What Can You Do With a Food Science Degree?

Many people take the food in grocery stores for granted — but food scientists don’t. It’s likely that a food scientist had a hand in researching and developing some of your favorite store-bought snacks, from the bag of barbecue chips in your pantry to the can of soda in the fridge.

Food science is an applied science that combines foundational knowledge in chemistry, biology, physics and mathematics to maximize the nutrition and safety of food and improve the public’s understanding of what they eat. Food scientists can specialize in areas such as food product development, food microbiology or sensory evaluation of foods.

A lot of people don’t know what food science means, “and it’s too bad because there are a lot of opportunities out there,” says Michael Miller, a professor and associate head for graduate programs in the department of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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If you’re interested in learning about the science that goes into making food products or you simply want to learn how food can be made more sustainably, food science might be the major for you. Here’s what you can expect to study in a typical food science program and the kinds of careers you can pursue.

What Is Food Science?

Food science is an interdisciplinary and applied science, using core scientific and mathematical principles.

Food scientists might apply principles of microbiology to better understand how fermented foods like yogurt or beer are made. They might specialize in something like sensory evaluation, designing experiments and conducting statistical analyses to more objectively understand a food product’s properties, such as its taste, texture or aroma.

“It takes a lot of basic sciences — biology, chemistry, physics, microbiology — and really applies them to food production or food manufacturing,” says Renee Boyer, a professor and head of the food science and technology department at Virginia Tech. “It’s really about applying those key principles to things like developing new recipes, or making sure that our food is safe from different hazards, or processing food to extend its shelf life.”

What Classes Do Food Scientists Take?

In a typical food science program, students can expect to take a lot of the same introductory courses that students take in fields like chemistry, biology and other STEM majors. Experts note that the first two years of a food science major are mainly geared toward building a student’s foundational knowledge in those fields so that they can then apply those principles to the study of food.

Once students have a foundation on these topics, they typically begin taking classes more closely focused on food. Food science programs commonly offer courses in topics like the chemical analysis of food, food microbiology, brewing science and food product development.

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Miller says students are growing more interested in the sustainability of food — how food products can be developed and produced in more environmentally friendly ways. Students who pursue further research in this field might look into ways that food co-products — also known as waste products or byproducts — can be used in different ways rather than simply being thrown away.

For example, one common co-product is the spent grain left over after brewing beer. Some companies sell this grain to ranches or farms for animal feed, but there are other innovative ways to reuse it as well, Miller says. For example, companies like ReGrained use spent grain as an ingredient in granola bars and baking mixes.

What Careers Can I Pursue With a Food Science Degree?

Food science can be a particularly lucrative field, experts note.

Miller points to high demand for food scientists due to a relatively small number of food science programs and many jobs available to college graduates who have studied food science. According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in agricultural and food science are projected to grow faster than average, at a rate of 6% from 2022 to 2032. The median salary for agricultural and food scientists was $74,940 in 2022, according to the BLS.

Alyson Mitchell, a professor and lead academic adviser for the undergraduate food science program at the University of California, Davis, says many of the her students go on to work in research and development for companies in the food industry. Some students also go into marketing for food companies, she says.

Miller cites companies like Impossible Foods and JUST Egg, which have created innovative products in recent years, as examples of food producers that have put significant research into developing and testing products.

[Read: Tips on Culinary School and How to Become a Chef.]

Boyer notes that many students in the Virginia Tech program go on to work for state and federal regulatory agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Although a bachelor’s degree is the minimum qualification to become a food scientist, many employers prefer an advanced degree. As a result, it’s common for aspiring food scientists to pursue a master’s or doctoral degree in the field, gaining more specialized knowledge in an area of food science that they’re especially interested in.

Upon completing an advanced degree in the field, students can become professors or academic researchers, or take on more specialized work in the industry.

A degree in food science “allows students to think critically about multiple areas of science and incorporate them,” says Mitchell, who is also a food chemist. “Sometimes, science degrees may not allow a lot of creativity — but this one definitely does.”

Universities With A Food Science Degree

Here are 15 other U.S. schools where students can earn a degree in food science.

— Cornell University

— University of Florida

— University of Wisconsin–Madison

— Rutgers University–New Brunswick

— The Ohio State University

— University of Maryland, College Park

— University of Georgia

— Michigan State University

— North Carolina State University

— The Pennsylvania State University–University Park