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Department of Food Science and Technology

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Future Undergraduates

At Ohio State’s Department of Food Science and Technology, you have the option of majoring in Food Science and Technology, Food Business Management, or Culinary Science.

Food Science and Technology is a multi-disciplinary field that applies fundamental scientific principles to the research, development, manufacture, packaging, storage, and marketing of food products. In this discipline biology, chemistry, engineering, microbiology, biochemistry, toxicology, management, and other basic and applied sciences are used to study the nature of foods, the causes of their deterioration, and the principles underlying food processing. The Food Business Management curriculum prepares you for managerial positions in the food industry while our Culinary Science program will take a culinary arts education to the next level with a bachelor’s degree. All three majors will offer you the opportunity for hands on experience in our facilities along with opportunities for interactions with industry professionals.

In a world of ever-increasing population, alumni from our program are in high demand to help provide healthy and safe food to a hungry planet. After graduation, 97% of our food science graduates are placed in a company or go on to graduate school. According to the Institute of Food Technologists salary survey of 2022, the average salary of professional with one year or less of experience is $77,000. Many students go on to major food processing and research companies, such as Abbott Nutrition, Battelle, The J.M. Smucker Co., and Nestlé. Our graduates help to feed the world!

Whatever path you choose from our program, your degree will give you experience in the food industry even before you graduate. Students participate in internships that give them an opportunity to see what professionals in the food industry really do. The Food Science Club is an organization made up of undergraduate and graduate students that is active professionally, socially and as a service group. There are product development teams and a college bowl team that offer opportunities to compete nationally. The Department of Food Science and Technology delivers the ultimate blend of rigorous courses, hands-on experience, extracurricular opportunities, and industry partnerships to prepare you for your career.

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