Applied Sensory and Consumer Science
UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education · Davis, CA
- Cost
- $7,920
- Length
- 52 weeks
- Working 6 months later
- 12%
Program names and program descriptions appear here in English, because that is the only language the federal and state records publish them in. Occupation titles are translated where O*NET publishes a Spanish name. Everything else on this page is translated.
What happened to people who took this
- People enrolled
- 419
- Finished the program
- 72%Based on 216 peopleTypical California program: 85% of 1,951 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Working 6 months later
- 12%Typical California program: 69% of 1,690 reportingThat median pools every California program that reported this measure, whatever its length, credential, or field, and leaves out the ones that reported nothing. It is a reference point, not a rating of this program.
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
The jobs this trains for
This describes the jobs people do, not the classes this program teaches. It comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, which asks people already doing the work. The Department publishes it in English only, so the job names and the sentences below stay in English on this page.
Trains for more than one job. The outlook shown is the weakest of them.
No regional figures for this program
This program's ZIP code reaches into more than one of the labor-market areas California publishes, and nothing in the state's own area titles says which one it belongs to. Either answer would look exactly like a correct answer here, so neither is given and the statewide figures stand alone.
Food Scientists and Technologists
Job ads may call this: Formulator · Food Engineer · Research Chef · Food Scientist
Some of what people in this job do. The Department rates how important each one is, and they appear in that order.
- Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.
- Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.
- Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience.
- Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature.
- Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development.
- Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing.
- Test new products for flavor, texture, color, nutritional content, and adherence to government and industry standards.
- Typical pay in California
- $96,580per year
- Projected openings
- 1,990
- Projected change
- +8.7%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- None
No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.
These are the federal government's answers for the occupation, not rules this provider sets. California publishes the same two answers for every one of these jobs.
Food Science Technicians
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Quality Analyst · Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech) · Quality Tech (Quality Technician) · Central Laboratory Technician (CLT)
- Taste or smell foods or beverages to ensure that flavors meet specifications or to select samples with specific characteristics.
- Measure, test, or weigh bottles, cans, or other containers to ensure that hardness, strength, or dimensions meet specifications.
- Maintain records of testing results or other documents as required by state or other governing agencies.
- Monitor and control temperature of products.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Analyze test results to classify products or compare results with standard tables.
- Record or compile test results or prepare graphs, charts, or reports.
- Prepare or incubate slides with cell cultures.
- Perform regular maintenance of laboratory equipment by inspecting, calibrating, cleaning, or sterilizing.
- Typical pay in California
- $55,717per year
- Projected openings
- 7,950
- Projected change
- +3.9%
- Usually needs
- Associate's degree
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- 1 to 12 months
Biological Technicians
Pay, hiring, and what people studied
Job ads may call this: Research Assistant · Research Associate · Research Specialist · Research Technician
- Conduct research, or assist in the conduct of research, including the collection of information and samples, such as blood, water, soil, plants and animals.
- Use computers, computer-interfaced equipment, robotics or high-technology industrial applications to perform work duties.
- Participate in the research, development, or manufacturing of medicinal and pharmaceutical preparations.
- Monitor and observe experiments, recording production and test data for evaluation by research personnel.
Show 4 more things this job involves
- Analyze experimental data and interpret results to write reports and summaries of findings.
- Provide technical support and services for scientists and engineers working in fields such as agriculture, environmental science, resource management, biology, and health sciences.
- Keep detailed logs of all work-related activities.
- Input data into databases.
- Typical pay in California
- $73,440per year
- Projected openings
- 11,820
- Projected change
- +10.1%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
Getting in
- Experience needed first
- None
- Training after you are hired
- None
No earlier job experience is expected, and new hires are not put through a long training period. For work like this, a program is usually the way in.
Program details
This program provides online instruction, e-learning, or distance learning only.
This program explores the physiological and psychological foundations of sensory evaluation and consumer testing, along with key methods and theories used in the field. Participants will learn to manage sensory evaluation activities, integrate them with other business functions, and apply research techniques to better understand consumer behavior. The program also develops practical business skills to support sensory initiatives and drive new product success.
Someone else may be able to pay for this
This program was on California's Eligible Training Provider List when the state last reported it to the U.S. Department of Labor (2026-09-18). Programs on that list can be paid for through an Individual Training Account. Listings are renewed periodically and can lapse, so a program listed when the state last reported may not be listed today. Ask before you rely on it.
Ask before you enroll, not after
The order the rules set out starts at the center rather than at the school. Before a center can find somebody eligible for training services it has to gather enough to decide, at a minimum through an interview, evaluation or assessment and career planning. Referring a person to the provider they have chosen and setting up the account both come after that, and both are the center's to do — the account is a payment agreement with the training provider, and it is the provider that is paid through it. So the call belongs before enrolling and before paying. Anyone who has already done either should still ask, and ask what it means for them.
The place to ask is an America's Job Center of California
YoloWorks! Career Center- WoodlandComprehensive center
Phone: 530-661-2641
25 North Cottonwood StreetGonzalez BuildingWoodland, CA 95695about 9.4 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am-4:00pm
YoloWorks! Career Center-West SacramentoAffiliate site
Phone: 916-375-6307
500 Jefferson BlvdHealth and Human Services AgencyWest Sacramento, CA 95605about 14.9 miles away
Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:00am-4:00pm
Asian Resources, Inc. (ARI) AJCCAffiliate site
Phone: 916-324-6202
2411 Alhambra BlvdNeighborWorks HomeOwnership Center Suite 110Sacramento, CA 95817about 17.7 miles away
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
At a comprehensive center all the required partner programs can be reached; an affiliate site offers some of them. Distances are straight-line, so the drive is longer. Call before you travel: opening hours here are as the federal directory published them, and the state notes its own staff are not present at every location.
Find a center anywhere in California, and check what is on the list today:
CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder (U.S. DOL) · California EDD — Office Locator · California EDD — Eligible Training Provider List
How this gets paid for, and what to ask →
Whether a person can have a program paid for is decided by their local workforce development board and the America's Job Center staff who interview them — not by this site, and not by the training provider. California has 45 local workforce development areas and each sets its own policies, so the answer can differ between two people in neighboring counties. Nothing here is a promise of funding or a determination of eligibility.
The rules cited here, and the state and federal sites linked to, are published in English.
How this site gets its figures, and what they do not tell you →