The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition provides students with the opportunity to obtain a M.S. degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition and a Ph.D. in Food and Nutrition Sciences, an interdisciplinary program. The major thrusts of the department are in the areas of both basic and applied research, including human and animal models, fruit and vegetable products, food safety, seafood quality and product development. Competence in a foreign language is not required for a M.S. degree, but may be required of Ph.D. candidates.
The M.S. program includes three tracts: 1) Food Science; 2) Human Nutrition; 3) Dietetic Internship. Applicants selecting the Food Science area must have successfully completed undergraduate training with either a major or minor in one of the biological or physical sciences. Those selecting the Human Nutrition area should have an undergraduate degree in nutrition (or approved by the American Dietetic Association), human ecology, chemistry, biochemistry, or in an appropriate combination of biological sciences. Undergraduate level courses in nutrition, biochemistry and human physiology are required. Applicants with inadequate preparation are expected to make up these deficiencies in addition to degree course-work. Dietetic Internship applicants must have an American Dietetic Association Verification Statement indicating they have met undergraduate requirements from an ADA accredited program. The Food Science and Human Nutrition theses tracts require a minimum of 30 credit hours and typically take two years to complete. Two credit hours of graduate seminar, a graduate level statistics class, and twelve credits of FSN formal coursework at the 500 or 600 levels are required exclusive of seminars and special problems. The non-thesis option for a Master of Science degree normally requires two years to complete. This option has the same requirements as the thesis option above except for:
- no thesis
- 36 total credit hour minimum
- 15 credit minimum of FSN courses at the 500 or 600 level exclusive of seminars
and special problems
- no more than 6 credits as FSN 581
- minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 for graduation
The Dietetic Internship, thesis or non-thesis options, are the same as those
listed above except for:
- 34 credit hour minimum
- requirement of FSN 650, 651, 652, and 681 in addition to the 12 or 15 FSN
credit hour minimums
- 21 month continuous enrollment
An M.S. program in Food Science and Human Nutrition includes supporting courses
from the Departments of Biological Engineering; Biochemistry, Microbiology,
and Molecular Biology; Biological Sciences; Resource Economics and Policy; Mathematics
and Statistics; Plant, Soil, and Environmental Sciences; and the Colleges of
Business, Public Policy and Health and Education and Human Development.
The interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Food and Nutrition Sciences has variable
credit hour requirements. It usually requires an additional 60 hours and an
additional 3-4 years beyond the Masters to complete. Students may pursue a terminal
M.S. degree or sequential M.S. and Ph.D. degrees; students with a Master’s degree
from another institution may enter the Ph.D. program directly. Courses in statistics
are required as part of the program of study.
The student’s program is planned in accordance with needs for competence according
to the departmental faculty areas of expertise. Graduate thesis research is
under the supervision of the student’s major professor in the area of the student’s
interest. Current departmental research includes projects directed toward commu-nity
nutrition, trace mineral and lipid nutri-tion, diet assessment, development
of improved procedures for the prediction and control of food quality and safety,
extrusion technology, product development, and sensory evaluation.
The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition is located in Holmes Hall
and Merrill Hall. In Holmes Hall, a new chemical food safety laboratory contains
state-of-the-art equipment. Research facilities are equipped for food safety
and microbiology, food composition and food quality evaluation. A pilot plant
for processing fruits and vegetables, seafood and dairy products, is located
in a nearby building. Merrill Hall contains two fully-equipped laboratories
for food product preparation, and several research laboratories for human and
animal research. Special facilities and equipment are available in the College
and University, including atomic absorption spectrophotometers, electron microscopes,
and an animal care facility. A new facility with expanded resources that will
house food science and human nutrition together is under construction.
Rodney J. Bushway, Ph.D. (Texas A&M, 1977), Professor and Chair.
Food safety; fate of vitamins, natural toxicants, stress metabolites, pesticides,
and food additives as they apply to fruits and vegetables; analytical methods
development.
Alfred A. Bushway, Ph.D. (Purdue, 1978), Professor. Fruit and vegetable
post-harvest quality and product development.
Mary Ellen Camire, Ph.D. (Texas Woman’s University, 1989), Professor.
Extrusion technology; nutrition policy, dietary fiber; sensory evaluation; phytochemicals.
Richard A. Cook, Ph.D. (University of Maine, 1973), Associate Professor
and Graduate Coordinator. Community nutrition including nutritional status assessment,
monitoring and surveillance. Particular interest in diet assessment methodology,
and nutrition of children and older adults in both domestic and international
settings.
Dorothy Klimis-Zacas, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University, 1982), Associate
Professor. Cholesterol, lipoprotein, trace mineral nutrition and metabolism
as related to cardiovascular disease. Transcultural studies on the role of Mediterranean
diet(s) in certain degenerative diseases.
Denise I. Skonberg, Ph.D. (University of Washington, 1997), Assistant
Professor. Aquatic food product technology; utilization of crustacean processing
waste; fish nutrition; effects of aquaculture feeds on food fish quality.
Susan S. Sullivan, D.Sc., R.D. (Boston University, 1995), Assistant Professor
and Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics. Clinical nutri-tion topics;
calcium, vitamin D, and bone mineralization.
Adrienne A. White, Ph.D., R.D. (University of Tennessee, 1988), Associate
Professor and Dietetic Internship Director. Nutrition education and theory-driven
behavior change strategies. Food behavior across the life cycle. Eating disorders.
James M. Blum, Ph.D. (Univ. of Maine, 2000), CEO and Manager, Marshall-Blum,
LLC.
Mahmoud El-Begearmi, Ph.D. (Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, 1978), Human
Development Specialist, Nutrition and food safety: Associate Extension Educator
and Cooperating Professor, FSN. Food safety.
Titan S. Fan, Ph.D. (Univ. of Wisconsin, 1986), Manager, Applications
Development, IMMUNO-SYSTEMS, Scarborough, Maine.
Linda J. Kling, Ph.D., (Univ. of Maryland, 1980), Associate Professor.
Fish nutrition.
Katherine O. Musgrave, M.S., C.A.S., R.D. (Oklahoma State, 1968), Professor Emerita of Foods and Nutrition.
Penelope Perkins-Veazie, Ph.D. (Univ. of Florida, 1988), Research Plant Physiologist, USDA-ARS, South Carolina Agricultural Research Laboratory.
Clifford J. Rosen, M.D., (New York at Syracuse, 1975), Research Professor. Clinical and biological implications of osteoporosis.
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