Program Overview

Graduate students who wish to major in food science may not be admitted to candidacy for an advanced degree until such time as the undergraduate requirements in basic sciences and department courses have been met substantially.

All general Graduate School requirements for admission and for the degree must be met with the following additional requirements:

Ph.D.

• Residency Requirements (all students)
• Register nine or more credits in two consecutive semesters; a maximum of 16 credits per semester can be registered
• Dissertation Credits (all students)
• 18 total dissertation credits (FS899), a maximum of nine dissertation credits per semester
• Get approval from your advisor on course selection
• Category 1 (all students)
• Research Methods, 3cr
• Category 2 (all students
• Teaching Experience (FS796T), 1cr
• Category 3 (all students)
• Two Graduate Seminars (FS791A/792A), 1 cr each, two separate semesters
• One seminar must be taken for a letter grade (requires presentation)
• Category 4
• All 600 level and above course requirements exclude Independent Study
• Exceptions need to be approved by GPD
• Category 4a (Students with FS MS)
• Six credits from courses within the department 600-level or above
• One 600-level can be outside the department upon advisor approval
• Category 4b (Students with FS BS)
• Nine credits from courses within the department 600-level or above
• One 500-level can be used to replace a 600-level or above upon advisor approval
• Category 4c (Students with non-FS MS)
• Six credits from courses within the department 600-level or above
• One 600-level or above can be outside the department upon advisor approval
• Six credits 500-level (any two of Fd Chem, Fd Micro, or Fd Proc/Eng; both courses cannot be in the same area, e.g., Fd Chem)
• Category 4d (Students with non-FS BS)
• Nine credits from courses within the department 600-level or above
• One 600-level or above can be outside the department upon advisor approval
• One 500-level can be used to replace a 600-level or above upon advisor approval
• Six credits 500-level (any two of Fd Chem, Fd Micro, or Fd Proc/Eng; both courses cannot be in the same area, e.g., Fd Chem)
• Category 4e (Students with UMass FS MS)
• No additional requirements

M.S. (with thesis)

• Get approval from your advisor on course selection
• A total of 30 graduate course credits are required
• Minimum GPA 3.0 (final) 
• Thesis credits (FS699), 6-10 cr
• Maximum nine thesis credits per semester
• Register for thesis credits every semester until all are taken (16 maximum credits, class & thesis credits per semester) 
• Category 1
• At least six credits of FS courses at the 600 or 700 level are required
• Must include Research Methods, 3 cr
• This excludes thesis, independent study, or journal club
• Category 2
• Graduate Seminar (FS791A/792A), 1 cr
• Must be taken for a letter grade (requires presentation)
• Category 3
• Food Chemistry (FS541, 542) or Food Analysis (FS581)
• Food Microbiology (FS567) or Food Quality (FS590B)
• Food Processing (FS561) or Food Engineering (FS575)
• Students who took the above courses (or equivalent) do not need to repeat them but instead enroll in other 500-level or above. 
• One course (three or four credits, 400-level or above) can be from outside the department.
• Note that the 400-level course must be outside the department
• Students can take Teaching Experience (FS796T), additional Graduate Seminar (FS791A/792A) with an SAT (satisfactory grade, no presentation) or one credit Journal Club (maximum two credits can be taken) toward their degree requirements, either letter grades or SAT
• Transfer credits
• A maximum of six qualifying credits can be transferred from a B.S. degree or another M.S. degree if they were not used for the requirements of that degree.
• To transfer, you will need to submit a form to the Graduate School. Forms can be found on their website.
• For students completing a five-year B.S./M.S. program (Accelerated M.S.), an additional six qualifying credits can be transferred from the B.S. degree (double counted).
• Please submit a form for Transfer credit, Accelerated Masters, to the Graduate School. Forms can be found on their website.

M.S. (non-thesis)

• Get approval from your advisor on course selection
• A total of 30 graduate course credits are required
• Minimum GPA 3.0 (final) 
• Category 1
• At least twelve credits of FS courses at the 600 or 700 level are required
• Must include Research Methods, 3 cr
• This excludes thesis, independent study, or journal club
• Category 2
• Graduate Seminar (FS791A/792A), 1 cr
• Must be taken for a letter grade (requires presentation)
• Category 3
• Food Chemistry (FS541, 542) or Food Analysis (FS581)
• Food Microbiology (FS567) or Food Quality (FS590B)
• Food Processing (FS561) or Food Engineering (FS575)
• Students who took the above courses (or equivalent) do not need to repeat them but instead enroll in other 500-level or above. 
• One course (three or four credits, 400-level or above) can be from outside the department.
• Note that the 400-level course must be outside the department
• Students can take Teaching Experience (FS796T), additional Graduate Seminar (FS791A/792A) with an SAT (satisfactory grade, no presentation) or one credit Journal Club (maximum two credits can be taken) toward their degree requirements, either letter grades or SAT
• Transfer credits
• A maximum of six qualifying credits can be transferred from a B.S. degree or another M.S. degree if they were not used for the requirements of that degree.
• To transfer, you will need to submit a form to the Graduate School. Forms can be found on their website.
• For students completing a five-year B.S./M.S. program (Accelerated M.S.), an additional six qualifying credits can be transferred from the B.S. degree (double counted).
• Please submit a form for Transfer credit, Accelerated Masters, to the Graduate School. Forms can be found on their website.