Best Food Science Programs in the West (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Agriculture Colleges in the West
Regional list from Best Food Science Programs in the United States
This page ranks the 6 Food Science programs in the West by median earnings of Food Science graduates four years after completing. California State Polytechnic University-Pomona ranks 1st on this list, reporting median earnings of $75,601 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed schools, the median figure is $69,645, with a range from $75,601 to $63,531.
All 6 programs are at public institutions. California State Polytechnic University-Pomona ranks 15th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and California State University-Fresno posts the lowest average net price on the page at $7,000.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $75,601 | $11,531 | $7,851 | 75.2% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona ranks 1st on this list, with median earnings of $75,601 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 2 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $75,466 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| An admission rate of 31% coincides with median earnings of $75,466 for Food Science graduates at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $70,571 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $13,000 in federal loans at University of California-Davis, where Food Science graduates report median earnings of $70,571 four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | Washington State University · Pullman, WA | $68,719 | $14,971 | $7,074 | 86.6% |
| Washington State University reports an average net price of $14,971 and median earnings of $68,719 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | California State University-Fresno · Fresno, CA | $64,225 | $7,000 | $5,105 | 95.3% |
| California State University-Fresno carries an average net price of $5,105 for families earning under $30,000 alongside median earnings of $64,225 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | Oregon State University · Corvallis, OR | $63,531 | $19,604 | $12,107 | 77.3% |
| Oregon State University ranks 126th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $63,531 for its Food Science graduates four years after completing. | |||||
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 West appear. The figure captures the median earnings of federally aided completers of the program who were working and not enrolled four years after completing. It does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The gap between California State Polytechnic University-Pomona and California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is $135, while the spread from the top of the list to the bottom reaches $12,070.
Job market context in the West
In the West, Food Science graduates 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 $50,534, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $42,169. Projections for 2024 to 2034 show about 3,047 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 4.8% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, which is a different measure from the occupational wage and opening figures described here.
Related rankings
- Best Food Science Programs in the United States
- Best Colleges in the West
- Best Food Science Programs in the Midwest
- Best Food Science Programs in the South
- Agriculture Colleges in the West for Social Mobility
- Best Agriculture Colleges in the West