Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the MS food science program will:

1. Demonstrate technical competency in the discipline of food science.
2. Design, analyze, interpret, and communicate food science research.
3. Formulate solutions to practical problems in food safety, production, development, sustainability and aspects of consumer health.
4. Communicate and work with individuals and teams within and outside of the food science discipline.
5. Critically examine their own personal beliefs, attitudes, and biases about historically marginalized people and cultures in the scientific and broader communities.

Admission Criteria

Applicants should hold a bachelor's degree in food science or a related field such as physical or biological science, chemistry of engineering.

Applicants who lack the required preparatory coursework in basic sciences must complete these courses (either before being admitted or once admitted).  Basic sciences courses include the following:

• General Chemistry:

        CHEM 1120 Fundamentals Chemical Structure Properties

        CHEM 1122 Fundamentals of Chemical Reactivity

• Organic Chemistry:

        CHEM 2240 Organic Chemistry: Fundamentals and Applications or

        CHEM 2242 Survey of Organic Chemistry I 

• Biochemistry:

        CHEM 3350 Biochemistry: Fundamentals and Applications 

• Nutrition: 

        FSN 2202 Intro to Human Nutrition

Students can check the Cal Poly course catalog website to determine similarity with courses they might have taken in previous institutions.  http://catalog.calpoly.edu/coursesaz/#c
 

They can also submit their request to the graduate coordinator of the MS Food Science program, who will be able to confirm the similarity of the course(s). Once admitted, if a student is lacking some of these courses, the student’s committee will determine what courses the student should take, for a maximum of 12 units, based on his/her background and the type of research he/she will be focusing on.

The admission committee looks for evidence of intellectual potential by reviewing performance in university coursework, considering GRE/TOEFL scores, and carefully reading the candidate's statement of interest and letters of recommendation. The candidate's statement and recommendation letters should highlight the applicant's potential for performing independent, thoughtful research. That can be done, for example, by describing the candidate's previous research experience in an academic or industrial setting, or by describing the student's ability to think beyond class assignments in a coursework setting. The candidate's statement should include a description of the student's future research interests, as well as their motivation for pursuing graduate education.

Candidates should also mention to what extent they are relying on financial support from mentoring faculty to cover their stipend and tuition.

Cal Poly Graduate Education/Admissions: admissions.calpoly.edu/applicants/graduate

The University offers funding opportunities for MS students including Teaching Assistantship and Graduate Assistantship. Once accepted in the program, you must discuss these opportunities with your major professor.

Application Process

To be considered, students should complete an application for Graduate Admission via https://www2.calstate.edu/apply.  The deadlines for application are specified at http://admissions.calpoly.edu/applicants/

Program specific requirements must be submitted via Cal State Apply. These include:

o   Statement of purpose

o   Transcript(s) from the institution granting bachelor’s degree

o   Curriculum Vitae

o   Three letters of academic and/or professional recommendation.

o   Language proficiency requirement. This requirement does not apply if country of citizenship is listed on Cal Poly Admissions website: http://admissions.calpoly.edu/applicants/international/checklist.html

All applicants who do not speak and write English as their primary language are required to complete the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), taken within the last 2 years with a minimum score of 550 (paper version), 213 (computerized version), or 80 (internet based). Submit scores electronically to Institution Code: 4038. 

Relevant web links

Cal State Apply: https://www2.calstate.edu/apply

Cal Poly application deadlines: http://admissions.calpoly.edu/applicants/graduate/deadlines.html

Curriculum and Other Requirements

To complete the MS in food science, students must list in their Formal Study Plan 30 units of committee-approved coursework (including degree-required and elective coursework).  At least 60% of the units on the Formal Study Plan must be at the 5000 level.  A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for coursework in the Formal Study Plan.  All students must meet the university’s current Graduation Writing Requirement.  In addition, all students must pass an oral defense of the thesis and satisfactorily complete the written thesis.

 The culminating experience for master’s degree

The thesis is based on independent, supervised research and must be approved by the thesis committee.  The final copy of the thesis must meet the standards explained in the "Master's Thesis Formatting Guidelines" available from the Cal Poly Graduate Education Office, online at https://hzd44f1wgmburrbxdk81nis07.js.wpenginepowered.com/masters-thesis A copy of the thesis must be received and reviewed by the Thesis Editor in the Graduate Education Office. Upon completion of any required corrections, the student submits the electronic thesis/project report to the DigitalCommons@CalPoly, a digital archive for the university.  These steps must be completed before the degree is awarded.  The Master thesis submission process is summarized at hzd44f1wgmburrbxdk81nis07.js.wpenginepowered.com/masters-thesis

Required Courses (23 units)

For electives, select any 4000-5000 level AG, AGB, AGC, AGED, ASCI, BIO, BMED, BRAE, CHEM, DSCI, ENVE, ESCI, FSN, ITP, MCRO, MATE, NR, PLSC, PSY, RPTA, STAT, or WVIT courses

Students should review course prerequisites carefully prior to selection of elective courses within each emphasis area as electives may require additional prerequisite course(s). 

The table below summarizes required courses, which have some prerequisites other than graduate standing.

 Required courses having prerequisites others than only graduate standing

Graduate Faculty

Samir Amin, PhD - Product Development, Culinary

Luis Castro, PhD - Food Chemistry, Flavor Chemistry, Brewing Science

Stephanie Jung, PhD - Processing, Engineering, Chemistry, Sustainability

Amy Lammert, PhD - Sensory Science, Product Development, Food Polymer Science

Milena Ramirez-Rodriguez, PhD - Processing, Engineering, Fermentation

Laura Rolon, PhD - Microbiology, Food Safety

2026 

Swipe Right on Upcycling: Consumer Acceptance and Preference Elicitation Methods for Upcycled Carrot Pomace and Sunflower Meal Products

The Effects of Maceration and Enzymes on the Chemical Characteristics of Hard Apple Cider

Exploring Non-Conventional Substrates: The Role of Hibiscus and Whey in Kombucha Fermentation

2025

From Sight to Bite: Consumer Segmentation, Recognition, and Sensory Preferences of Upcycled and Sustainable Foods 

2024

Development Of Extruded Puffed Snack Utilizing Carrot Pomace, Bean Flour, And Rice Starch As Primary Ingredients 

Effect Of Enzymatic Pretreatment On Biomethane Production From Olive Pomace 

2023

Physical Treatments To Modify The Functionality Of Carrot Pomace And The Development Of An Enhanced Beef Patty 

Evaluation of Potential Surrogates for Listeria monocytogenes in Fresh Citrus-Specific Validation Studies 

2022

"Effect Of Vine Age And Selected Winemaking Techniques On The Sensory P" by Isabelle LoMonaco (calpoly.edu)

"Value-Added Opportunities for Tomato and Peach Seeds" by Valerie Michelle Lavenburg (calpoly.edu)

Eligibility

The program is open to food science undergraduate students pursuing the BS degree in food science with a minimum CPSLO GPA of 3.0 at the time of application to the blended program.

Applications must be approved before the student has completed 120 semester units toward their undergraduate curriculum requirement. If students reach 120 semester units for the undergraduate requirement, they are not eligible for the BMS program.

Students must be enrolled in or have completed FDSC 3350 and FDSC 3330 in order to APPLY for the BMS in Food Science.              

Blended Program Application Process

Students seeking to apply to the blended BS and MS degree program (BMS) in food science must complete the following steps:

• Determine if you meet the criteria for admission in the blended program, see FSN Food Science BMS Program Application.

• Submit the FSN Food Science BMS Program Application and required documents in one email to the Blended Program Coordinator, Dr. Luis Castro, at lfcastro@calpoly.edu, by the deadlines listed in that form.

• Once you received notification of acceptance in the program, and the name of your mentor faculty, you will need to complete the blended application curriculum plan with guidance from your blended program faculty advuisor or graduate coordiantor.  Instructions for completing and submitting the blended application curriculum plan can be found here.

After your curriculum plan is reviewed, the Graduate Education Academic Advisor will initiate the Blended Application Approval Form on your behalf. You will receive an email in your Cal Poly account with instructions to complete your portion of the form.

Students admitted to the BMS program must complete their thesis within two (2) years of completing their coursework. Students who do not meet this deadline will be removed from the program.

The term a student is earning 180 term/120 semester units (for high-unit bachelor’s the threshold is equal to the number of units required by the bachelor’s) that count toward both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees they must transition to graduate standing. To initiate this process Blended students will submit the Blended Pathway Postbaccalaureate Change of Objective to request that the Registrar’s Office change your student status to have graduate standing. Instructions for submitting the Blended Pathway Postbaccalaureate Change of Objective can be found under the headline Transitioniung to Graduate Standing here.  

* For more application information and deadlines for graduate blended programs, visit Cal Poly Blended Programs for more information

Program Requirements

Students must fulfill all of the requirements for the MS food science degree, along with all the requirements of the BS in food science, in order to be granted a BS in food science and an MS in food science at the end of their studies.

Additional information about admission and FAQ's: Academic Programs and Planning

Blended Program FAQ's: Blended Programs BMS

Application Forms

A Cal Poly prospective food science student that meets the eligibility requirements should submit the following forms (printed format and pdf by email) to the Food Science Blended Coordinator, Dr. Luis Castro, at lfcastro@calpoly.edu:

•Food science BMS application: FSN Food Science BMS Program Application

•Recommendation Form: Recommendation Form for FS BMS Admission

After acceptance to the BMS program, please complete the Blended Application Curriculum Plan:

•Complete your curriculum plan with your Blended Program Faculty Advisor or Program Coordinator. This plan ensures you are prepared for the transition to graduate standing and have mapped out your graduate degree requirements.

•Curriculum Plan

After completing the curriculum plan, please complete the Blended Application Approval form, which will be sent to you by the graduate education academic advisor:

•This document serves the purpose of notifying the Graduate Education Office of your intention to pursue the Blended Pathway to achieve your bachelor’s and master’s degree. It is important that this document be received at least 1 term before the Blended Pathway Change of Objective.

Sample Blended Pathway Program Application Approval

To transistion to graduate standing, you must complete the Blended Pathway Postbaccalaureate Change of Objective Form the semester in which you will reach 120 units.

 SAMPLE Blended Pathway Postbaccalaureate Change of Objective

Culminating Experience/Faculty Advisors

The culminating experience of a Cal Poly blended student will be a thesis (6) units. Faculty advisors for the BMS in food science include all food science faculty from the Food Science and Nutrition Department plus faculty from the Animal Science and Wine and Viticulture Departments. 

Food Science and Nutrition

Dr. Samir Amin - Product Development, Culinary

Dr. Luis Castro - Chemistry

Dr. Gour Choudhury - Engineering

Dr. Stephanie Jung - Processing, Engineering, Chemistry, Sustainability

Dr. Amy Lammert - Sensory, Product Development

Dr. Amanda Lathrop - Microbiology, Food Safety

Dr. Milena Ramirez-Rodrigues - Processing and Engineering

Dr. Laura Rolon - Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Processing

Animal Science

Dr. Ike Kang - Meat Science

Dr. Vincent Yeung - Dairy Science

Wine and Viticulture

Dr. Frederico Casassa - Enology