Food Science Major, MS

For qualified students, the Department of Food Science offers an 5-year BS/MS 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 9 credit 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 UT. Because the MS program requires that students write a thesis based on their original research, students in BS/MS program must start working on their research project not 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 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 3.40, must have completed at least 15 credit hours of Food Science courses, and must have completed at least 90 credit hours of the 120 credit 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 their graduate mentor-advisor (i.e., major professor) and at least two other graduate research faculty members to serve on their 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 5-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 graduate course taken 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 graduate courses must be identified in advance in consultation with the undergraduate advisor and the graduate advisory committee.

A student that is conditionally admitted to the BS-MS program may complete up to 9 credit hours of graduate level coursework during the student’s undergraduate study and apply those 9 credit hours to satisfy both the BS degree requirements and also the MS degree requirements, provided that these graduate credit hours were approved by both the Department and by the Graduate School.

The form “Food Science Conditional Admission 5 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.

To receive graduate credit for the 9 credit hours listed on the Food Science Conditional Admission Form and approved by their graduate advisory committee, and others granting approval by signing that form, the student must complete and submit the Senior Requesting Graduate Credit Form to the Graduate School. If the graduate courses are to be taken during different semesters, the student will need to submit this form per each relevant semester.

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 submit an application for admission to the Office of Graduate Admissions 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 of all other student applicants. 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 Department. Students will not be eligible for graduate assistantships until they are enrolled as graduate-level students in the Graduate School.