Best Food Science Programs in the Midwest (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Agriculture Colleges in the Midwest
Regional list from Best Food Science Programs in the United States
This page ranks the 10 Food Science programs in the Midwest by the median earnings of Food Science graduates four years after completing. University of Wisconsin-Madison leads the list at 1st with median earnings of $85,445 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $85,445 to $38,289, with a median of $70,458. For 2 of the 10 programs the earnings figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
Every program on the list is at a public institution. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ranks 35th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign posts the lowest average net price at $14,355, while Iowa State University has the highest admission rate, admitting 89% of applicants.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Wisconsin-Madison · Madison, WI | $85,445 | $17,354 | $4,200 | 45.2% |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison reports median earnings of $85,445 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $17,354. | |||||
| 2 | Kansas State University · Manhattan, KS | $78,367 | $19,406 | $13,178 | 81.7% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at Kansas State University left with a median of $21,250 in federal loans, and its Food Science completers earn a median of $78,367 four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | Purdue University-Main Campus · West Lafayette, IN | $75,060 | $14,600 | $5,098 | 49.9% |
| Purdue University-Main Campus admits 50% of applicants and its Food Science graduates earn a median of $75,060 four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities · Minneapolis, MN | $70,705 | $16,778 | $6,642 | 79.8% |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities ranks 4th on this list and reports an average net price of $6,642 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 5 | Ohio State University-Main Campus · Columbus, OH | $70,537 | $17,339 | $4,885 | 60.6% |
| Ohio State University-Main Campus posts median earnings of $70,537 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing, and its school-wide median federal debt is $19,976. | |||||
| 6 | Michigan State University · East Lansing, MI | $70,380 | $19,680 | $7,068 | 84.8% |
| Michigan State University ranks 69th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Food Science completers earn a median of $70,380 four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · Champaign, IL | $66,226 | $14,355 | $2,038 | 42.4% |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reports an average net price of $14,355 and median earnings of $66,226 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | Iowa State University · Ames, IA | $65,943 | $18,589 | $10,582 | 88.7% |
| Iowa State University admits 89% of applicants and carries a school-wide median federal debt of $22,869. | |||||
| 9 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln · Lincoln, NE | $42,682 | $17,747 | $12,751 | 87.5% |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln reports median earnings of $42,682 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $12,751 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 10 | University of Missouri-Columbia · Columbia, MO | $38,289 | $20,268 | $13,841 | 78.5% |
| An average net price of $20,268 and median earnings of $38,289 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing are reported by University of Missouri-Columbia. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Food Science graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the Midwest appear. The figures cover federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 2 of the 10 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. University of Wisconsin-Madison reports $85,445, which is $7,078 ahead of Kansas State University at $78,367. The spread from top to bottom is $47,156.
Job market context in the Midwest
Food Science graduates in the Midwest enter occupations such as First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers, Food Batchmakers, and Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders. The median annual wage across those occupations is $48,524, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $40,933. Projections for 2024 to 2034 show about 12,940 openings a year, or about 3,795 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Employment in those occupations is projected to be about 4.5% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, which are a different measure from the occupational wage figures shown here.
Related rankings
- Best Food Science Programs in the United States
- Best Colleges in the Midwest
- Best Food Science Programs in the South
- Best Food Science Programs in the West
- Best Agriculture Colleges in the Midwest
- Agriculture Colleges in the Midwest for Social Mobility