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Other Food Science

Types of Degrees Other Food Science Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Other Food Science may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	18
Bachelor’s Degree	35
Master’s Degree	78
Doctor’s Degree	1

What Other Food Science Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• Biology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Food Production — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Other Food Science program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Other Food Science careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Other Food Science graduates report doing:

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

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Other Food Science professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Other Food Science graduates include:

• Professor
• Agricultural Education Professor
• Irrigation Teacher
• Silviculture Teacher
• Aquaculture Professor
• Farm Instructor
• Agriculture Instructor
• Plant Pathology Teacher
• Animal Science Professor
• Agricultural Science Teacher
• Animal Pathology Teacher
• Farm Crops Teacher
• Sericulture Teacher
• Plant Science Professor
• Plant Sciences Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	32.4%
Bachelor’s degree	22.4%
Post-doctoral training	16.0%
Master’s degree	12.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	7.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.2%
Some college courses	3.2%
Postsecondary certificate	1.5%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%
Less than a high school diploma	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Other Food Science?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 59.1% women and 40.9% men among Other Food Science graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	78	59.1%
Men	54	40.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	85	64.4%
Asian	7	5.3%
Hispanic or Latino	18	13.6%
Black or African American	5	3.8%
Two or More Races	3	2.3%
Race Unknown	3	2.3%
International Students	11	8.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Other Food Science Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Other Food Science 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	$55,828
4 years	$59,662
5 years	$68,842

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $68,842 — roughly 23% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Other Food Science Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Other Food Science. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Other Food Science Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Other Food Science graduates earn a median of $59,662 four years after completion — roughly 57% 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
Food Science and Technology	01.10
Brewing Science	01.1003
Food Science	01.1001
Food Technology and Processing	01.1002
Viticulture and Enology	01.1004
Zymology/Fermentation Science	01.1005
Agricultural and Food Products Processing	01.0401
Agriculture, General	01.0000
International Agriculture	01.0701
Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations	01.0102
Agricultural and Horticultural Plant Breeding	01.1104
Agricultural Animal Breeding	01.0902

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.