Food Science
Food Science
A.A.S. Degree (G)
Employment demands for highly skilled Food Safety graduates are projected to continue to increase over the next decade. Food safety is the application of food science to the selection, preservation, processing, packaging, distribution, and use of safe food. The food consumed on a daily basis is the result of extensive food research - a systematic investigation by food scientists into a variety of foods' properties and compositions. It is through the application of the research that food reaches the consumer. Using the principles of food safety, food products are mass produced, and it is the food safety technicians who have the knowledge of selection, preservation, processing, packaging, and distribution resulting in safe food being consumed. All of these interrelated fields contribute to the food industry -- the largest manufacturing industry in the United States.
Program Graduate Competencies
The Program Graduate Competencies listed below identify the major learning goals related to your specific program of study and identify the knowledge and skills you will have when you graduate to be successful in your chosen field.
- Apply knowledge of the theories and principles of biology, chemistry, and food microbiology.
- Analyze food samples by common quantitative and qualitative techniques.
- Identify emerging technologies and ingredient innovations that have the potential to transform product and process development.
- Analyze market trends associated with the development of foods to maintain and improve health.
- Apply knowledge of food processing to improve the quality, efficiency, and sustainability of processing and packaging efforts.
- Apply knowledge of best practices, risk analysis, traceability, and analytical tools in the areas of microbial and chemical food safety and defense.
- Apply knowledge of public policy, food laws, and regulations that have national and international implications for the food industry, research, and consumer food safety.
Core Curriculum Competencies
The Core Curriculum Competencies listed below identify what you will be able to do as a graduate, regardless of your program of study. You will acquire these core competencies through general education courses and program-specific coursework. You will be expected to use relevant technology to achieve these outcomes:
- Apply clear and effective communication skills.
- Use critical thinking to solve problems.
- Collaborate to achieve a common goal.
- Demonstrate professional and ethical conduct.
- Use information literacy for effective vocational and/or academic research.
- Apply quantitative reasoning and/or scientific inquiry to solve practical problems.
Graduation Requirements
Core Courses
Program/Major Courses
Program/Major Support Courses
Suggested Pathway to Graduation (Course Sequence Sheet)
Semester 1
Semester 2
Semester 3
Semester 4
To complete program requirements, you must pass the above courses and earn at least 64 credits. The number of courses and credits required for graduation may be more depending on your need for developmental education courses and the elective choices you make (if electives are a part of the program). Some programs also have college-level courses that you must take if you do not score at a certain level on the College Placement Test. If this applies to your program, the courses are listed at the top of the sequence sheet before the first semester of the course list.
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