Food Science and Technology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA · Bachelor's Degree · about 17 graduates a year

$56,274
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$80,161
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$70,873
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#5 of 29
Rank by pay
#10 of 29
Rank, wage-adjusted
$26,875
Median federal debt

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University graduates in food science and technology earn 13% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 34% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Virginia Polytechnic Institute and 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—

Other Majors at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer and Information Sciences$144,103$96,432#19 of 459
Computer Engineering$122,026$86,636#33 of 189
Applied Mathematics$117,990$82,275#8 of 45
Industrial Engineering$116,641$82,437#5 of 94
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$108,726$77,877#16 of 126
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$106,633$76,856#9 of 59
Chemical Engineering$106,011$82,382#25 of 158
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$104,839$83,364#63 of 258
Finance and Financial Management Services$102,902$66,601#38 of 452
Construction Engineering$102,699$82,627#5 of 13
Engineering Mechanics$101,509$81,735—
Accounting and Related Services$99,528$70,303#54 of 796
Mechanical Engineering$96,376$78,280#70 of 318
Real Estate$95,576$68,078#7 of 25
Business/Managerial Economics$95,271—#13 of 84
Construction Management$95,165$76,246#23 of 57
Mining and Mineral Engineering$94,397$74,793#5 of 7
Statistics$94,300$62,598#20 of 50
Physics$92,746$58,061#18 of 107
Economics$92,653$56,261#92 of 368
Materials Engineering$90,828$66,888#20 of 34
Agricultural Engineering$88,315$75,434#8 of 26
Civil Engineering$88,142$74,285#73 of 233
Marketing$86,338$56,417#43 of 516
Engineering-Related Fields$81,618$56,513#30 of 33
Business Administration, Management and Operations$80,023$60,678#140 of 1176
Political Science and Government$75,687$42,114#59 of 565
Architecture$75,074$56,708#12 of 78
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services$74,005$25,414#1 of 50
Chemistry$73,395$45,513#49 of 209

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University food science and technology graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $56,274 one year after graduating and $80,161 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University rank for food science and technology?

Among 29 colleges reporting earnings for food science and technology graduates, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ranks #5 by median pay four years after graduation, and #10 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is food science and technology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University worth it?

Its graduates earn 13% more than the national median for food science and technology ($70,873), and the median federal debt at graduation is $26,875.

← All data for Virginia Polytechnic Institute and 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.