Food Science and Human Nutrition

The School of Food and Agriculture provides students with the opportunity to obtain an M.S. degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition, and a Ph.D. in Food and Nutrition Sciences. The M.S. program has two options- on campus and online. Online students may only take classes offered online. All M.S. students must have a graduate advisory committee consisting of the graduate advisor and two other FSN faculty. On campus students may request that one member of the committee be a faculty member in another UM program.

Faculty research programs include nutrition behavior change, obesity prevention, bioactive food components and their role in disease prevention and amelioration, food processing and preservation, food safety and quality, seafood quality, sensory evaluation, and product development.

A thesis option is only available on campus. Students who do not pursue a thesis project are not eligible for School of Food & Agriculture assistantships or fellowships and cannot apply to the doctoral program upon completion of the online M.S.

On-campus applicants who want a Food Science focus must have successfully completed undergraduate training with either a major or minor in one of the biological or physical sciences including courses in organic chemistry and biochemistry or an undergraduate degree in food science, food technology, food engineering or processing. On-campus applicants with a Human Nutrition focus should have an undergraduate degree in nutrition (or approved by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics), human ecology, chemistry, biochemistry, or in an appropriate combination of biological sciences with courses in nutrition, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and human physiology. The Dietetic Internship concentration is only available to students who have obtained a verification statement from an Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) accredited undergraduate program and who have matched into the University of Maine Dietetic Internship Program. The Dietetic Internship cannot be completed online. Applicants selecting the combined Human Nutrition and Food Technology UMaine Online program should have had 2 semesters of college-level chemistry, two semesters of college-level biology (with one semester being Anatomy & Physiology), and an entry-level nutrition course.

Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores are not required for M.S. applicants, but residents of other nations may be required to document their English skills with TOEFL or comparable documentation.

The Master of Science in Food Science and Human Nutrition requires a minimum of 30 credit hour minimum ; however, the Dietetic Internship concentration requires at least 34 credits. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for graduation.

On-campus students are required to take FSN 571 Technical Presentations and FSN 671 Advanced Graduate Seminar (preferably in the first year of study) and 3-4 credits of statistics at the 400 or higher level. Thesis students must take at least 12 credits of graduate lecture or laboratory courses in FSN and non-thesis students must take 15 credits of graduate lecture or lab classes in FSN. Up to 4 credits of FSN coursework at the 400 level may be used to satisfy the FSN class requirement if the course was not taken as an undergraduate. Seminars and special topics classes may not be counted towards the minimum number of FSN classes. The lecture classes that may be used to fulfill the minimum credit requirement for on-campus students include:

FSN 501 Advanced Human Nutrition
FSN 502 Food Preservation
FSN 506 Nutritional Assessment
FSN 508 Nutrition & Aging
FSN 510 Trace Mineral Nutrition, Metabolism, and Clinical Applications
FSN 512 Current Food Safety Systems
FSN 517 Food Safety and Quality Control
FSN 520 Food Product Development
FSN 524 Responsible Design, Conduct and Analysis of Research
FSN 528 Food Microbiology
FSN 529 Food Microbiology Laboratory
FSN 530 Integrative and Functional Nutrition
FSN 538 Fermented Foods and Probiotics
FSN 540 Advanced Clinical Topics
FSN 542 Sustainability, Nutrition and Health
FSN 543 Communication in Nutrition and Food Technology
FSN 545 Utilization of Aquatic Food Resources
FSN 555 Organic and Natural Foods
FSN 565 Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity and Food
FSN 580 Food Chemistry
FSN 584 Lipids, Diet and Cardiovascular Disease
FSN 585 Principles of Sensory Evaluation
FSN 586 Sensory and Consumer Science Applications
FSN 587 Food Analysis
FSN 603 Nutrients in the Food System; or SFA 551 Infectious Diseases and Food Safety- From Plants to Humans.

Please note that FSN 524 Responsible Design, Conduct and Analysis of Research may be used to satisfy either the statistics or the minimum number of formal lecture class requirements, but not both.

Thesis students must also complete one approved Responsible Conduct of Research course (see list below)

FSN 524 - Responsible Design, Conduct and Analysis of Research (3 credits) (may also be used to fulfill the statistics requirement)
INT 601 - Responsible Conduct of Research (1 credit)
BIO 505 - Professionalism in Biology (2 credits)
CMJ 600 - Introduction to Graduate Study in Communication (2 credits)
PSY 603 - Ethics and Professional Problems (3 credits)
SFR 521 - Research Methods (3 credits)
SMS 691 - Marine Science Seminar (1 credit)

no more than 6 credits as FSN 581, Problems in Food Science & Human Nutrition
5-11 credits of FSN 699 Graduate Thesis/Research

The Dietetic Internship and Master of Science degree, thesis or non-thesis, requirements are the same as those listed above except for:

34 credit hour minimum, typically taking two years to complete
FSN 650 Dietetic Internship Orientation and Application I (2 credits), FSN 651 Dietetic Internship Orientation and Application II (2 credits), FSN 652 Dietetic Internship Evaluation (1 credit), and FSN 681 Dietetic Supervised Practice (6 credits)
FSN 506 Nutritional Assessment and FSN 540 Advanced Clinical Topics
An additional 6 (thesis students) or 9 (non-thesis) minimum credit hours of FSN formal coursework as described above
21- month continuous enrollment to complete FSN 650, 651, 652, and 681. FSN 681 is completed as 1 credit in the summer and 5 credits in the fall or spring, depending upon an individual student’s program

The Master of Science in Food Science and Human Nutrition: Combined Human Nutrition and Food Technology online track requires:

30 credit hour minimum, typically taking two years to complete.
FSN 501 Advanced Human Nutrition, FSN 502 Food Preservation, FSN 524 Responsible Design, Conduct and Analysis of Research, and FSN 543 Communication in Nutrition and Food Technology.
An additional 15-18 credit hours of approved UMaine Online FSN graduate courses carrying an 0190 or 0990 section code (FSN 506 Nutritional Assessment; FSN 508 Nutrition and Aging; FSN 530 Integrative and Functional Nutrition; FSN 538 Fermented Foods and Probiotics; FSN 545 Utilization of Aquatic Food Resources; FSN 555 Organic and Natural Foods; FSN 585 Principles of Sensory Evaluation; FSN 586 Sensory and Consumer Science Applications; and FSN 603 Nutrients in the Food System). Other courses offered are not eligible for the online tuition discount and may not be applied towards the degree or a graduate certificate.
A maximum of 3 credits of online graduate classes from another University of Maine program or up to 6 credits of pre-approved graduate credit from another institution may be accepted if approved by the student’s graduate committee.
A minimum of 3.0 GPA to graduate

Graduate Faculty

Alfred A. Bushway, Ph.D. (Purdue, 1978), Professor Emeritus. Fruit and vegetable post-harvest quality and safety and product development. Dr. Bushway is no longer accepting graduate advisees.

Jason Bolton, Ph.D. (University of Maine, 2012), Associate Extension Professor, and Food Safety Specialist. Food safety; food processing; product development.

Mary Ellen Camire, Ph.D. (Texas Woman’s University, 1989), Professor. Development, evaluation, and consumer acceptance of healthful foods; sensory science and consumer research, healthy aging, nutrition education, and behavior; dietary fiber; whole grains.

Suzanne Ishaq, Ph.D. (University of Vermont, 2015). Assistant Professor of Animal and Veterinary Sciences. Better characterization of microbiomes using cutting-edge technology, using this characterization to determine the relation of community structure to system functionality and homeostasis in simplified models, and development of prevention and intervention therapies which can return a perturbed microbiome back into balance in vivo.

Dorothy Klimis-Zacas, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University, 1982), Professor. Cholesterol, lipoprotein, trace mineral nutrition, and metabolism as related to chronic diseases. Berry bioactives and their role in inflammation and vascular function, metabolism, and gene expression related to chronic diseases (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome). Trans-cultural studies on the role of the Mediterranean diet(s) on chronic diseases.

Yanyan Li, Ph.D. (The Ohio State University, 2011). Assistant Professor. Studying the health benefits of bioactive dietary components, in particular anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties and their molecular mechanisms.

Robson Machado, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University, 2016), Assistant Extension Professor, and Food Safety Specialist. Helping Maine farmers and food entrepreneurs develop safe foods while assisting processors in addressing changing regulations when commercializing local food and beverage products.

Jade McNamara, Ph.D. (University of Rhode Island, 2018), Assistant Professor of Human Nutrition. Exploring the relationship between nutrition and food literacy and dietary behaviors, developing curricula and interventions, theory-driven behavior change methods to influence healthy behavior change in youth and young adults, evidence-based instructional practices for critical thinking in health studies and higher education. Instrument/survey development to assess behavior and perceptions of health.

L. Brian Perkins, Ph.D. (University of Maine, 2002), Research Associate Professor. Chromatographic (HPLC, GC) method development for bioactive compounds phytonutrients, and toxic substances (naturally-occurring & synthetic) in food and environmental matrices.

Jennifer Perry, Ph.D. (The Ohio State University, 2010), Associate Professor. Microbial food spoilage; non-thermal technologies, biocontrol and biopreservation; food safety; food processing.

Denise I. Skonberg, Ph.D. (University of Washington, 1997), Associate Professor. Crustacean by-product utilization, quality evaluation of wild and farm-raised aquatic products, seafood product development.

Mona Therrien, D.CN., R.D, L.D. (Rutgers 2013), Associate Director of the School of Food and Agriculture, Lecturer and Dietetic Internship Director. Nutrition in aging, nutrition program evaluation, nutrition in chronic kidney disease and diabetes.

Kathryn L. Yerxa, M.S., R.D. (University of Maine, 2003), Associate Extension Professor. Nutrition education; obesity prevention; food security.

Associate Graduate Faculty

Beth L. Calder, Ph.D. (University of Maine, 2003), Associate Professor and Extension Food Science Specialist. Assisting the food industry with research, food testing, and educational programs in the areas of food safety and technology. Director of the Process and Product Review Testing Services.

Neil Greenberg, MSc. (University of Maryland, 1992), Assistant Director of Aquatic Operations. Aquaculture.

Kathleen Halpin, M.S., R.D., L.D. (University of Southern Maine, 1978), Manager, Clinical Nutrition & Patient Services, Maine Medical Center. Portland, ME. Clinical nutrition.

organic chemistry.

Lisa Phelps, Ph.D., Program Administrator, University of Maine Cooperative Extension. 4H.

Kathleen Savoie, M.S., R.D. (University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 1991), Associate Extension Professor. Community nutrition; food security; food safety; food preservation.

Susan S. Sullivan, D.Sc., R.D. (Boston University, 1995), Associate Dean of Instruction, College of Natural Science, Forestry, and Agriculture. Clinical nutrition topics and vitamin D.

Sharon Tate, M.S., R.D., L.D. (Montana State University, 2002), Clinical Dietitian, Maine Medical Center. Portland, ME. Clinical nutrition.

Tao Zhang, Ph.D. (University of Michigan, 2010), Assistant Professor, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Binghampton University, State University of New York.