# Food Science and Technology

> Food Science and Technology is a field of study in the Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields area.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/programs/food-science-and-technology
- CIP code: 01.10 (Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields)
- Colleges offering it: 76 at its most common degree level

## Outcomes by degree level (College Scorecard, 2025)

| Degree level | Colleges | Median earnings 1 yr | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median federal debt |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Certificate | 76 | $49,465 | $69,286 | $19,601 |
| Associate's | 53 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Bachelor's | 74 | $54,336 | $70,554 | $18,456 |
| Master's | 47 | $81,538 | $105,978 | $25,879 |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 2 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Doctoral | 33 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Graduate/professional certificate | 16 | $53,521 | not reported | not reported |

## Colleges whose graduates earn the most (Bachelor's)

Only programs with at least 10 graduates are listed.

| College | Location | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: |
| [University of Wisconsin-Madison](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-wisconsin-madison-main-campus-3084) | Madison, WI | $85,445 | not reported |
| [Cornell University-New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cornell-university-new-york-710) | Ithaca, NY | $84,147 | not reported |
| [Rutgers University-New Brunswick](https://www.collegesref.com/college/rutgers-university-new-brunswick-main-campus-2279) | New Brunswick, NJ | $80,979 | $18,673 |
| [Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university-3134) | Blacksburg, VA | $80,161 | not reported |
| [Kansas State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/kansas-state-university-1364) | Manhattan, KS | $78,367 | $23,250 |
| [University of Massachusetts-Amherst](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-massachusetts-amherst-umass-main-campus-2950) | Amherst, MA | $77,771 | not reported |
| [California State Polytechnic University-Pomona](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-polytechnic-university-pomona-362) | Pomona, CA | $75,601 | not reported |
| [California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo-slo-360) | San Luis Obispo, CA | $75,466 | $12,833 |
| [Purdue University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/purdue-university-main-campus-2163) | West Lafayette, IN | $75,060 | $12,000 |
| [University of Maryland-College Park](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-maryland-college-park-main-campus-2949) | College Park, MD | $73,677 | $18,240 |

## Related careers (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk)

- [Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/agricultural-sciences-teachers-postsecondary): $98,700 median pay
- [Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/farmers-ranchers-and-other-agricultural-managers): $89,900 median pay
- [Food Scientists and Technologists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-scientists-and-technologists): $88,720 median pay
- [Soil and Plant Scientists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/soil-and-plant-scientists): $78,850 median pay
- [First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/first-line-supervisors-of-farming-fishing-and-forestry-workers): $59,320 median pay
- [Food Science Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-science-technicians): $52,130 median pay
- [Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/separating-filtering-clarifying-precipitating-and-still-machine-setters-operators-and): $51,610 median pay
- [Food Batchmakers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-batchmakers): $42,290 median pay

## More in Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields

- [Agricultural Business and Management](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/agricultural-business-and-management): 232 colleges
- [Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/applied-horticulture-and-horticultural-business-services): 229 colleges
- [Agricultural Production Operations](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/agricultural-production-operations): 187 colleges
- [Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/veterinary-animal-health-technologies-technicians): 183 colleges
- [Agriculture, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/agriculture-general): 111 colleges
- [Animal Sciences](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/animal-sciences): 99 colleges
- [Plant Sciences](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/plant-sciences): 85 colleges
- [Agricultural Mechanization](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/agricultural-mechanization): 57 colleges

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/
- NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/