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Food Products Processing

Types of Degrees Food Products Processing Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Food Products Processing may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	22
Associate’s Degree	29
Bachelor’s Degree	52
Master’s Degree	65

What Food Products Processing Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Food Products Processing build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Food Products Processing graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Food Products Processing emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Food Products Processing program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Food Products Processing careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Food Products Processing graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Food Products Processing professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Internet Explorer	Internet browser software	—
Operational databases	Data base user interface and query software	—
Image processing software	Graphics or photo imaging software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Food Products Processing graduates include:

• Milk Tester
• Food Inspector
• Consumer Safety Inspector (CSI)
• Meat and Poultry Inspector
• Fish Hatchery Inspector
• Consumer Compliance Examiner
• Forestry Inspector
• Meat Inspector
• Milk Inspector
• Grain Inspector
• Grain Sampler
• Dairy Inspector
• Poultry Field Service Technician
• QC Inspector (Quality Control Inspector)
• Land Inspector

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Food Products Processing graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	27.8%
Doctoral degree	20.7%
Bachelor’s degree	11.6%
Post-doctoral training	10.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	9.6%
Some college courses	7.6%
Master’s degree	7.4%
Less than a high school diploma	3.5%
First professional degree	0.8%
Postsecondary certificate	0.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Food Products Processing?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 48.8% women and 51.2% men among Food Products Processing graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	82	48.8%
Men	86	51.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Food Products Processing graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	122	72.6%
Asian	2	1.2%
Hispanic or Latino	21	12.5%
Black or African American	6	3.6%
Two or More Races	6	3.6%
Race Unknown	7	4.2%
International Students	4	2.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Food Products Processing Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Food Products Processing graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$60,677
4 years	$68,082
5 years	$73,285

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $73,285 — roughly 21% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Food Products Processing Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Food Products Processing graduates earn a median of $68,082 four years after completion — roughly 79% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Agricultural and Food Products Processing	01.04
Reserved	01.0480
Agricultural Business and Management, General	01.0101
Agricultural Business and Management, Other	01.0199
Agricultural Production Operations, General	01.0301
Agricultural Production Operations, Other	01.0399
Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture	01.0308
Agronomy and Crop Science	01.1102
Animal Sciences, General	01.0901
Animal Sciences, Other	01.0999
Animal/Livestock Husbandry and Production	01.0302
Aquaculture	01.0303

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.