Master’s Degree (non-thesis) - Graduate Handbook

General Requirements

• The standard M.S. degree in Food Science involves completing 30 graduate course credits.
• The minimum final GPA required for graduation is 3.0.
• Students must get approval from their advisor on course selection. 

Course Requirements

Students should complete the following courses from different categories:

• Category 1: At least twelve credits of Food Science courses at the 600 or 700 level are required, excluding Independent Study or Journal Club. One of the courses must be Research Methods (FS790STA).
• Category 2: One credit graduate seminar (FS791A) for a letter grade is required.

• Category 3: Must take Food Chemistry (FS541, FS542) or Food Analysis (FS581), Food Microbiology (FS567) or Food Quality & Safety Control (FS521), and Food Processing (FS561) or Elements of Food Process Engineering (FS575).

  Students who took the above classes (or equivalent) do not repeat but instead enroll in other 500-level or above courses.

  One course (three or four credits, 400-level or above) can be from courses outside the department. Note the 400-level course must be outside the department.

  Students can take Teaching Experience (FS796T), an additional seminar with SAT (satisfactory grade, no presentation), or one credit journal club (maximum two credits be taken) toward their degree requirements, either letter grade or SAT.

Credit Transfer

• A maximum of six graduate credits could be transferred from a B.S. degree or another M.S. degree if they were not required for the respective degree. To transfer, you must submit the correct form to the Graduate School. These forms can be found under the student support tab, then select graduate student forms & documents.
• Please submit a form for 'Transfer credits, External' for students transferring unused credits from the previous M.S. program from another institution. Transfer credits should be done in the 1st semester.

Continuous Enrollment

• Non-thesis students are not eligible for continuous enrollment and must meet the credit requirements for full-time status.

General Exam

• To complete the degree, the student should take a general exam after a discussion with the advisor. Your advisor determines the format of the general exam.
• After the general exam, have an advisor submit results to GPD and Moriah (@email).

Paperwork

• After a successful general exam, the student will submit the signed Master’s degree eligibility form through the SPIRE system for review and approval.