Food Science and Technology at Iowa State University

Ames, IA · Bachelor's Degree · about 17 graduates a year

$60,351
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$65,943
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$70,873
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#21 of 29
Rank by pay
#14 of 29
Rank, wage-adjusted
$23,530
Median federal debt

Iowa State University graduates in food science and technology earn 7% less than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 36% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Iowa State University Compares for Food Science and Technology

All 29 colleges reporting food science and technology earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI$85,445$88,910#1—
2Cornell University Ithaca, NY$84,147$80,091#5$64,062
3Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA$83,112$84,526#2$59,722
4Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ$80,979$71,074#12$51,892
5Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA$80,161$72,994#10$56,274
6Kansas State University Manhattan, KS$78,367$81,358#3$62,479
7University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA$77,771$68,486#17$59,547
8California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA$75,601$68,792#15$51,883
9California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA$75,466$68,669#16$52,240
10Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN$75,060$80,526#4—
…
18Washington State University Pullman, WA$68,719$63,207#25$47,970
19The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN$68,114$74,407#8$48,441
20University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL$66,226$65,067#20$41,150
21Iowa State University Ames, IA$65,943$69,364#14$60,351
22California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA$64,225$58,441#27$45,796
23University of Florida Gainesville, FL$64,078$68,203#18—
24Oregon State University Corvallis, OR$63,531$63,905#23$43,923

Other Food Science and Technology Credentials at Iowa State University

Credential1 yr after4 yrs afterMedian debt
Master's Degree$60,183—$18,203

Other Majors at Iowa State University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer Engineering$105,753$79,182#96 of 189
Computer Science$104,211$78,517#143 of 349
Construction Engineering$100,676$77,845#8 of 13
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$99,705$84,913#111 of 258
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$94,089$75,036#41 of 59
Business/Managerial Economics$93,379—#16 of 84
Industrial Engineering$92,914$74,310#65 of 94
Chemical Engineering$92,773$76,184#109 of 158
Agricultural Engineering$88,576$72,376#6 of 26
Management Information Systems and Services$87,413—#64 of 166
Mechanical Engineering$85,938$72,900#276 of 318
Civil Engineering$85,427$72,502#112 of 233
Materials Engineering$83,416$65,831#31 of 34
Computer and Information Sciences$83,267$60,397#243 of 459
Engineering-Related Fields$82,548$62,416#28 of 33
Agricultural Mechanization$78,890$63,321#1 of 10
Business Administration, Management and Operations$78,304$57,188#173 of 1176
Finance and Financial Management Services$75,360$56,974#254 of 452
Economics$75,355$57,619#224 of 368
Statistics$72,581$53,132#46 of 50
Accounting and Related Services$70,706$58,479#466 of 796
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies$69,673—#4 of 137
Architecture$69,310$54,957#31 of 78
Agricultural Business and Management$67,529$53,967#27 of 77
Chemistry$66,486$43,870#105 of 209
Marketing$66,482$48,304#262 of 516
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences$65,204$50,150#47 of 138
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology$63,026$43,520#70 of 110
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication$62,965$42,530#82 of 178
Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies$62,341—#8 of 19

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Iowa State University food science and technology graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $60,351 one year after graduating and $65,943 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Iowa State University rank for food science and technology?

Among 29 colleges reporting earnings for food science and technology graduates, Iowa State University ranks #21 by median pay four years after graduation, and #14 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is food science and technology at Iowa State University worth it?

Its graduates earn 7% less than the national median for food science and technology ($70,873), and the median federal debt at graduation is $23,530.

← All data for Iowa State University · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.