Food Science and Technology - BS, Food Industry Option
Food Science and Technology is an exciting multidisciplinary field that prepares majors with a comprehensive knowledge of the biological, physical and engineering sciences to develop new food products, design innovative processing technologies, improve food quality and nutritive value, enhance the safety of foods and ensure the wholesomeness of our food supply. Food Science majors apply the principles learned in the basic sciences such as food chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, microbiology, food engineering and nutrition to provide consumers with safe, wholesome and attractive food products that contribute to their health and well-being. For more information, visit http://nfs.tamu.edu
The undergraduate curriculum is approved by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and offers two tracks, a Food Science Option and an Industry Option. These tracks provide promising career opportunities in areas such as food product/process design, technical service, research and development, quality assurance, food safety, food law, regulatory oversight, technological innovation, marketing, corporate sales, sensory evaluation and operations management. There are numerous opportunities available for corporate internships, scholarships and study abroad programs that provide real-world experience and enhance opportunities for employment after completing a baccalaureate degree. The major also provides an excellent background for those interested in professional schools, graduate studies, medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physical therapy, nursing, occupational therapy and public health.
Food Industry Option
The Food Industry option integrates knowledge from the basic disciplines of chemistry, microbiology, physics and biology and applies scientific principles from food engineering, food processing operations, sensory evaluation, food safety, HACCP, quality assurance and management to produce foods that are wholesome, affordable and safe. The goal of the curriculum is to prepare Food Technologists for careers in the food and related industries. These careers may involve food processing, manufacturing, technical service, food product development, operations management, regulatory oversight and other technology based opportunities.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Semester Credit Hours | |
| CHEM 119 | Fundamentals of Chemistry I | 4 |
| ENGL 103 or ENGL 104 | Introduction to Rhetoric and Composition or Composition and Rhetoric | 3 |
| NFSC 201 | Food Science | 3 |
| NFSC 204 | Perspectives in Nutrition and Food Science | 1 |
| NFSC 210 | Horizons in Nutrition and Food Science | 2 |
| Mathematics 1 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| CHEM 120 | Fundamentals of Chemistry II | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Agricultural Economics | ||
| Principles of Economics | ||
| Principles of Economics | ||
| American history 2 | 3 | |
| Language, philosophy and culture 2 | 3 | |
| Mathematics 1 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| BIOL 111 | Introductory Biology I | 4 |
| CHEM 227 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 237 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| NFSC 202 or NFSC 203 | Fundamentals of Human Nutrition or Scientific Principles of Human Nutrition | 3 |
| POLS 206 | American National Government | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| ACCT 209 | Survey of Accounting Principles | 3 |
| PHYS 201 | College Physics | 4 |
| American history 2 | 3 | |
| Creative arts 2 | 3 | |
| Free elective 3 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENGL 210 | Technical and Business Writing | 3 |
| NFSC 311 | Principles of Food Processing | 3 |
| POLS 207 | State and Local Government | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Meats | ||
| Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System | ||
| Viticulture and Small Fruit Culture | ||
| Concepts of Wine Production | ||
| Enology | ||
| Scientific Principles of Foods | ||
| Religious and Ethnic Foods | ||
| Fundamental Baking | ||
| Meats | ||
| Understanding Obesity: A Social and Scientific Challenge | ||
| Food Safety and Preventive Controls for Human Food | ||
| Poultry Further Processing | ||
| Nutritional Pharmacometrics of Food Compounds | ||
| Supervised Research in Mediterranean Nutrition and Food Processing in Italy | ||
| Food Processing for Sustainable Nutrition in Brazil | ||
| Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System | ||
| Directed Studies | ||
| Special Topics in... | ||
| Research | ||
| Free elective 3 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| AGEC 314 | Marketing Agricultural and Food Products | 3 |
| NFSC 312 | Food Chemistry | 3 |
| NFSC 313 | Food Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| MGMT 309 | Survey of Management | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Biometry | ||
| Statistical Methods | ||
| Statistical Methods | ||
| Free elective 3 | 1 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| NFSC 314 | Food Analysis | 3 |
| NFSC 315/AGSM 315 | Food Process Engineering Technology | 3 |
| NFSC 326/ANSC 326 | Food Bacteriology | 3 |
| NFSC 327/ANSC 327 | Food Bacteriology Lab | 1 |
| Select one fo the following: | 3 | |
| Meats | ||
| Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System | ||
| Viticulture and Small Fruit Culture | ||
| Concepts of Wine Production | ||
| Enology | ||
| Scientific Principles of Foods | ||
| Religious and Ethnic Foods | ||
| Fundamental Baking | ||
| Meats | ||
| Understanding Obesity: A Social and Scientific Challenge | ||
| Food Safety and Preventive Controls for Human Food | ||
| Poultry Further Processing | ||
| Nutritional Pharmacometrics of Food Compounds | ||
| Supervised Research in Mediterranean Nutrition and Food Processing in Italy | ||
| Food Processing for Sustainable Nutrition in Brazil | ||
| Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System | ||
| Directed Studies | ||
| Special Topics in... | ||
| Research | ||
| Semester Credit Hours | 13 | |
| Spring | ||
| BICH 303 or BICH 410 | Elements of Biological Chemistry or Comprehensive Biochemistry I | 3 |
| NFSC 401 | Food Product Development | 3 |
| NFSC 444 | Fundamentals of Food Law | 3 |
| NFSC 481 | Seminar | 1 |
| Free electives 3 | 6 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 120 | |
| 1 | MATH prefix required. |
| 2 | The Graduation requirements include a requirement for 3 hours of International and Cultural Diversity and 3 hours of Cultural Discourse. Selection must be from courses on the approved list. Selection can be courses that also satisfy the requirement for social and behavioral sciences; creative arts; language, philosophy and culture; or electives. For more information on core requirements visit the University Core Curriculum catalog page. |
| 3 |
A total of 120 hours is required for graduation; 36 hours of 300/400 level courses are required to meet the Texas A&M University residency requirement.