Interest in nutrition, food, and food relationship to human health and fitness has never been greater than today. The Department of Human Nutrition, Food, and Animal Sciences offers an MS degree in food science. The concentration areas include food safety and quality, food processing and engineering, food chemistry and biochemistry, food microbiology, food science education, and special area. Cooperating departments include Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, and Microbiology.
Students majoring in any of the curricula options are prepared for diverse careers in the food industry, health-care and fitness facilities, hospitals, nutrition education, communication enterprises, government or private-sector food and nutrition agencies, and scientific research laboratories. Graduates have found employment as college instructors, technical personnel in the food industry, regulatory or other governmental agencies, and researchers. Others have pursued further postgraduate studies.