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Food sanitarian education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a food sanitarian. Food sanitarians usually study public health, botany, or environmental science. 75% of food sanitarians hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 36 real food sanitarian resumes to see exactly what food sanitarian education sections show.
The most common colleges for food sanitarians are the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
There are also many online food sanitarian courses to help get the education required to be a food sanitarian.
What education do you need to become a food sanitarian?
What degree do you need to be a food sanitarian?
- Bachelor's, 75%
- Master's, 8%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Associate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 9%
What should I major in to become a food sanitarian?
- Public Health, 42%
- Botany, 8%
- Microbiology, 8%
- Other Majors, 34%
Most common colleges for food sanitarians
| Food sanitarian common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania | 9.52% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 9.52% |
| Ohio University | 9.52% |
| University of Central Arkansas | 4.76% |
| University of Wisconsin - Green Bay | 4.76% |
Best majors for food sanitarians
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Public Health | 41.7% |
| 2 | Botany | 8.3% |
| 3 | Environmental Science | 8.3% |
| 4 | Microbiology | 8.3% |
| 5 | Food And Nutrition | 8.3% |
Best colleges for food sanitarians
The best colleges for food sanitarians are Northwestern University, Washington University in St Louis, and Stanford University.
A food sanitarian 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 sanitarians. 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 sanitarians.
1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
2. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
5. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
In-state tuition
$53,399
Enrollment
7,356
7. University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,700
Enrollment
29,722
8. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
9. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
10. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Enrollment
34,637
20 best online courses for food sanitarians
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20. Advanced Process Control & Safety Instrumented Systems SIS
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Top 10 most affordable universities for food sanitarians
The most affordable schools for food sanitarians are University of Florida, california state university - fullerton, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for food sanitarians 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 sanitarians.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
7. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
10. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Cost of attendance
25,275
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for food sanitarians
The hardest universities for food sanitarians to get into are Northwestern University, Washington University in St Louis, and Stanford University.
Some great schools for food sanitarians 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 sanitarians 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
4. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,448
5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
7. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
8. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,367
9. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,390
10. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for food sanitarians
The easiest schools for food sanitarians to get into are D'Youville College, saint joseph's college of maine, and university of north texas at dallas.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a food sanitarian 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 sanitarians.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
3. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
4. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
5. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
6. Linfield College
McMinnville, OR • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
1,117
7. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
8. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
9. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
10. Saint Xavier University
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
74%
SAT average
1,061
Average food sanitarian salary by education level
| Food sanitarian education level | Food sanitarian salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $67,542 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $41,805 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $51,654 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $50,057 |
Food sanitarian education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025