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Meat Cutting

Types of Degrees Meat Cutting Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Meat Cutting may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	21
Associate’s Degree	5
Master’s Degree	34

What Meat Cutting Majors Need to Know

Programs in Meat Cutting emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Meat Cutting graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Meat Cutting emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Food Production — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Production and Processing — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 2.5 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 2.7 / 5; level 2.2 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Meat Cutting program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 2.8 / 5; level 2.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 2.7 / 5; level 2.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 2.4 / 5; level 2.0 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 2.4 / 5; level 1.9 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 2.3 / 5; level 2.0 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Meat Cutting careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Arm-Hand Steadiness — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Finger Dexterity — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Manual Dexterity — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.0 / 7.
• Control Precision — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Meat Cutting graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Handling and Moving Objects	3.7 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	3.6 / 7
Performing General Physical Activities	3.6 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	3.5 / 7
Getting Information	3.4 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.2 / 7
Controlling Machines and Processes	3.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.0 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	2.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Meat Cutting professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
AccountMate Software AccountMate	Accounting software	—
RFID software	Inventory management software	—
Integrated Management Systems Food Connex Cloud	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Operating system software	Operating system software	—
Traceability software	Inventory management software	—
AgInfoLink Meat Inventory Tracking System MITS	Inventory management software	—
Second Foundation NaviMeat	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Financial accounting software	Accounting software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Meat Cutting graduates include:

• Meat Dresser
• Meat Clerk
• Meat Wrapper
• Butcher
• Meat Associate
• Scriber
• Meat Market Associate
• Seafood Processor
• Throat Cutter
• Animal Stunner
• Hog Slaughterer
• Shactor
• Slaughterer
• Saw Man
• Pig Sticker

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	61.6%
Less than a high school diploma	27.9%
Some college courses	10.3%
Postsecondary certificate	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Meat Cutting?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 78.3% of Meat Cutting degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	13	21.7%
Men	47	78.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Meat Cutting graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	50	83.3%
Asian	1	1.7%
Hispanic or Latino	2	3.3%
Black or African American	2	3.3%
Two or More Races	3	5.0%
Race Unknown	2	3.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Meat Cutting Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Meat Cutting 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	$24,617
4 years	$29,033
5 years	$32,264

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $32,264 — roughly 31% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Meat Cutting Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Meat Cutting graduates earn a median of $29,033 four years after completion — about 24% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{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
Culinary Arts and Related Services	12.05
Baking and Pastry Arts/Baker/Pastry Chef	12.0501
Bartending/Bartender	12.0502
Culinary Arts and Related Services, Other	12.0599
Culinary Arts and Related Services	12.0500
Culinary Arts/Chef Training	12.0503
Culinary Science/Culinology	12.0509
Food Preparation/Professional Cooking/Kitchen Assistant	12.0505
Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, and Dining Room Management/Manager	12.0507
Institutional Food Workers	12.0508
Reserved	12.0580
Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/Manager	12.0504

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.