College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 43 colleges (43 of 43 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$29,088

Graduates only, early career.$31,894 two years out.

Median federal debt

$22,616

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.77×

77% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is under a year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services report early-career pay between $25,802 and $32,511 — a spread of $6,709 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $25,802 median $29,088 75th pct $32,511

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Bachelor's 43 colleges $29,088 $22,616 0.77×

Master's 17 colleges $49,450 $33,795 0.76×

Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

University of Akron Main Campus OH $41,497 —

University of Delaware DE $38,909 $25,250 debt

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN $36,815 —

Framingham State University MA $36,565 $23,125 debt

Texas Woman's University TX $36,148 $14,104 debt

Ohio State University-Main Campus OH $34,517 $22,000 debt

University of Arkansas AR $34,463 $21,250 debt

Stephen F Austin State University TX $34,443 $24,250 debt

Seattle Pacific University WA $33,992 —

Montclair State University NJ $33,787 $22,616 debt

Johnson & Wales University-Providence RI $32,511 $27,000 debt

Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte NC $32,511 $27,000 debt

Johnson & Wales University-Online RI $32,511 $27,000 debt

Ohio University-Main Campus OH $31,018 $24,780 debt

Texas State University TX $30,877 $22,500 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard