DegreeVerdict
ROI Calculator
Home›Majors›Food Science and Technology
BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in Food Science and Technology worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 30 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Positive payoff

+$1,617 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.

9.9 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+1%Estimated return after 10 years
$70,537Observed earnings · year 4
$18,843Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0

The price benchmark is $404 per year below this threshold.

Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$70,537 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$70,537Typical earnings four years after completion
$67,779Average earnings five years after completion
$20,973Typical federal student debt
63thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
8Degrees awarded in 2024–25
29College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 4 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Food Science and Technology

How much do Food Science and Technology bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $70,537 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $20,973. 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 $64,225 to $75,601 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.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

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.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$69,286
Federal debt
$21,250
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$70,537
Federal debt
$20,973
Programs in the comparison
30
29 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$105,978
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
5
5 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

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$64,225National median$70,53775th percentile$75,601
29 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$75,60175th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$20,973Median federal debt across programs that report it
2Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

University of Wisconsin-Madison

$85,445 four years after completionMadison, WI · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

University of California, Davis

$14,750 among completer borrowersDavis, CA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

81 reported awards in 2024–25San Luis Obispo, CA · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$83,112Observed year-4 earnings$53,369
$7,000Annual college-wide average net price$28,278
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1University of Wisconsin-Madison$85,4452Cornell University$84,1473Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus$83,1124Rutgers University-New Brunswick$80,9795Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University$80,1616Kansas State University$78,3677University of Massachusetts-Amherst$77,7718California State Polytechnic University-Pomona$75,6019California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$75,46610Purdue University-Main Campus$75,060

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

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

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.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Bachelor's Degree

Animal Sciences

Year-4 earnings
$49,193
Federal debt
$22,250
83 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Agricultural Business and Management

Year-4 earnings
$65,882
Federal debt
$20,000
80 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Agriculture, General

Year-4 earnings
$52,804
Federal debt
$20,699
51 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Plant Sciences

Year-4 earnings
$56,265
Federal debt
$20,500
49 reporting programs →

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.