Food Science and Technology Degree
25 schools compared · Average earnings $49,845/yr
Schools Offering
25
Avg Grad Earnings
$49,845/yr
Avg DegreeWorth Score
62/100
AI Automation Risk
Moderate
36% task exposure
Best Schools for Food Science and Technology
Top 25 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.
| # | School | DW Score | Earnings | AI Risk | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA |
79 75–79 |
$52,806/yr | Moderate | 18.4x |
| 2 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA |
79 74–80 |
$51,883/yr | Moderate | 24.3x |
| 3 | Kansas State University Manhattan, KS |
77 76–75 |
$62,479/yr | Moderate | 13.4x |
| 4 | Iowa State University Ames, IA |
77 75–75 |
$60,351/yr | Moderate | 14.2x |
| 5 | University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR |
76 73–74 |
$53,205/yr | Moderate | 12.6x |
| 6 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA |
76 71–78 |
$52,240/yr | Moderate | 17.6x |
| 7 | California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA |
76 72–77 |
$45,796/yr | Moderate | 21.6x |
| 8 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH |
75 73–74 |
$59,889/yr | Moderate | 12.7x |
| 9 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC |
75 73–74 |
$50,631/yr | Moderate | 13.2x |
| 10 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI |
72 70–70 |
$59,342/yr | Moderate | 10.0x |
| 11 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA |
71 69–70 |
$59,547/yr | Moderate | 9.7x |
| 12 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN |
71 66–74 |
$48,441/yr | Moderate | 13.7x |
| 13 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA |
70 69–70 |
$56,274/yr | Moderate | 9.7x |
| 14 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA |
70 67–70 |
$52,084/yr | Moderate | 10.9x |
| 15 | Washington State University Pullman, WA |
70 67–71 |
$47,970/yr | Moderate | 12.6x |
| 16 | Appalachian State University Boone, NC |
68 66–66 |
$38,743/yr | Moderate | 11.8x |
| 17 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN |
67 64–68 |
$49,303/yr | Moderate | 9.6x |
| 18 | Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend, OR |
67 64–67 |
$43,923/yr | Moderate | 11.2x |
| 19 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ |
66 65–66 |
$51,892/yr | Moderate | 6.5x |
| 20 | Oregon State University Corvallis, OR |
66 63–66 |
$43,923/yr | Moderate | 10.4x |
| 21 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY |
61 58–62 |
$64,062/yr | Moderate | 2.2x |
| 22 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL |
61 58–62 |
$41,150/yr | Moderate | 8.5x |
| 23 | Clemson University Clemson, SC |
59 56–60 |
$39,600/yr | Moderate | 7.4x |
| 24 | University of Maine Orono, ME |
58 56–58 |
$36,255/yr | Moderate | 8.2x |
| 25 | University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD |
53 44–62 |
$24,341/yr | Moderate | 14.1x |
Highest Earning Food Science and Technology Programs
Schools where Food Science and Technology graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.
| School | 1-Year Earnings | DW Score | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornell University | $64,062/yr | 61 | Moderate |
| Kansas State University | $62,479/yr | 77 | Moderate |
| Iowa State University | $60,351/yr | 77 | Moderate |
| Ohio State University-Main Campus | $59,889/yr | 75 | Moderate |
| University of Massachusetts-Amherst | $59,547/yr | 71 | Moderate |
| Michigan State University | $59,342/yr | 72 | Moderate |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | $56,274/yr | 70 | Moderate |
| University of Arkansas | $53,205/yr | 76 | Moderate |
| California State University-Los Angeles | $52,806/yr | 79 | Moderate |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $52,240/yr | 76 | Moderate |
Best ROI for Food Science and Technology
Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Food Science and Technology.
| School | ROI Multiple | Earnings | DW Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 24.3x | $51,883/yr | 79 |
| California State University-Fresno | 21.6x | $45,796/yr | 76 |
| California State University-Los Angeles | 18.4x | $52,806/yr | 79 |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 17.6x | $52,240/yr | 76 |
| Iowa State University | 14.2x | $60,351/yr | 77 |
| University of Maryland-College Park | 14.1x | $24,341/yr | 53 |
| The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 13.7x | $48,441/yr | 71 |
| Kansas State University | 13.4x | $62,479/yr | 77 |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh | 13.2x | $50,631/yr | 75 |
| Ohio State University-Main Campus | 12.7x | $59,889/yr | 75 |
Related Majors
Explore similar fields of study.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Food Science and Technology graduates earn?
Across 25 schools, Food Science and Technology graduates earn an average of $49,845 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $24,341 to $64,062 depending on the school.
What is the AI automation risk for Food Science and Technology?
Food Science and Technology is rated "Moderate" for AI automation risk, with an average of 36% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means some career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.
Which school has the best Food Science and Technology program?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), California State University-Los Angeles ranks #1 for Food Science and Technology with a score of 79/100 and graduate earnings of $52,806/yr.
Is a Food Science and Technology degree worth it?
On average, Food Science and Technology graduates earn 12.2x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a strong return on investment.
About This Data
This page aggregates Food Science and Technology programs across 25 schools using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034), and AI automation risk research from OpenAI and academic institutions.
The DegreeWorth Score (0–100) combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and return on investment. Each school's program page includes three AI scenarios (optimistic, base case, pessimistic) showing how automation could affect 10-year earnings.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034
(employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Last updated 2025.