Oct 03, 2024  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Food Science Major, BS in Food Science – Five-Year BS/MS Program


For qualified students, the Department of Food Science offers a Five-Year BS/MS accelerated degree program with a BS major in Food Science and a thesis-based MS major in Food Science. Central to this program is that a qualified student may take up to nine hours of approved graduate courses for their senior undergraduate electives and have them count toward both the BS degree and the MS degree. Students will be considered for conditional admission to the program by the end of their junior year of undergraduate study at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Because the MS program requires that students write a thesis based on their original research, students in the BS/MS program must start working on their research project no later than starting the senior year of undergraduate studies. For each student in the program, a graduate advisory committee composed of a minimum of three faculty members must be established before completion of the BS degree.   

To be considered for conditional admission to the program:

  • A student must be a declared Food Science major, Science concentration, with a minimum GPA of 3.4, must have completed at least 15 hours of credit in Food Science, and must have completed at least 90 hours of the 120 hours of coursework required for the BS degree with a major in Food Science.
  • A student must provide three letters of recommendation and complete a personal interview with individuals comprising the Graduate and Undergraduate Committees in the Department of Food Science. 
  • A student must obtain a commitment from a Food Science graduate research faculty member to serve as his/her graduate mentor-advisor (i.e., major professor) and at least two other graduate research faculty members to serve on his/her graduate advisory committee.

Applicants are required to have completed FDSC 241 - Food Preservation and Packaging . The Department may consider other relevant factors such as an applicant’s work experience and level of maturity before conditionally admitting a student to the BS/MS program. Conditional admission of a student into the Five-Year BS/MS program must be approved by both the Department of Food Science and the Graduate School. Students will be typically informed of the outcome of their application by the end of their junior year of undergraduate study.

Any course taken for graduate credit before satisfying all requirements for the BS degree must be approved by the student’s graduate advisory committee, the Graduate Director and the Graduate School. These courses must be identified in advance, in consultation with the undergraduate advisor, and the graduate advisory committee. The form “Food Science Conditional Admission Five-Year BS-MS” is available from the Graduate Director and must be completed and signed by the undergraduate advisor, undergraduate coordinator, and graduate advisory committee at least two months before the end of the junior year. After review by the Department, the form will be signed by the Graduate Director and submitted to the Graduate School for approval and processing.

Conditional admission into the BS/MS program does not guarantee acceptance into either the Graduate School or the MS program. Students in the BS/MS program must apply for admission to the Graduate School and to the MS program during their senior year of undergraduate study for the term immediately following the completion of their undergraduate study following the same procedures that all other student applicants follow. A GRE score must be submitted as part of the application for admission into any graduate program in the Department of Food Science. Students will be fully admitted to the MS program after they have been accepted both by the Graduate School and by the Food Science program. Students will not be eligible for graduate assistantships until they are enrolled as graduate-level students in the Graduate School.

uTrack Requirements


Universal Tracking (uTrack) is an academic monitoring system designed to help students stay on track for timely graduation. In order to remain on track, students must complete the minimum requirements for each tracking semester, known as milestones. Milestones include successful completion of specified courses and/or attainment of a minimum GPA. uTrack requirements only affect full-time, degree-seeking students.

Term 1


  • 2 Unrestricted Elective 1 Credit Hours

Credit Hours 13-16


Term 1 Milestone Notes


  • 2.0 cumulative GPA

Term 2


Credit Hours 16


Term 2 Milestone Notes


  • 2.0 cumulative GPA

Term 3


Credit Hours 16


Term 3 Milestone Notes


Credit Hours 15


Term 4 Milestone Notes


  • 2.0 cumulative GPA
     

Term 5


Credit Hours 15-16


Term 5 Milestone Notes


Term 6


Credit Hours 14


Term 6 Milestone Notes


Term 7


Credit Hours 15


Term 7 Milestone Notes


  • Apply to graduate

Term 8


Credit Hours 14


Term 8 Milestone Notes


  • Establish graduate advisory committee before completing BS degree

Total Credit Hours 120-122


Footnotes


  1. Mathematics placement depends on high school courses and grades and ACT scores.
  2. Any courses not already required for the major.
  3. Chosen from: AGNR 101 *, AGNR 180 *, AGNR 480 ; ALEC 102 *, ALEC 150 , ALEC 202 *, ALEC 211 *, ALEC 240 *, ALEC 303 *, ALEC 340 *, ALEC 440 *, ALEC 441 , ALEC 485 *; AREC 201 *, AREC 212 ; EPP 123 *; ESS 110 *, ESS 120 *, ESS 220 *, ESS 326 , ESS 434 , ESS 462 *; FORS 100 , FORS 321 *, FORS 335 , FORS 345 , FORS 420 ; FWF 250 *, FWF 320 *, FWF 324 , FWF 420 *; PLSC 115 *, PLSC 210 *, PLSC 226 , PLSC 230 , PLSC 233 , PLSC 250 *, PLSC 275 PLSC 280 .
  4. Choose from: ASTR 151 *, ASTR 152 *; BCMB (any); BIOL (any after major requirements are met); CFS 210 *, CFS 211 , CFS 213 , CFS 240 ; CHEM (any after major requirements are met); COSC (any); CSM (any); ECE (any); EEB (any); EF (any); GEOG 131 *, GEOG 132 *, GEOG 137 *; GEOL (any); HTM (any); IE (any); KNS (any above 100-level); MATH (any above MATH 125 * after Quantitative Reasoning requirements are met); ME (any); MICR (any except MICR 210 *); MSE (MSE 201  and above); NE (any); NUTR (any except NUTR 100 *, NUTR 311 ); PHYS (any except PHYS 221 *); PSYC 301 , PSYC 370 , PSYC 385 , PSYC 445 , PSYC 450 , PSYC 459 , PSYC 461 ; PUBH 202 , PUBH 315 , PUBH 401 , PUBH 420 ; STAT (any except STAT 201 *).

* Meets Volunteer Core Requirements .