Food Sciences (MS)

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Please see the Program Policy Document for more information.

Program Educational Goals:

Students will demonstrate mastery of core concepts in the food sciences and how their research fits into the broader framework of One Health and agricultural sciences.
Students will demonstrate critical thinking through use of primary literature and appropriate laboratory/computational tools to collect, analyze, and report their data and research results.
Students will demonstrate the ability to apply the scientific method by formulating hypotheses, designing relevant experiments, validating methodology, and critically evaluating and interpreting findings.
Students will demonstrate that they can write and graphically depict scientific data in a clear, organized, and accurate fashion tailored for a diverse range of audiences. Students will demonstrate the ability to orally communicate and defend ideas, concepts, and research findings. Students will develop personal and professional skills through networking, attendance at professional meetings, and seminar presentations.
Students will demonstrate the ability to work with others on a team and engage in mentoring of undergraduate students and peers through their research lab, teaching, and participation in the University community.

Requirements for the Degree:

The M.S. degree program in Food Science requires a minimum of 30 graduate credit hours, of which six credits must be six hours of thesis. A miximum of three credits of ANFS 668 /ANFS 868 or ANFS 666 /ANFS 866 may be applied towards the MS degree. ANFS 666 /ANFS 866 that is taken as a titled course does not count toward this maximum. The student must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 (4 point scale) in order to receive the M.S. degree. The programs are expected to be completed in 2-2.5 years of full-time study.

Required Courses:

All students pursuing the MS degree will complete the following core courses and a statistics course.

ANFS 865 - Seminar Credit(s): 1

Biochemistry:

One of the following:

ANFS 670 - Principles of Molecular Genetics Credit(s): 3
ANFS 675 - Veterinary Biochemistry Credit(s): 3
CHEM 527 - Introductory Biochemistry Credit(s): 3
CHEM 641 - Biochemistry Credit(s): 3
an appropriate equivalent biochemistry course.

Statistics:

One of the following:

BISC 643 - Biological data analysis Credit(s): 3
STAT 608 - Statistical Research Methods Credit(s): 3
STAT 615 - Design and Analysis of Experiments Credit(s): 3
an equivalent statistics course.

Electives:

The remaining courses, totaling not less than 17 credit hours, will be determined by the student, faculty advisor and the Graduate Committee. These courses will vary among students depending on their specific needs to carry out their research and complete the program. Elective courses taken by students pursing the M.S. in Food Science include, but are not limited to, those with the ANFS, BINF, BISC, CHEM, APEC/STAT, CHEG, MATH, MEEG, PLSC, PHYS, and NDTD designations

Research Proposal and Thesis:

A research proposal and thesis are required for the MS degree. Students, with the assistance of their advisor, will prepare and present a research proposal to their graduate committee for review and approval of the proposed research project. Following completion of the research outlined in the proposal, the MS degree candidate will prepare a written thesis according to the guidelines set forth by the Office of Graduate and Professional Education. A thesis defense, preceded by a seminar, will be held. The student’s advisor and graduate committee will administer and evaluate the thesis defense.

ANFS 869 - Master’s Thesis Credit(s): 1-6