Scientist
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 9 majors mapped to Food Scientists and Technologists9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 01.0000Agriculture, General
- 01.0701International Agriculture
- 01.1001Food Science
- 01.1002Food Technology and Processing
- 01.1003Brewing Science
- 01.1004Viticulture and Enology
- 01.1005Zymology/Fermentation Science
- 01.1099Food Science and Technology, Other
- 12.0509Culinary Science/Culinology
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Food Scientist?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Agriculture, General, which awarded 2,983 degrees in 2024-25, 53.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Food Scientist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 9 programs to this occupation. The largest are Agriculture, Food Science and Technology, Culinary Arts and Related Services, International Agriculture. Together they graduate about 5,632 people a year.
How much do food scientists and technologists earn?+
The median is $88,720 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $52,920 at the 10th percentile to $145,280 at the 90th. 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 scientists and technologists growing?+
BLS projects a +6.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 1,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
241 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 9 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 scientists and technologists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Research Chef, Food Scientist, Food Technologist, Food and Drug Research Scientist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-1012.
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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