Food Science and Technology: is this bachelor's degree worth it?
National picture across 30 reporting college programs.
MODELED SCENARIO · 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.
This is a positive modeled result. Price, time to finish and future earnings can still change the outcome.
9.9 yrsModeled economic break-even
+1%Modeled 10-year ROI
$70,537Observed earnings · year 4
Observed national outcomes
$70,537Median reported earnings · year 4
$67,779Average reported earnings · year 5
$20,973Median federal debt
63thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
30Reporting programs
29With year-4 earnings
The same field can produce a different equation.
Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $69,286
- Federal debt
- $21,250
- Reporting programs
- 1
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $70,537
- Federal debt
- $20,973
- Reporting programs
- 30
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $105,978
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 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$64,225National median$70,53775th percentile$75,601
29 programs report year‑4 earnings.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$75,060Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Related occupations
Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.
Food Scientists and TechnologistsSOC 19-1012 · 6 crosswalk linksFood Science TechniciansSOC 19-4013 · 5 crosswalk linksAgricultural Sciences Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1041 · 3 crosswalk linksSeparating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersSOC 51-9012 · 3 crosswalk linksFood BatchmakersSOC 51-3092 · 2 crosswalk linksFarmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural ManagersSOC 11-9013 · 1 crosswalk linksFirst-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry WorkersSOC 45-1011 · 1 crosswalk linksSoil and Plant ScientistsSOC 19-1013 · 1 crosswalk links
Same degree, different outcomes
Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. ROI uses each institution’s average net price as a scenario—not an individual aid offer.
| # | College | Location | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 10-year ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Wisconsin-MadisonBachelor's Degree | Madison, WI | $85,445 | Not available | +62% | Positive payoff |
| 2 | Cornell UniversityBachelor's Degree | Ithaca, NY | $84,147 | $15,750 | +33% | Positive payoff |
| 3 | Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusBachelor's Degree | University Park, PA | $83,112 | $25,000 | +22% | Positive payoff |
| 4 | Rutgers University-New BrunswickBachelor's Degree | New Brunswick, NJ | $80,979 | $27,000 | +30% | Positive payoff |
| 5 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Blacksburg, VA | $80,161 | $26,875 | +26% | Positive payoff |
| 6 | Kansas State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Manhattan, KS | $78,367 | $24,844 | +30% | Positive payoff |
| 7 | University of Massachusetts-AmherstBachelor's Degree | Amherst, MA | $77,771 | Not available | +22% | Positive payoff |
| 8 | California State Polytechnic University-PomonaBachelor's Degree | Pomona, CA | $75,601 | $17,498 | +35% | Positive payoff |
| 9 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoBachelor's Degree | San Luis Obispo, CA | $75,466 | $20,654 | +24% | Positive payoff |
| 10 | Purdue University-Main CampusBachelor's Degree | West Lafayette, IN | $75,060 | Not available | +26% | Positive payoff |
| 11 | University of Maryland-College ParkBachelor's Degree | College Park, MD | $73,677 | $24,730 | +18% | Positive payoff |
| 12 | North Carolina State University at RaleighBachelor's Degree | Raleigh, NC | $72,782 | $21,000 | +11% | Positive payoff |
| 13 | University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesBachelor's Degree | Minneapolis, MN | $70,705 | $21,050 | +4% | Positive payoff |
| 14 | University of California, DavisBachelor's Degree | Davis, CA | $70,571 | $14,750 | +7% | Positive payoff |
| 15 | Ohio State University-Main CampusBachelor's Degree | Columbus, OH | $70,537 | $20,534 | +2% | Positive payoff |
| 16 | Michigan State UniversityBachelor's Degree | East Lansing, MI | $70,380 | $25,000 | -2% | Negative payoff |
| 17 | Delaware Valley UniversityBachelor's Degree | Doylestown, PA | $70,222 | Not available | -14% | Negative payoff |
| 18 | Washington State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Pullman, WA | $68,719 | $14,780 | -1% | Negative payoff |
| 19 | The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleBachelor's Degree | Knoxville, TN | $68,114 | $20,632 | -10% | Negative payoff |
| 20 | University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignBachelor's Degree | Champaign, IL | $66,226 | $19,000 | -11% | Negative payoff |
| 21 | Iowa State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Ames, IA | $65,943 | $26,254 | -18% | Negative payoff |
| 22 | California State University, FresnoBachelor's Degree | Fresno, CA | $64,225 | $16,500 | -8% | Negative payoff |
| 23 | University of FloridaBachelor's Degree | Gainesville, FL | $64,078 | Not available | -7% | Negative payoff |
| 24 | Oregon State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Corvallis, OR | $63,531 | $20,945 | -28% | Negative payoff |
| 25 | Oregon State University-Cascades CampusBachelor's Degree | Bend, OR | $63,531 | $20,945 | -27% | Negative payoff |
| 26 | Clemson UniversityBachelor's Degree | Clemson, SC | $63,501 | $25,000 | -31% | Negative payoff |
| 27 | University of MaineBachelor's Degree | Orono, ME | $56,861 | $27,000 | -53% | Negative payoff |
| 28 | Appalachian State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Boone, NC | $53,369 | Not available | -66% | Negative payoff |
| 29 | Mississippi State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Mississippi State, MS | $39,940 | $24,475 | -120% | Negative payoff |
| 30 | University of ArkansasBachelor's Degree | Fayetteville, AR | Not available | $17,750 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $18,209 |
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.