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, and they have passed the comprehensive exam.

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)

Dissertation Credits (all students)

18 total dissertation credits (FS899), a maximum of nine dissertation credits per semester

Course Requirements

The Ph.D. coursework is dependent on the student's background and level. Students must get approval from their advisor on course selection

Category 1 (all students)

Research Methods (FS790STA), 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

For 600-level and above. Independent Study credits cannot be used in this category unless 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)

General Requirements

Get approval from your advisor on course selection
A total of 30 graduate course credits are required
Minimum GPA 3.0 (final)

Thesis Requirements

Thesis credits (FS699), 6-10 cr

Maximum nine thesis credits per semester

Course Requirements

Category 1

At least six credits of FS courses at the 600 or 700 level are required
Must include Research Methods (FS790STA), 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 & Safety Control (FS521)
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

Credit Transfer

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).

Accelerated M.S. (thesis)

Current UMass Food Science students with a Food Science and Technology concentration and a strong interest in research may pursue a 5-year BS/MS combined degree. For this accelerated program, students must begin graduate laboratory research in their junior year and complete the thesis MS program.

Preparation

To prepare for the 5-year BS/MS Program, students must

Identify a Research Advisor* no later than their junior year.
Begin conducting laboratory research no later than their junior year.
Apply to the Food Science MS program in their senior year, and have their Research Advisor write one of the letters of recommendation.

*Research Advisors are different from your departmentally assigned Academic Advisor

Credit Transfer

All courses applied to the Accelerated Master’s Degree Option must be graduate-level courses, 500-level or above.
Upon departmental recommendation, up to 12 credits may be transferred to an Accelerated Master’s Degree.
Of those transfer credits, up to 6 can be double counted for Accelerated Master’s Programs requiring 30 credits.
Please submit the Transfer Credit form, “Transfer of Credits for Accelerated”
Transfer credits should be submitted in the first semester of the graduate program.

Completion of MS with Thesis Requirements

Complete the MS requirements, which can be found above.
Plan on spending two summers at UMass to conduct research.

M.S. (non-thesis)

General Requirements

Get approval from your advisor on course selection
A total of 30 graduate course credits are required
Minimum GPA 3.0 (final)

Course Requirements

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 & Safety Control (FS521)
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

Credit Transfer

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.

Continuous Enrollment

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

One-Year Professional M.S. (non-thesis)

Prerequisites

GPA of at least 3.0
General Chemistry with lab
Organic Chemistry with lab
Biochemistry with lab
General Microbiology with lab and statistics

General Requirements

The minimum final GPA required for graduation is 3.0.
The non-thesis M.S. degree in Food Science involves the completion of a total of 30 graduate course credits.
To maintain full-time academic status, students must be taking a minimum of nine credits per semester.

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.
Category 2: One credit of graduate seminar (FS791A) is required, either a letter grade or SAT (satisfactory grade, no presentation).
Category 3: Independent Study (Capstone Project 1), which includes a literature review (3 credits) and lab work (6 credits).
Category 4: Pick one from the following:

4a: Independent Study (Capstone Project 2), which includes a literature review (3 credits) and lab work (5 credits)
4b: 8 credits of 500-level courses or higher;
4c: 5 credits of 500-level courses or higher and 3 credits from Independent Study (Capstone Project 2) literature review
4d: 3 credits of 500-level courses or higher and 5 credits of lab work from Independent Study (Capstone Project 2).

Literature Review

Focused literature review aligned with the student’s lab research topic.
Summarizes current trends, methods, and advancements in the chosen field.
Emphasis on identifying research gaps and potential innovations.
Must be written in manuscript format, adhering to professional publication standards.

Lab Work

Perform guided lab research directly related to the literature review topic.
Focus on experimental design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
At the end of the semester, present the research findings to a faculty panel.

The presentation includes an overview of the research objectives, methodology, results, and conclusions.
Address challenges faced and how they were resolved during the research.

The faculty panel will grade based on:

Quality and clarity of lab work and results.
Depth of analysis and understanding of the topic.
Presentation skills, including organization, delivery, and ability to respond to questions.

Credit Transfer

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 at: https://www.umass.edu/graduate/documents?s=transfer

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.