UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a undergraduate certificate or diploma in Food Science and Technology worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 1 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$69,286 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$69,286Median year-4 earnings
$18,851Average institution net-price context
$21,250Median federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$69,286Typical earnings four years after completion
Not availableAverage earnings five years after completion
$21,250Typical federal student debt
82thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
4Degrees awarded in 2024–25
1College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 1 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Food Science and Technology
How much do Food Science and Technology undergraduate certificate or diploma graduates earn?
The national median is $69,286 four years after completion across reportable undergraduate certificate or diploma programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $21,250. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Food Science and Technology?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $69,286 to $69,286 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Food Science and Technology?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 8 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
CURRENT VIEW
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $69,286
- Federal debt
- $21,250
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $70,537
- Federal debt
- $20,973
- Programs in the comparison
- 30
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $105,978
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 5
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$69,286National median$69,28675th percentile$69,286
1 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
1 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 1 shown
Search every reporting program →See the spread, not just the national number.
1University of Kentucky$69,286Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-8%Projected employment growth →12%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Food Scientists and Technologists$88,720 median wage13,060 jobs nationwide+6.2% projected growth through 2035 · 1,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$52,920–$145,280 typical wage rangeFood Science Technicians$52,130 median wage14,600 jobs nationwide+4.8% projected growth through 2035 · 3,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$39,820–$78,820 typical wage rangeAgricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary$98,700 median wage8,920 jobs nationwide+2.9% projected growth through 2035 · 800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$50,870–$163,150 typical wage rangeSeparating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,610 median wage60,100 jobs nationwide-5.7% projected growth through 2035 · 5,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$36,200–$79,750 typical wage rangeFood Batchmakers$42,290 median wage174,520 jobs nationwide+6.5% projected growth through 2035 · 23,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$31,990–$58,940 typical wage rangeFarmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers$89,900 median wage6,500 jobs nationwide-3.4% projected growth through 2035 · 70,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$54,320–$160,020 typical wage rangeSoil and Plant Scientists$78,850 median wage15,730 jobs nationwide+6.7% projected growth through 2035 · 1,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,680–$138,120 typical wage rangeFirst-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers$59,320 median wage27,960 jobs nationwide+3.8% projected growth through 2035 · 7,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$38,990–$91,770 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.