Food Science and Technology at University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky's Food Science and Technology certificate shows impressive numbers on paper—$49,123 first-year earnings with just $21,250 in debt—but the extremely small graduate cohort (under 30 students) makes it hard to know if these results are replicable. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.43 is excellent, meaning graduates owe less than half their first-year salary, and they're carrying far less debt than typical certificate holders in this field nationally. However, with only three Kentucky schools offering this program and minimal data available, these figures could represent a handful of students who landed particularly good jobs rather than typical outcomes.

The 95th percentile national earnings ranking looks stellar, but it's essentially meaningless given the limited comparison pool and the fact that these earnings match both the national and state medians exactly. What matters more practically: UK's 92% admission rate makes this an accessible option, and food science skills translate to jobs in Kentucky's bourbon, agriculture, and food manufacturing sectors. If your child already has a bachelor's degree or is pursuing one at UK, adding this certificate could open doors in quality control, production management, or food safety—roles that clearly pay from day one.

The risk here is banking on outcomes from a tiny sample. If UK can show you specific employer connections or job placement records for certificate holders, that would matter far more than these aggregated statistics.