Best Food Science Technician programs in Texas, 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.
100 schools in Texas run programs that feed this job, graduating 10,369 people a year. The job pays a median of $47,760 in Texas across about 900 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Texas that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
7 programs in Texas that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Texas (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 Texas page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 26.0101In Texas → | 8,049 | 77.6% | 96 | $32,152 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 40.0501In Texas → | 1,155 | 11.1% | 72 | $42,620 | $23,900 |
| 3 | CIP 26.0202In Texas → | 960 | 9.3% | 34 | $38,243 | $23,014 |
| 4 | CIP 26.0502In Texas → | 148 | 1.4% | 8 | $38,383 | $22,065 |
| 5 | CIP 01.1001In Texas → | 29 | 0.3% | 5 | $51,883 | $21,000 |
| 6 | CIP 01.0401In Texas → | 25 | 0.2% | 2 | $48,505 | $23,250 |
| 7 | CIP 01.1002In Texas → | 3 | 0.0% | 1 | $51,883 | $21,000 |
Top 25 schools in Texas
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 48 of the 100 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 4 feeder programs | 1,205 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,832 | 89% | — | 27% |
| 2 | Houston City College Houston, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 702 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $24,621 | 17% | — | — |
| 3 | Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 7 feeder programs | 695 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $29,028 | 84% | — | 57% |
| 4 | University of Houston Houston, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 533 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $27,660 | 65% | — | 74% |
| 5 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 476 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $24,841 | 51% | — | 94% |
| 6 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX Public · 5 feeder programs | 458 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,608 | 69% | — | 73% |
| 7 | Baylor University Waco, TX Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 447 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $24,408 | 80% | $35,682 | 51% |
| 8 | University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 430 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $32,782 | 61% | — | 72% |
| 9 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 423 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,467 | 53% | — | 87% |
| 10 | The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 384 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $26,029 | 76% | — | 65% |
| 11 | The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX Public · 4 feeder programs | 343 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $22,167 | 50% | — | 100% |
| 12 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX Public · 4 feeder programs | 334 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $30,432 | 54% | — | 80% |
| 13 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX Public · 4 feeder programs | 303 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $34,516 | 55% | — | 89% |
| 14 | Rice University Houston, TX Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 207 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | — | 95% | $13,264 | 8% |
| 15 | South Texas College McAllen, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 137 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,791 | 27% | — | — |
| 16 | Texas Woman's University Denton, TX Public · 4 feeder programs | 137 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,367 | 49% | — | 96% |
| 17 | University of Houston - Downtown Houston, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 127 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $31,025 | 33% | — | 90% |
| 18 | Prairie View A & M University Prairie View, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 122 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $28,947 | 43% | — | 79% |
| 19 | Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 121 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $19,218 | 86% | $25,823 | 44% |
| 20 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 115 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $39,087 | 84% | $33,246 | 63% |
| 21 | Texas A & M International University Laredo, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 115 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $24,084 | 46% | — | 44% |
| 22 | El Paso Community College El Paso, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 113 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $17,314 | 24% | — | — |
| 23 | University of Houston - Clear Lake Houston, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 104 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $35,591 | 52% | — | 91% |
| 24 | Austin Community College District Austin, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 93 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $34,560 | 20% | — | — |
| 25 | Texas A&M University - San Antonio San Antonio, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 91 | Biology/Biological Sciences, General | $29,981 | 40% | — | 93% |
All 100 schools in Texas
Every school in Texas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Texas at Austin | Austin | Public | 1,205 | 4 |
| Houston City College | Houston | Public | 702 | 2 |
| Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station | Public | 695 | 7 |
| University of Houston | Houston | Public | 533 | 3 |
| The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Edinburg | Public | 476 | 2 |
| Texas Tech University | Lubbock | Public | 458 | 5 |
| Baylor University | Waco | Private not-for-profit | 447 | 3 |
| University of North Texas | Denton | Public | 430 | 3 |
| The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio | Public | 423 | 3 |
| The University of Texas at Dallas | Richardson | Public | 384 | 3 |
| The University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso | Public | 343 | 4 |
| The University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington | Public | 334 | 4 |
| Texas State University | San Marcos | Public | 303 | 4 |
| Rice University | Houston | Private not-for-profit | 207 | 3 |
| South Texas College | McAllen | Public | 137 | 2 |
What food science technicians earn in Texas
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $52,130. Texas pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Texas
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 Texas
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 Texas.
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 8,049 degrees in Texas in 2024-25, 77.6% 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, Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 10,369 people a year in Texas.
How much do food science technicians earn in Texas?+
The median is $47,760 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 8.4% 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 Texas?+
100 institutions in Texas 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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