Prospective Food Science Student

Hello Chefsteps Community, I am a senior in high school but am attending a community college full time this year. I love the culinary arts as well as the science behind food products which has driven me towards my intended major: food science. With this post, I am hoping to find food science majors or anyone with knowledge of this field. If you enjoy answering questions, definitely reply!!

Some questions I currently have are:

a) Are there any universities in the United States that you would recommend or discourage? I am currently looking at Penn State, Cornell, University of Florida, Purdue and Florida State.

b) Are there any compatible majors or minors for food science?

c) How do you apply your food science degree?

d) Do you have any advice for me?

Thank you all so much! I look forward to future interactions with this community .

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Comments

fisher23

Welcome, I hope some of those with the answers will reply as well.

pd3ski_278514

Welcome aboard Taylor! I can't give answers to your specific questions but Cornell definitely has a great ag program and you're only a couple hours from the CIA . And it's just beautiful out there!

Take and post pics of what you're up to!

Good luck in your endeavors!

tjschmidt333

Welcome Taylor! Here is some info that may help you.

a) I think the University only matters so much. How much effort you put in will make more difference than the University in my opinion. I think any of them you pick are fine. Picking a University is a little like dating, so go with the one that has your program and seems a good fit. Not sure which have better reputations with the food science degree. Google might help here. Look at ones that have graduate programs in food science. These will probably be better and have more opportunities. Apply to all four and see what kind of offer you get from each. Only downside is some time to fill out everything and a small application fee.

b) Microbiology and biochemistry. I have a microbiology major and some of the classes I took were cross-listed with food science. The biochemistry also has a lot of crossover with food science or at the very least complement it very well.

c) Take tours of the schools you are interested in and make sure to meet the faculty. They can best answer the question but in general food science is typically applied to industrial food production.

d) download the course catalog for each school. It will have info about the food science programs and should have a list of the classes you would need to take to complete the major. The better programs will have a graduate (masters and PhD) program. It may have info about the faculty and what they research. Some areas/specialties may be more interesting to you than others. Other advice is to maintain a positive attitude and have a strong desire to learn!

Good luck in your search!

jeffreybkim

I agree that what you get out of it depends on what you put into it. You have many options to study microbiology or biochemistry. What will matter more is where you decide to pursue your PhD, which will likely be necessary if you want to do anything serious in food science. University of California, Davis is one that has a very active food science department, and produces some of the best graduates. Arielle Johnson, former flavor chemist for Rene Redzepi's Nordic Food Lab, is a UC Davis graduate. As a UC Davis graduate myself, I am of course biased, but love the university and think it has a lot to offer. It is famous for food science, agriculture, wine and beer for a reason.

wolfiegirl

Welcome Taylor! While I can't add anything as to your choice of Uni's, I can offer one small bit of advice....whichever direction you take in your education, take a few business courses. It never hurts to have some finance & business mgmt schooling so that you'll be prepared to run either your own or someone elses business in future. Good luck and keep us in the loop!!

hairyotter_273859

Hi Taylor, get your Masters in nutrition, with a good foundation in math, chemistry, and business (like Byrdie recommends). And take some classes in art history/design just for fun. Enjoy

Jack_Mayer_85396

Hi Taylor, welcome to an awesome community! We look forward to your participation.

mattpope

Taylor, as previously mentioned, UC Davis (Ca) has a well respected food science department. They also have fermentation (brewing) and enology (wine) tracks that are some of the best in the country. At the brewery where I work, both lab managers have come out of Davis. Wherever you go, see if any of your AP classes from high school can be accepted. Also see if you can test out of any "required" freshman classes. This will save you time, since most hard science majors are heavy on lab time (which eats up a lot of your schedule). At the end of the day, it is what you put into it. Unlike high school, no one makes you go to class, etc. Finally, don't forget to have fun and make friends! Best of luck!

Tess_Cavalieri_308018

I'm in my final semester at McGill University (it's in Montreal Canada, but I'm a US citizen - international tuition is still cheaper than in-state for me at Penn State!). I'm in the 5-year program for a double BSc in food science & human nutrition. I have loooved my program as it has given me the background I want to start a career in new food product development. I've really only gotten into the actual cooking side of food in the past year, but my program really taught me a lot about ingredient interaction and food processing. If you're looking for a good blend of knowledge I highly recommend the double major option! McGill's food science department has boomed in the past few years, winning two food product development competitions at the IFT for two years in a row (I was the team leader for one of the two winning teams this summer). First few years are very heavy in chemistry & bio, and it is the coolest discipline ever. Let me know if you're interested in knowing more!

brian_martin2001

Rutgers and Drexel both have good food science programs.

Taylor_373472

I would love to get in contact with you to ask more questions about food science, if possible. Is there any way that I can do so? Thank you!

Tess_Cavalieri_308018

no problem! send me an email tesscav@mac.com I'd be happy to help in any way I can

brian_martin2001

@Lorraine_Esterling_1040639 @Nell_Welch_345007 #SPAM

Ariel_B_Edwards_1590641

Maybe someone knows this information is still relevant after years?

John_R_Wheeler_1594505

The information is a bit changed, but you can find all these updates on google. Talking about universities, I ended McGill University and must say it's a great place for everyone who wants to become a pro chef. The education there is pretty hard, but if you are using this source https://assignmentbro.com/ie/assignment-writing-services and are in love with cooking, you can even don't feel it.