The Department of Food and Animal Sciences undertakes, in the land-grant tradition, teaching, research and extension functions in Food Science and Technology and Animal Science. The Department is student-centered and dedicated to the pursuit of higher education and professional development of students, staff and faculty and pursuit of excellence through teamwork and partnerships.
Degree Offerings:
The Department offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The BS Animal Science program (with minors in Chemistry, Food Science and Technology and Agribusiness), prepares students for careers in animal production, harvesting, nutrition and breeding, as well as training them for medical or veterinary schools. The BS Food Science program (with minors in Chemistry, Animal Science, Nutrition and Business) is certified by the Institute of Food Technologists and prepares students for careers in quality assurance, food inspection, product development, as well as training them for medical or graduate school.
The Food Science MS and PhD programs train our students for careers in the food industry, government or academia in the areas of Food Engineering/Processing, Food Chemistry, Food Toxicology, Food Biotechnology, Nutritional /Food Biochemistry, Food Microbiology and Sensory Science.
The graduate and undergraduate degrees in Food and Animal Sciences are among the best in the nation as recognized by our peers with awards at the local, regional and national levels.
Undergraduates are highly encouraged by motivated faculty to undertake internships and experiential learning opportunities. Graduate students conduct research on the novel topics related to food safety and processing, product development and improving the quality and nutrition of food.
The objectives are designed to train technically skilled and theory understanding graduates proficient in the areas of animal and food production, processing and safety. Specific objectives are as follows:
To ensure sustainable and healthy animal and food production systems
To be involved in basic and applied disciplinary and multidisciplinary research with active participation of students, staff and faculty
To train highly skilled and thoughtful employees for the ever increasing and demanding animal and food industries
To continue networking with industry, academic and government contacts as a means to further our programs as well as promote our students
To understand the interactions pre-harvest (animals) and post-harvest (food) that influence product quality and consumer perceptions
To develop novel, nutritious and economically feasible value-added food products
To facilitate the academic interests of students through discussions, research, tours, and professional functions outside of the traditional classroom environment;
To supply various entities with consultancy, advisory and analytical services
To contribute internationally with student and faculty exchanges via research and teaching opportunities
To guide students into their professional and technical career areas with extensive theory and experiential learning opportunities;
To produce graduates who will think critically and creatively and be team players and leaders who are principled, innovative, confident and articulate.