Dairy Science
CIP Code: 1.0905A dairy science degree prepares graduates for careers in Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers, Agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary, Animal scientists and more. 14 colleges and universities offer this program.
Annual Degrees Awarded
154
Colleges Offering
14
Avg. Career Salary
$69,615
Top Career Salary
$87,980
Dairy Science Salary by College
Nationally, bachelor’s graduates in this field earn a median $49,634 four years after graduating (middle half: $36,349–$66,880). Where you study it matters: across 78 colleges with reported results, pay ranges from $36,769 to $61,176.
Sort by:
| # | College | 4 yrs after | Wage-adjusted | 1 yr after | Median debt | Outcome Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Georgia Athens, GA | $61,176 | $63,330 | $31,769 | $18,250 | A |
| 2 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA | $59,543 | $52,434 | $40,008 | $26,724 | B+ |
| 3 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI | $57,605 | $59,941 | $44,354 | $25,000 | A+ |
| 4 | Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX | $57,324 | $58,282 | $35,582 | $17,592 | A |
| 5 | University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD | $56,248 | $49,364 | $40,209 | $21,500 | A+ |
| 6 | University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR | $56,136 | $66,152 | $32,417 | $21,616 | B+ |
| 7 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX | $55,753 | $56,684 | $34,933 | $20,000 | B+ |
| 8 | Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX | $54,984 | $55,903 | $31,059 | $20,250 | D |
| 9 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA | $54,805 | $49,869 | $33,879 | $20,500 | A+ |
| 10 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI | $54,751 | $57,729 | $41,292 | $25,023 | A |
| 11 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ | $54,509 | $47,842 | $33,926 | $24,250 | A |
| 12 | Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN | $54,089 | $58,028 | $35,318 | $19,500 | A+ |
| 13 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Stillwater, OK | $53,971 | $60,597 | $36,235 | $18,750 | B+ |
| 14 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO | $53,934 | $50,439 | $36,111 | $21,500 | C+ |
| 15 | University of Kentucky Lexington, KY | $53,918 | $61,051 | $27,144 | $20,800 | B+ |
| 16 | South Dakota State University Brookings, SD | $53,784 | $57,893 | $44,844 | $21,349 | B |
| 17 | California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA | $53,579 | $48,753 | $40,311 | $17,500 | C+ |
| 18 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville Platteville, WI | $53,530 | $55,701 | $44,956 | $18,748 | B |
| 19 | Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO | $53,418 | $57,275 | $34,876 | $18,089 | C |
| 20 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC | $53,226 | $57,119 | $33,332 | $20,921 | A |
| 21 | Auburn University Auburn, AL | $53,117 | $60,292 | $34,980 | $19,500 | A |
| 22 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA | $53,017 | $48,242 | $37,349 | $15,167 | B+ |
| 23 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY | $52,967 | $50,414 | $36,204 | $12,730 | A+ |
| 24 | Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS | $52,755 | $64,008 | $41,464 | $19,719 | B |
| 25 | West Virginia University Morgantown, WV | $52,548 | $62,167 | $31,103 | $19,500 | B+ |
| 26 | Iowa State University Ames, IA | $51,644 | $54,323 | $39,567 | $20,500 | B+ |
| 27 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN | $51,271 | $48,975 | $34,073 | $19,000 | A |
| 28 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX | $51,157 | $52,012 | $33,358 | $20,875 | C+ |
| 29 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus Fargo, ND | $50,975 | $52,812 | $39,290 | $21,439 | B+ |
| 30 | Kansas State University Manhattan, KS | $50,941 | $52,885 | $38,868 | $20,500 | B |
| 31 | University of Maine Orono, ME | $50,825 | $54,014 | $37,823 | $25,000 | C |
| 32 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH | $50,769 | $54,178 | $33,642 | $21,500 | A |
| 33 | SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill Cobleskill, NY | $50,491 | $48,057 | $37,068 | $20,000 | F |
| 34 | University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI | $50,203 | $49,445 | $35,520 | $19,613 | B+ |
| 35 | University of Delaware Newark, DE | $49,999 | $49,699 | $40,317 | $22,683 | A |
| 36 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA | $49,772 | $50,619 | $33,182 | $25,000 | A |
| 37 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN | $49,656 | $54,244 | $26,515 | $20,265 | B+ |
| 38 | Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX | $49,636 | $50,465 | $34,051 | $19,750 | C |
| 39 | Delaware Valley University Doylestown, PA | $49,225 | $50,062 | $38,378 | $25,569 | C+ |
| 40 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE | $49,193 | $50,843 | $39,064 | $20,645 | B |
| 41 | University of Wyoming Laramie, WY | $49,092 | $51,165 | $34,875 | $17,750 | B |
| 42 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls River Falls, WI | $48,680 | $50,654 | $37,852 | $21,224 | C+ |
| 43 | California State University-Chico Chico, CA | $48,474 | $44,108 | $33,387 | $17,606 | B |
| 44 | University of Vermont Burlington, VT | $48,468 | $49,781 | $34,467 | $23,250 | B+ |
| 45 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA | $48,441 | $44,078 | $32,309 | $13,000 | A |
| 46 | North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC | $48,155 | $51,677 | $35,686 | $27,156 | D |
| 47 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL | $48,026 | $47,185 | $30,187 | $19,000 | A+ |
| 48 | University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO | $47,983 | $51,448 | $34,678 | $19,500 | A |
| 49 | Clemson University Clemson, SC | $47,853 | $53,062 | $28,942 | $21,500 | A+ |
| 50 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | $47,724 | $50,796 | $31,294 | $15,000 | A+ |
| 55 | University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT | $47,577 | $42,835 | $37,712 | $22,500 | B+ |
| 54 | University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT | $47,577 | $42,835 | $37,712 | $22,500 | B+ |
| 53 | University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT | $47,577 | $42,835 | $37,712 | $22,500 | B+ |
| 52 | University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT | $47,577 | $42,835 | $37,712 | $22,500 | B+ |
| 51 | University of Connecticut Storrs, CT | $47,577 | $42,835 | $37,712 | $22,500 | A |
| 56 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA | $47,224 | $43,002 | $28,729 | $22,250 | A |
| 57 | The University of Findlay Findlay, OH | $46,977 | $50,131 | $34,595 | $26,000 | B |
| 58 | Montana State University Bozeman, MT | $46,313 | $50,590 | $30,220 | $23,149 | C+ |
| 60 | Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend, OR | $45,959 | $46,230 | $32,893 | $21,391 | B |
| 59 | Oregon State University Corvallis, OR | $45,959 | $46,230 | $32,893 | $21,391 | B+ |
| 61 | Angelo State University San Angelo, TX | $45,758 | $46,522 | $28,820 | $18,625 | D |
| 62 | University of Arizona Tucson, AZ | $45,548 | $46,801 | $35,996 | $18,527 | B |
| 63 | Texas A & M University-Kingsville Kingsville, TX | $44,214 | $44,953 | $20,036 | $22,400 | D |
| 64 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA | $43,797 | $50,698 | $29,793 | $22,750 | A |
| 65 | Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX | $43,185 | $43,906 | $30,695 | $20,810 | C |
| 66 | University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI | $42,671 | $38,826 | $31,285 | $23,027 | C |
| 67 | College of the Ozarks Point Lookout, MO | $42,296 | $45,350 | — | — | D |
| 68 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN | $41,965 | $45,842 | $33,788 | $18,166 | C |
| 69 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL | $41,932 | $41,198 | $30,706 | $21,936 | C |
| 70 | Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO | $41,706 | $44,718 | — | — | D |
| 71 | Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield, MO | $41,658 | $44,666 | $33,675 | $19,593 | C |
| 72 | Washington State University Pullman, WA | $41,634 | $38,294 | $31,911 | $18,000 | B |
| 73 | Texas A & M University-Commerce Commerce, TX | $41,105 | $41,792 | $27,101 | $19,000 | D |
| 74 | University of Idaho Moscow, ID | $40,935 | $43,529 | $36,486 | $25,000 | C+ |
| 75 | Tuskegee University Tuskegee, AL | $39,949 | $45,346 | $24,211 | $27,000 | C+ |
| 76 | Utah State University Logan, UT | $39,041 | $37,002 | $30,774 | $15,549 | C |
| 77 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus Las Cruces, NM | $36,858 | $42,676 | $28,475 | $18,489 | F |
| 78 | Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA | $36,769 | $42,563 | $21,958 | $24,800 | B |
Bachelor’s degrees. Wage-adjusted = pay ÷ √(state wage index). Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data.
What Can You Do With a Dairy Science Degree?
Graduates with this degree pursue careers in the following fields:
$69,615
Average Salary Across Careers
$87,980
Highest Paying Career
6
Career Paths Available
Best Colleges for Dairy Science
Ranked by Repit grade, then by degrees awarded. These are the top-rated colleges that produce the most graduates in dairy science.
| # | College | Location | Degrees Awarded | Repit Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Madison, WI | 20 | B+ |
| 2 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo, CA | 18 | B+ |
| 3 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Blacksburg, VA | 13 | B+ |
| 4 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA | 9 | B |
| 5 | Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus | Portales, NM | 8 | B |
| 6 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI | 6 | B |
| 7 | South Dakota State University | Brookings, SD | 22 | C+ |
| 8 | Northcentral Technical College | Wausau, WI | 18 | C+ |
| 9 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls | River Falls, WI | 17 | C+ |
| 10 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville | Platteville, WI | 9 | C+ |
| 11 | Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute | Wooster, OH | 7 | C |
| 12 | Delaware Valley University | Doylestown, PA | 3 | C |
| 13 | SUNY Morrisville | Morrisville, NY | 2 | C |
| 14 | SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill | Cobleskill, NY | 2 | C |
Largest Programs
Program size data is being calculated. Check back soon!
154
Degrees Awarded Annually
14
Colleges Offering Program
6
Related Careers
About Dairy Science
Dairy Science is a degree program offered at 14 colleges and universities across the United States. Each year, approximately 154 students graduate with this degree.
Graduates with this degree can pursue careers such as farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers, agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary, animal scientists, first-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers, farm and home management educators, and 1 more career paths.
Program Classification
CIP Code
1.0905
Field (2-digit CIP)
1.
Category (4-digit CIP)
1.090
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I do with a Dairy Science degree?
A Dairy Science degree can lead to careers as a
farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers, agricultural sciences teachers, postsecondary, animal scientists, first-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers, farm and home management educators,
and more.
Top earners in related careers can make up to $87,980 annually.
How many colleges offer Dairy Science?
14 colleges and universities in the United States offer
Dairy Science as a degree program. Each year, approximately 154
students graduate with this degree.
What are the best colleges for Dairy Science?
The best colleges for Dairy Science based on Repit's ratings include
University of Wisconsin-Madison, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Iowa State University, Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus.
Rankings are based on the college's overall Repit grade and the number of degrees awarded in this program.
What is the salary potential with a Dairy Science degree?
Graduates with a Dairy Science degree can expect average salaries around $69,615
in related careers, with top earners making up to $87,980.
Actual salaries depend on the specific career path, experience level, and location.