Food Science major

Food Science is the application of science and engineering to the development, processing, packaging, and distribution of food products from the farm to the consumer.

Housed in the recently completed Food Science Building, the Department of Food Science has modern laboratory and pilot facilities for instruction and research. Students take courses in food chemistry, food microbiology, nutrition, food engineering, and product development. Opportunities to explore special interests in food science are available through supporting courses. Courses in the natural and social sciences balance the curriculum.

Why Major in Food Science?

• You are interested in science but like to see it applied.  Food scientists apply real science to real-world problems.
• You want an education that leads to an interesting career.  Almost all of our graduates looking for work move straight into professional jobs that depend on the skills they learned in the classroom.
• You want to be treated as an individual not just a number.  Students can get lost in highly enrolled majors but Food Science is small enough that the students quickly get to know one another and work closely with the faculty.    Individual attention can help you find the right course, internship, professional contact, or research opportunity that can make all the difference for your career.

Career Opportunities for Food Science Graduates

A Bachelor of Science degree in Food Science is a qualification valued by employers and you can expect a choice of prospects on graduation.  Perhaps you like to work with people and move into a management role in a production facility.  A new food science graduate might be responsible for managing a manufacturing line and ensuring all the people working on it are operating safely and efficiently. Perhaps your innovative approach makes new product development a better fit and you could be working with chefs and marketing experts to design the new blockbuster product then see it roll out on the supermarket shelves.  Perhaps your attention to detail and laboratory skills make you more suited to a career in quality control - you could quickly be responsible for ensuring that all the foods leaving a plant meet standards for safety, quality and nutrition.  Whichever path is right for you, expect an interesting career that will put you in a position of responsibility and demand both technical expertise and interpersonal skills.  The food industry is strong in Pennsylvania but international in scope, so while you may end up working close to home, there are opportunities across the country and throughout the world.  Whatever the ups and downs of the economy, people always need to eat and there will be good jobs for food scientists!

For additional information about Food Science, contact:

Juanita Wolfe, Undergraduate Program Contact
Department of Food Science
203 Food Science Building
University Park, PA 16802

814-863-8667

UGFoodsci@psu.edu

Visit the Food Science Web site at:
http://www.foodscience.psu.edu/Undergraduate/undergrad.html