Food safety director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a food safety director. Food safety directors usually study business, culinary arts, or food science. 59% of food safety directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 717 real food safety director resumes to see exactly what food safety director education sections show.

The most common colleges for food safety directors are the Johnson & Wales University and the Johnson & Wales University.

There are also many online food safety director courses to help get the education required to be a food safety director.

There are certain food safety director certifications that you should consider. These food safety director certifications include Certified Master Safe Technician (CMST) and Certified Professional - Food Safety (CP-FS).

What education do you need to become a food safety director?

What degree do you need to be a food safety director?

The most common degree for food safety directors is bachelor's degree, with 59% of food safety directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 14% and associate degree degree at 12%.

Bachelor's, 59%

Associate, 14%

Master's, 12%

High School Diploma, 9%

Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a food safety director?

You should major in business to become a food safety director. 28% of food safety directors major in business. Other common majors for a food safety director include culinary arts and food science.

Business, 28%

Culinary Arts, 11%

Food Science, 7%

Management, 6%

Other Majors, 48%

Most common colleges for food safety directors

Food safety directors often get their degrees at Johnson & Wales University, Pennsylvania State University, and Cornell University. Here are the most common colleges for food safety directors in the US based on their resumes.

Food safety director common college	Percentages
Johnson & Wales University	10.53%
Pennsylvania State University	7.89%
Cornell University	6.58%
California State University - San Bernardino	6.58%
Culinary Institute of America	5.26%

Show more common food safety director colleges

Best majors for food safety directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	27.7%
2	Culinary Arts	10.8%
3	Food Science	6.8%
4	Management	5.7%
5	Biology	5.4%

Show more common food safety director majors

Best colleges for food safety directors

The best colleges for food safety directors are Cornell University, New York University, and Boston University.

A food safety director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for food safety directors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become food safety directors.

1. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

2. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce

Mercedita, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$5,914

Enrollment

4,155

6. University of Akron

Akron, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,463

Enrollment

13,676

7. SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Morrisville

Morrisville, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,670

Enrollment

2,758

8. SUNY College at Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,369

Enrollment

5,229

9. University of Alaska Anchorage

Anchorage, AK • Private

In-state tuition

$8,580

Enrollment

10,482

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

20 best online courses for food safety directors

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3. Food Safety for Managers and Supervisors

4.3

(489)

The Highfield Food Safety Level 3 syllabus presented in two hours of video tutorials. Boost your food safety knowledge...

4. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System

4.4

(976)

Understand the requirements for a food safety management system applicable for any organization in the food chain...

5. Fun food safety and sanitation course

4.6

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The food safety course will help prepare you for safely working in a kitchen and food handler tests like Servesafe...

6. ISO 22000 (HACCP and PRPs) for Food Safety

4.4

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Standards, analysis, control points, and risk management related to ISO 22000 for food industry professionals...

7. Blockchain applications in Food Safety, Healthcare & Pharma

4.5

(3,019)

Best course to learn about Blockchain Business Applications in Pharma, Food Safety, Healthcare and Insurance Industries...

8. OSHA Workplace Safety (General Industry 6 Hr Class)

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Learn the requirements and standards associated with OSHA and workplace safety. Safety best practices for the workplace...

9. OSHA Safety Pro: Trenching Excavation & Soil Mechanics

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14. Food Photography: Capturing Food in Your Kitchen

4.7

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15. OSHA Safety Pro: Personal Protective Equipment

4.5

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16. The Ultimate Food and Restaurant Business Course

4.5

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For Existing Food & Restaurant Businesses & Start Ups. This course will significantly improve you chance of success...

17. Get to Know Your Food: Claims, Labels & Ingredients

4.4

(813)

Learn how to make the healthiest and best food choices amidst processed and packaged foods...

18. You Found It! Foodies Ultimate Food Photography Masterclass

4.9

(571)

Beautiful Food Photography with any smartphone, iphone or digital camera. See Progress Quickly. Fundamentals matter!...

19. Complete Health and Safety Auditor Course. OHSAS 18001.

4.5

(2,235)

How to implement and audit a health & safety management system and obtain certification to OHSAS 18001 Standard...

20. 3-in-1 Banking, Banking Risk and Compliance Masterclass

4.6

(515)

The essentials of the banking business (business model, compliance, others), financial risk management and compliance...

Top 10 most affordable universities for food safety directors

The most affordable schools for food safety directors are USF Sarasota-Manatee, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for food safety directors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for food safety directors.

1. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

6. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

10. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for food safety directors

The hardest universities for food safety directors to get into are Cornell University, New York University, and Boston University.

Some great schools for food safety directors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for food safety directors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

2. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

8. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

9. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

10. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for food safety directors

The easiest schools for food safety directors to get into are Life University, university of north texas at dallas, and oklahoma wesleyan university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a food safety director without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for food safety directors.

1. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

2. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

4. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

8. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

9. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

10. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

Average food safety director salary by education level

Food safety directors with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $97,371 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, food safety directors earn a median annual income of $90,968 compared to $73,822 for food safety directors with an Associate degree.

Food safety director education level	Food safety director salary
Master's Degree	$97,371
High School Diploma or Less	$67,351
Bachelor's Degree	$90,968
Some College/ Associate Degree	$73,822

Food safety director education FAQs

What is the best college for Food Safety Directors?

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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