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Food Processing

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 01.0401 - 01.0480.

Types of Degrees Food Processing Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Food Processing have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	22
Associate’s Degree	29
Bachelor’s Degree	52
Master’s Degree	65

What Food Processing Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• English Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Food Processing program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Food Processing graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Food Processing professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Spreadsheet software	Spreadsheet software	—
Image processing software	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft Internet Explorer	Internet browser software	—
Operational databases	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Food Processing graduates include:

• Milk Tester
• Compliance Coordinator
• Shipping Point Inspector
• Food Inspector
• Field Inspector
• Plant Inspector
• Food Safety Inspector
• Fish Inspector
• Fruit Inspector
• QC Inspector (Quality Control Inspector)
• Route Inspector
• Agricultural Commodity Grader
• Meat Inspector
• Agricultural Commodities Inspector
• Poultry Field Service Technician

What Can You Do With a Food Processing Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Food Processing commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Agricultural Inspectors	-3.9%	$24,614	$22,000–$28,504
First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers	-0.6%	$36,803	$31,817–$41,789

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	27.8%
Doctoral degree	20.7%
Bachelor’s degree	11.6%
Post-doctoral training	10.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	9.6%
Some college courses	7.6%
Master’s degree	7.4%
Less than a high school diploma	3.5%
First professional degree	0.8%
Postsecondary certificate	0.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Food Processing?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 48.8% women and 51.2% men among Food Processing graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	82	48.8%
Men	86	51.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	122	72.6%
Asian	2	1.2%
Hispanic or Latino	21	12.5%
Black or African American	6	3.6%
Two or More Races	6	3.6%
Race Unknown	7	4.2%
International Students	4	2.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Food Processing Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Food Processing 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	$60,677
4 years	$68,082
5 years	$73,285

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $73,285 — roughly 21% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Food Processing Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Food Processing graduates earn a median of $68,082 four years after completion — roughly 79% 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	Annual Degrees Awarded
Agriculture Ag Operations	53,204
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians	9,051
Agricultural Business and Management	8,612
Animal Sciences	8,295
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services	4,164
Veterinary Medicine	3,756
Agricultural Production Operations	3,608
Plant Sciences	3,261
Food Science and Technology	2,269
Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services	1,424
Agricultural Mechanization	1,378
Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences	1,077

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.