Food Science

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2017

2,086

declining 3.52%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$8,828

growing 5.47%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$38,500

declining 4.33%

Average Wage

$74,049

growing 4.3%

People in Workforce

548,799

growing 3.33%

Average Employee Age

44.5

growing 1.68%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Food Science degree recipients are Gainesville, FL, Champaign, IL, and . The locations with a relatively high number of Food Science degree recipients are New Britain, PA, Orono, ME, and Rosemount, MN. The most common degree awarded to students studying Food Science is a bachelors degree.

Agriculture Food Science & Technology

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Food Science and the types of students that study this field. University of Florida awards the most degrees in Food Science in the US, but Alabama A & M University and Delaware Valley University have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Food Science.

Tuition costs for Food Science majors are, on average, $8,828 for in-state public colleges, and $38,500 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Food Science programs are Public, 4-year or above institutions (48 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (1,902 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Food Science

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Food Science, is Public, 4-year or above (1,902 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Food Science programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$8,828

Median In-State Public

$38,500

Median Out of State Private

University of Florida has the most Food Science degree recipients, with 150 degrees awarded in 2017.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Food Science.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Out of all institutions that offer Food Science programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Alabama A & M University and Delaware Valley University have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Food Science, with 2.7% and 2.55%, respectively.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Food Science

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Food Science by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Food Science.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Agriculture graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Agriculture majors is $74,049 and the most common occupations are Farmers, ranchers, & other agricultural managers, Other managers, and Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing.

The industry that employs the most Agriculture majors is Farming, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Fuel dealers.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Food Science is from the 2 Digit Course Agriculture.

$74,049

Average Wage in Workforce

± $2,379

4.3%

1 Year Growth

± 4.38%

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Agriculture majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Food Science is from the 2 Digit Course Agriculture.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Agriculture majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Agriculture majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Occupations

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Food Science is from the 2 Digit Course Agriculture.

The most common occupations Agriculture majors, by number of employees, are Farmers, ranchers, & other agricultural managers, Other managers, and Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Food Science is from the 2 Digit Course Agriculture.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Agriculture majors working as Agricultural & food scientists, Veterinarians, and Conservation scientists & foresters.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Food Science is from the 2 Digit Course Agriculture.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Agriculture majors are Dentists, Physicians, and Chief executives & legislators.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Food Science is from the 2 Digit Course Agriculture.

548,799

2019 Workforce

± 18,155

3.33%

1 Year Growth

± 4.57%

The number of Agriculture graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.33%, from 531,117 in 2018 to 548,799 in 2019.

The largest single share of Agriculture graduates go on to work as Farmers, ranchers, & other agricultural managers (5.63%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Agriculture by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Food Science is from the 2 Digit Course Agriculture.

The most common industries that employ Agriculture majors, by number of employees, are Farming, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Elementary & secondary schools.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Food Science is from the 2 Digit Course Agriculture.

The highest paying industries of Agriculture majors, by average wage, are Fuel dealers, Miscellaneous durable goods merchant wholesalers, and Petroleum refining.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Food Science is from the 2 Digit Course Agriculture.

548,799

2019 Workforce

± 18,155

3.33%

1 Year Growth

± 4.57%

The number of Agriculture graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.33%, from 531,117 in 2018 to 548,799 in 2019.

The industry which employs the most Agriculture graduates by share is Farming, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Agriculture.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Food Science is from the 2 Digit Course Agriculture.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Agriculture majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Agriculture majors.

Diversity

Demographic information on those who earn a degree in Agriculture in the US. The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Agriculture is 44.5, and the most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Agriculture degrees, and White students earn the majority (1,101) of the degrees.

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Food Science is from the 2 Digit Course Agriculture.

44.5

Average Age in 2019

± 0.474 Years

1.68%

1 Year Change

± 1.5%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Agriculture. The most common ages of employees with this major are 30 and 29 years old, which represent 3.17% and 3.17% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Food Science are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Research Doctorate.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Food Science is from the 2 Digit Course Agriculture.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Agriculture are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (68.1%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Food Science.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
1,101 degrees awarded
Non-resident Alien
398 degrees awarded
Asian
177 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Food Science for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

White Female
591 degrees awarded
White Male
239 degrees awarded
Asian Female
104 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Food Science. White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Food Science is from the 2 Digit Course Agriculture.

Most Common Countries of Origin

China
7,250 degree recipients
Mexico
7,200 degree recipients
India
5,436 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Egypt
6.2 times more than expected
Chile
5.5 times more than expected
Taiwan
4.18 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Egypt that hold Agriculture degrees (6.2 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is China (7,250 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Food Science field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Food Science majors need many skills, but most especially Instructing. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Food Science majors need more than the average amount of Operation and Control, Troubleshooting, and Science.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Food Science majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Operation and Control is very distinctive for majors, but the Instructing, Reading Comprehension, and Speaking are the three most important skills for people in the field.