Food Science Graduate Programs
Doctor of Philosophy Degree (Ph.D.)
For the doctor of philosophy degree in food science, 24 research credits are required beyond the master's of science degree. There is no specific number of course credits that is required for the Ph.D. beyond that specified for the M.S. Additional course work will be specified by the Guidance Committee. Such courses will likely be those that will benefit the student’s research as well as courses necessary to complete the M.S. core requirements (especially for students who have earned the M.S. degree in another department). A typical doctoral program is recommended to include 20 to 34 course credits to provide the desired breadth and depth of academic training of the student. Program requirements for a Ph.D. in food science or in human nutrition are found in Section 8 of the Graduate Handbook. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 must be maintained (exclusive of collateral and research credits).
One year of residence (defined as enrollment in courses offered and attended on campus) is required to meet the university residence requirement. One year of residence will be made up of two consecutive semesters involving the completion of at least six credits of graduate work per semester.
All food science Ph.D. students are required to present two seminars for credit (FSC 892). One of these seminars will be outside of the student’s dissertation research area. The other seminar will be related to the student’s dissertation research. Ph.D. candidates also are required to present a dissertation research proposal seminar and a final dissertation defense seminar (both without FSC 892 credit). These seminars are open.
The doctoral comprehensive examination is a required component of the doctoral program at MSU.
The purposes of the examination are:
- To evaluate the student's ability to integrate and to apply knowledge obtained in the core courses recommended for the Ph.D. program (Section 8) to general problems in food science.
- To evaluate the student's preparation and knowledge in his/her research emphasis area to ascertain the candidate's potential to communicate ideas, design experiments, conduct research and interpret data — qualifications necessary for successful completion of a Ph.D. dissertation.
The FSHN comprehensive examination consists of two components: a written Food Science General Examination and an Oral Comprehensive Examination based upon a dissertation research proposal. The Food Science General Examination will be administered once per year in August. he Oral Comprehensive Examination must be taken within six months after completion of the written examination.
The final examination consists of an open oral presentation, followed by the defense of the dissertation in a closed examination.
The following are the 800 and 900 FSC courses offered in the Food Science graduate program; the prerequisites (P) for these courses are listed below.
FSC 807 – Advanced Food Toxicology
FSC 823 – Diet and Immune Function
FSC 831 – Advanced Cereal Science (P: BMB 401, FSC 331, FSC 401, or approval of department)
FSC 840 – Advanced Food Microbiology (P: FSC 440, taken concurrently, or approval of department)
FSC 842 – Foodborne Diseases (P: FSC 440 or 840)
FSC 860 – Processing Research in Food Science
FSC 890 – Supervised Individual Study
FSC 891 – Selected Topics in Food Science
FSC 892 – Food Science Seminar
FSC 898 – Master's Thesis Research, Plan B
FSC 899 – Master's Thesis Research, Plan A.
FSC 999 – Doctoral Dissertation Research
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