Food Science and Technology at University of California-Davis
Davis, CA · Public · Bachelor's Degree
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
70
Optimistic
70
Base Case
67
Pessimistic
Earnings
$52,084/yr (4% vs median)
AI Risk
Moderate (32% exposed)
Job Market
Very Large (130,500 openings/yr)
How AI Changes the Outlook
Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Food Science and Technology graduates.
| Optimistic No Disruption |
Base Case Gradual AI |
Pessimistic Aggressive AI |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Earnings | $777K | $580K | $429K |
| Earnings Multiple (In-State) | 12.7x | 9.5x | 7.0x |
| Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) | 4.2x | 3.1x | 2.3x |
| Viable Career Paths | 8 of 8 | 8 of 8 | 8 of 8 |
| DegreeWorth Score | 70 | 70 | 67 |
10-Year Earnings Projection
*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.
4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$60,988
Out-of-state: $184,096
Median Debt at Graduation
$14,666
3.4 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$72,469
39% growth from Year 1
Career Paths
Where Food Science and Technology graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 130,500 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Wage | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers | $87,980 | 85,500 | -1.3% | 37% |
| Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary | $86,350 | 800 | +4.1% | 50% |
| Food scientists and technologists | $85,310 | 1,200 | +6.5% | 35% |
| Soil and plant scientists | $71,410 | 1,700 | +5.4% | 49% |
| First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers | $59,330 | 8,500 | +2.5% | 28% |
| Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders | $49,500 | 5,400 | -4.3% | 14% |
| Food science technicians | $49,430 | 3,200 | +4.8% | 36% |
| Food batchmakers | $40,790 | 24,200 | +6.9% | 12% |
Compare & Explore
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DegreeWorth Score for Food Science and Technology at University of California-Davis?
This program scores 70/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 70 (optimistic) to 67 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Food Science and Technology career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Food Science and Technology graduates retain 8 of 8 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $428,698 (pessimistic) to $776,656 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Food Science and Technology graduates?
The career paths mapped to Food Science and Technology have roughly 130,500 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a very large job market.
Is Food Science and Technology at University of California-Davis worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 9.5x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 7.0x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
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.
Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections.
"Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI.
Last updated 2025.