Relationship to the Graduate School Handbook

This Department of Food Science and Technology (FST) graduate student handbook supplements the Graduate School Handbook. It outlines specific rules, procedures, policies, and requirements that apply to graduate students, faculty, and programs in the Food Science and Technology graduate program. Reference is made to the appropriate section of the Graduate School Handbook when rules are identical.

Degrees Offered and Areas of Specialization

The department offers programs leading to the Master of Science (MS) degree and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree with options as follows:

• MS Degree: Food Science and Technology. For the MS Degree, both thesis and non-thesis plans are available. MS non-thesis is intended as a terminal degree.
• PhD Degree: Food Science and Technology.

Department Faculty and Their Research Areas

You can learn more about our faculty and their areas of interest and expertise by visiting our faculty page or faculty lab websites. 

The department’s Graduate Studies Committee is selected and operates according to the rules of the Graduate School Handbook and department Pattern of Administration. The roles and responsibility of the department’s Graduate Studies Committee are listed in the Graduate School Handbook.

Petition/Appeal Process

Graduate students are expected to follow the rules of the Graduate School and of the Food Science Graduate Program presented in this handbook. A student who believes that circumstances warrant a waiver of a rule may submit a petition to the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC).

Petition/Appeals regarding the department’s graduate programs, policies, and rules must be made in writing by the student requesting the waiver of a specific rule. The request must describe the circumstances and must include written statements from the student’s advisor and the course instructor (if appropriate), reacting to the student’s request and providing any additional information pertinent to the waiver request. If necessary, the GSC will conduct a hearing with the student and the student’s advisor. The outcome will be reported in writing to the parties involved.

Should the student decide to continue the Petition/Appeal to the Executive Committee of the Graduate Council, the Graduate Studies Committee Chair will report on the GSC’s position to the Executive Committee.

Departmental graduate admission policies and procedures follow those of the OSU Graduate School and the university. Additional specific information is listed below.

Criteria and Credentials 

To enter the FST graduate program, students must have at least one semester of college-level calculus, biology, microbiology, physics, chemistry through organic chemistry, and biochemistry, or have obtained the equivalent through training or experience.

Admission to graduate school is competitive. The minimum GPA for admission is 3.0 (on a 4-point scale) in all previous undergraduate and graduate work. Applicants with lower graduate grade-point averages may be admitted conditionally by petition to the Graduate School. Past performance in basic science courses (math, chemistry, physics) and recommendations from previous instructors or advisors are important criteria for admission.

Qualified students may be denied admission when their academic goals are not aligned with those of the department or when advisors, space, or facilities to accommodate the students are unavailable.

Students who wish to transfer to the Food Science and Technology Graduate Program from another academic unit must meet the admission criteria listed above. A student wishing to transfer must submit a letter from a faculty member willing to serve as the student's advisor. Graduate-level courses completed in the other academic units are accepted toward the Food Science and Technology degree if these courses meet the FST program requirements.

To apply, students must fill out an online application form and have their English Proficiency scores (if applicable), and a copy of their official transcripts from all university-level schools attended sent directly to the Ohio State Graduate Admissions Office. Students will also be required to upload three (3) letters of recommendation, a current resume/CV, and a Statement of Purpose. The letters of recommendation should be on company or university letterhead. The Statement of Purpose should be a maximum of two typed pages and describe the area of research the student would like to pursue, as well as any relevant internships or research experience.

Application Deadlines

Application deadlines for admission to the department are those set by the university. All application material must be submitted by the deadline to assure a decision regarding admission for the desired term. Complete applications received by December 1st for autumn admission will be considered for university fellowship nomination by the department.

Assignment of Advisor

Only students who have a committed advisor will be offered admission to the FST Graduate Program. If a student wishes to add a co-advisor or change their advisor, they must submit a Petition to Add Co-Advisor Form or Petition for Change of Advisor Form to the Graduate Studies Committee. The petition must include signatures from both the present and the prospective advisors, to indicate approval of the change.  If approved, an advisor change will occur at the end/beginning of a term. This form must be turned in to the graduate program at least a week before the change becomes effective. The student should be aware that changing advisors may affect funding and their graduation timeline. If the student has chosen to change advisors after the first semester in the program, the Graduate Studies Chair may determine that a meeting is needed to discuss the change and ensure that both the former advisor and new advisor agree. If the consent of one or both advisors cannot be obtained, the student may petition the GSC in writing. The action of the GSC will be based on consultation with the student and their present and prospective advisors.

Role and Responsibility

The graduate advisor provides counsel and advice to the student on course selections, individual program development, and selection of research topics, and execution of the student’s research and educational goals. The graduate advisor also assists with all other student requests that require assistance.

The advisor of a master’s or doctoral student must hold Graduate Faculty membership at the appropriate level (at least Category M for a master’s student and only Category P for a doctoral student) in the Food Science and Technology Graduate Program. Junior faculty joining our graduate program will start with M status and can request P status after they: (1) advise a student to completion of an MS degree and (2) have served on a PhD student committee for at least one year.

In the first semester of the student's program, the student’s Advisory Committee will be chosen by the advisor and student and communicated to the department Academic Program Manager. The Advisory Committee consists of the advisor plus a minimum of two additional faculty members for the MS, or advisor plus a minimum of three additional faculty members for the PhD. At least one of these committee members, aside from the advisor, must be a full (not adjunct or courtesy) faculty member of the Food Science and Technology department. All advisory committee members must be graduate faculty at OSU. Non-graduate faculty may serve as external members to the committee but do not count towards the number requirement. The Advisory Committee serves to (l) approve the student's course program and changes in the program, (2) consult on progress in research, and (3) participate in the student's Examination Committee. All students must have their course program approved by their Advisory Committee before the end of their first term of enrollment. After the meeting of the Advisory Committee, the course program must be sent to the Academic Program Manager, who will send it through Docusign to be officially approved by the committee. Students who fail to meet this requirement will be denied further registration.

The department’s rules concerning registration, scheduling, course load, and changes in schedule are the same as those stated in the Graduate School Handbook. Throughout this document, credit hours refer to graduate-level credits only (5000 and above in FST, 4000 and above in other departments and taught by faculty members). For classes offered at both graduate and undergraduate levels, graduate students must register for the graduate-level section of the class (typically 10XX section). Undergraduate credits do not meet department or university requirements for graduate programs. English as a second language courses (any courses in EDUTL) do not count toward the department requirements.

In this department, 18 credit hours per semester is considered a full-time course load. All Graduate Fellows and Graduate Associates must enroll for 18 credit hours per autumn and spring semester, and 15 credit hours during the summer term.

The department maintains a file on each student that contains: all application materials; a record of the student's academic performance at The Ohio State University; a record of the student’s completed safety training, copies of the approved course schedule, and research proposal; copies of all official correspondence and forms from, to, or about the student from the advisor, the Graduate Studies Committee, the department, the Graduate School, and other faculty members and administrative units of the university.

Course Credit

Rules in the Graduate School Handbook apply.

Marks (Grades)

Rules in the Graduate School Handbook apply with the exception that EM credit may be earned only in undergraduate courses. EM credit will be awarded for grade B or better performance.

All formal courses offered by the department, Group Studies, and Seminar are graded A–E.  All Individual Studies and Research courses are graded S/U.

Credit for work at other institutions may be transferred as outlined in the Graduate School Handbook.

Point-Hour Ratio 

Rules in the Graduate School Handbook apply. A course may be repeated with the advisor’s approval when mastery of the subject matter is critical to the student’s performance in major area courses and research, or if the grade in the course was the result of absence beyond the student’s control.

A Fresh Start option may be granted to students enrolling after a five-year absence upon petition to the Graduate Studies Committee.

Rules in the Graduate School Handbook Academic and Professional Standards section apply to good standing, probation, dismissal, reinstatement, reasonable progress, and denial of further registration.

Required Committee Meetings

Concerning reasonable progress, a course plan must be developed and approved by the Advisory Committee within the first term of the student’s program. This course plan should identify likely dates for Proposal Defense, Candidacy (for PhD students) and Final Oral Exams, as well as the expected graduation time. The student and advisor are expected to meet regularly to determine goals for Thesis/Dissertation research progress. A student who meets or demonstrates good faith in reaching established goals in coursework and research is considered to be making reasonable progress.

Internships

Any internships must be approved by the advisor and be accompanied by a written agreement that lists the impact of the internship on time to graduation, course credits, stipend (if applicable), proprietary information, and publication rights. Students must communicate internships to the Academic Program Manager before the end of the semester prior to the internship start date. Students cannot be on an internship during the semester that they are on a GRA appointment. Internships may not be taken mid-semester if the student is on a GRA appointment unless the student has been terminated from their appointment before the start of the term.

Conflict Resolution

If a student or their advisor experience problems or conflicts related to advising and the graduate program, the two should meet to discuss the issue, and document it with a follow up email. If this does not resolve the conflict, the issue should be discussed with the Graduate Studies Chair. If this does not resolve the matter, the department chair should be consulted to resolve the issue.  

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Any use of artificial intelligence, including but not limited to ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Grammarly and Canva, in preparing or writing the proposal defense, candidacy exam, thesis or dissertation or other document used for the MS or PhD, must be declared in writing. This declaration must be included in the document as a reference or acknowledgments and must describe exactly how the program was used and exactly what part(s) and page numbers of the document it was used for. 

All graduate students are required to complete safety training. There are two required courses: 

1. Lab Standard Training
2. OSU BEAP (Building Emergency Action Plans)

These two courses can also be taken online through the Environmental Health and Safety web page. Once completed, the student needs to give the Academic Program Manager and their lab safety manager a copy of the certificates indicating they have passed. 

For instructions on how to complete the courses online, please see the “Required Training” handout that is included at the end of the handbook and posted on the FST website. Depending on the work performed in the laboratory, students may be required to go through additional safety training.

If you want to conduct research on humans (including yourself) at The Ohio State University, you MUST FIRST (1) pass an online course and (2) obtain approval from the Office of Responsible Research Practices.  Human research includes surveys, taste tests, and other related activities. There are 3 levels of review a study involving humans can undergo: full board, expedited, and exempted. Only a few categories of research qualify as exempted. Fortunately, most surveys or sensory evaluation studies fall into the category of exempted research. Specifically, much of this work falls into category #6, which is defined as:
Taste and food quality evaluation and consumer acceptance studies,

1. if wholesome foods without additives are consumed; OR
2. if a food is consumed that contains a food ingredient at or below the level and for a use found to be safe, or agricultural chemical or environmental contaminant at or below the level found to be safe, by the Food and Drug Administration or approved by the Environmental Protection Agency or the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

HOWEVER, just because your proposed research falls into the “exempted” category, this does not mean that you do not need to obtain approval. YOU cannot decide if your proposal is exempt; you can only suggest that it should be. It is up to the ORRP to determine if it is exempt. Their policy is summarized in the following quote, taken from their website:
 
“Research involving human subjects may be exempt from federal regulations requiring IRB review. The Ohio State University Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) is responsible for determining whether research involving human subjects meets the criteria for exemption in accordance with applicable regulations. Investigators may not  make this determination”.
IRB Policy Committee, rev May 2012.

Exempt research is generally short term in nature.  It usually is performed “as written,” meaning the investigators do not plan to make changes in the research design, the selection of subjects, the informed consent process, or the instrumentation during the study. A determination that research is exempt does not absolve the investigators from ensuring that the welfare of human subjects participating in research activities is protected and that methods used and information provided to gain subject consent are appropriate to the activity. Investigators may not solicit subject participation or begin data collection until they have received approval from the appropriate Institutional Review Board OR written concurrence that research has been determined to be exempt.

If you are going to conduct research on humans, you MUST take and pass a web-based course. This rule applies to the faculty advisor AND the graduate student performing the test. This course can be accessed from http://orrp.osu.edu/irb/training-requirements/citi. Please follow the CITI Access Instructions posted on the ORRP website. For most people in this department who conduct taste tests and surveys, it will be sufficient to complete the basic course for social and behavioral researchers (group 2).  More advanced nutrition studies may require the completion of the biomedical course (group 1). A refresher course is required every 3 years. The entire course takes 2–3 hours, but it is broken down into modules and you can enter and exit the site as often as you like if you do not want to complete it all at once.

To apply for IRB exemptions, you will need to submit a request using the Buck-IRB online system (https://orapps.osu.edu/buck-irb/). Questions regarding exempt research should be directed to exemptinfo@osu.edu or phone (614) 688-0389. Further information can be found at http://orrp.osu.edu/irb/investigator-guidance/exempt.

Program of Study

The student must have an advisor and an Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee consists of a minimum of 3 members of the graduate faculty, including the advisor. At least one of these committee members, aside from the advisor, must be a full (not adjunct or courtesy) faculty member of the Food Science and Technology department. All committee members must have Graduate Faculty status at The Ohio State University. Once the student and their advisor agree on a list of courses, the student will meet with their Advisory Committee to discuss and approve the course outline. This is also a good opportunity to discuss research plans with the committee. This course plan must be approved by the student’s Advisory Committee and submitted to the Academic Program Manager before the end of the first term of enrollment. Please use the Course Plan form found in the department's intranet site to develop your course plan. There are two options for the MS degree: MS thesis and MS non-thesis. Most students, and all students receiving a stipend or fellowship, pursue the MS thesis degree. Other students, including part-time students, may choose to pursue an MS non-thesis degree, which is a terminal degree and cannot be followed up with a PhD degree.

MS Thesis
Students in the MS thesis program must take a minimum of 30 graduate credit hours to graduate. These 30 graduate credit hours must include at least 20 course credit hours with at least 12 of these course credit hours in FDSCTE. FDSCTE 7193 (individual studies) and 7999 (research) are non-course credit hours. In addition, a minimum of 6 course credit hours must be 6000 level or above with at least 4 of these 6000 level or above credits in FDSCTE. English as a second language courses (any courses in EDUTL) do not count toward graduate credit requirements. Courses from FDSCTE must be 5000 level or above, and courses from other fields must be 4000 level or above and taught by a faculty member to receive graduate course credit. Students must register for the 10XX section of dual-level courses for them to count towards graduate course credit. Sections identified with a 00XX number are undergraduate level only. It is highly recommended that all students take a statistics course.

Every student must take FDSCTE 8991 (recommended during their first autumn semester) and FDSCTE 8992 in their final semester (autumn or spring). Students will present their research results during FDSCTE 8992.  

All students who plan to obtain a graduate degree from the Food Science and Technology graduate program must achieve a minimum competency in the following three categories. This competency can be achieved by a grade of B or higher in at least one course from each of the following three categories or is demonstrated by equivalent knowledge acquired from other sources such as a similar course completed elsewhere, demonstrated proficiency, or real-world practical experiences. The equivalence must be indicated in the course plan by the student’s advisor and approved by the Advisory Committee. The assessment of competency is determined by the student’s Advisory Committee. If the student receives a B- or lower in one of the courses meeting the competency requirement, the advisor may petition the Graduate Studies Committee for approval. Petitions must be received by the following semester. Courses listed below with no prefix are FDSCTE.  Courses below the 4000 level do not receive graduate credit but can add competency.

A.  Food Chemistry:  5600, 5610
B.  Food Engineering and Processing:  5400, 5410, 5420, 5430, MEATSCI 4510
C.  Food Microbiology:  5536, 5546

Once the student and their advisor have agreed upon a list of courses, the student will meet with their Advisory Committee to discuss and approve the course outline. This meeting must take place during the first term of enrollment. The Course Plan form will be approved by the Advisory Committee and submitted to the Academic Program Manager by the end of the first semester.

MS Non-thesis
Students in the MS non-thesis program must take a minimum of 30 graduate credit hours to graduate. These 30 graduate credit hours include a minimum of 26 course credit hours, with at least 14 of these course credit hours in FDSCTE. It also includes a minimum of 4 credit hours of FDSCTE 7193 (individual studies). FDSCTE 7193 (individual studies) and 7999 (research credits) are non-course credit hours. In addition, a minimum of 6 course credit hours must be 6000 level or above with at least 4 of these 6000 level or above credits in FDSCTE. English as a second language courses (any courses in EDUTL) do not count toward graduate credit requirements. Courses from FDSCTE must be 5000 level or above, and courses from other fields must be 4000 level or above and taught by a faculty member to receive graduate course credit. Students must register for the 10XX section of dual-level courses for them to count towards graduate course credit. Sections identified with a 00XX number are undergraduate level only.  MS non-thesis students may not receive a graduate stipend or fellowship.

Every student must take FDSCTE 8991 (recommended in their first autumn semester) and FDSCTE 8992 in their final semester (autumn or spring). Students will be presenting original research data (their data when possible) during FDSCTE 8992. It is highly recommended that every student takes a statistics course.

Students who plan to obtain an MS non-thesis graduate degree from our Food Science and Technology graduate program must achieve a minimum competency in the following five categories. This competency can be achieved by a grade of B or higher in at least one course from each of the following five categories or is demonstrated by equivalent knowledge acquired from other sources such as a similar course completed elsewhere, demonstrated proficiency, or real-world practical experiences. The equivalence must be indicated in the course plan by the student’s advisor and approved by the Advisory Committee. The assessment of competency is determined by the student’s Advisory Committee. If the student receives a B- or lower in one of the courses meeting the competency requirement, the advisor may petition the Graduate Studies Committee for approval.  Petitions must be received by the following semester. Courses listed below with no prefix are FDSCTE.  Courses below the 4000 level do not receive graduate credit but can add competency.

A.  Food Chemistry:  5600, 5610
B.  Food Engineering and Processing:  5400, 5410, 5420, 5430, MEATSCI 4510 
C.  Food Microbiology:  5536, 5546
D.  Nutrition and Biochemistry:  HUMNNTR 2310, HUMNNTR 4609, BIOCHEM 4511
E.  Integrated:  5710, 5720, 5730

Once the student and their advisor have agreed upon a list of courses, the student will meet with their Advisory Committee to discuss and approve the course outline.  This meeting must take place during the first term of enrollment.  The Course Plan form will be approved by the Advisory Committee and submitted to the Academic Program Manager.  

Plans, Requirements, Time Limit

As indicated above, the department offers the MS thesis and MS non-thesis, for which a minimum of 30 credit hours are required. Normally, students pursuing MS thesis can expect to take 40–60 credit hours of research in addition to the 20 course credit hours. All students must register for at least 3 credit hours during the semester of graduation.

Graduate students who wish to transfer to this department from other institutions must complete 24 of their 30 required graduate credits at The Ohio State University over a period of at least two semesters. If credits are being transferred from another university to count toward a graduate degree, they should be transferred at the time the student is admitted but no later than the end of the first term of enrollment in the Graduate School.

Master’s Examination and Thesis

The term a student expects to graduate, they will need to submit an electronic Application to Graduate to the Graduate School through GradForms no later than the third Friday of that term. Students need to update their approved course plan and get their advisor’s signature indicating that the course plan was completed.

The Examination Committee for the MS degree in Food Science and Technology consists of at least three faculty members, including the candidate’s advisor. Normally the student’s Advisory Committee constitutes the Examination Committee. Changes in the Examination Committee may be made upon request from the student, advisor, or members of the Graduate Studies Committee and with the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee.

The student must submit a copy of their thesis to their committee, either electronically or printed. The student is responsible for sending information regarding their defense to the Academic Program Manager to announce their public exit seminar a minimum of 7 days before their defense.

MS Thesis
The MS thesis examination begins with a research presentation. The presentation should be announced at least 7 days in advance and will be open to the public. Students must send announcement details (title, advisor, date, and location for the seminar) to the Academic Program Manager 7 days prior to the defense. The presentation lasts a maximum of 45 minutes and includes a 20–35-minute presentation followed by a maximum of 10 minutes of questions. The exam continues with a closed-door examination by the student’s committee, lasting 60–90 minutes. The start of the presentation to the end of the examination is two hours. The committee is required to attend the entire exam, including the presentation. The closed-door portion of the exam includes a defense of the thesis and general subject matter examination. The subject matter portion covers principles of food science and technology, which should be familiar to the candidate from course work. The student must submit a copy of their thesis to their committee a minimum of 1 week before their defense, unless determined otherwise by their committee.

If a student’s thesis research project is funded by a company and governed by an industry-sponsored research agreement with the university that contains confidentiality language, the advisor will submit a request to the company for the student to publicly present their results at the time the Application to Graduate form is submitted. If the company denies the request, the advisor will inform the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) and the student will have a confidential, closed exit seminar, with only the committee present.

MS Non-thesis
The MS non-thesis examination consists of a 4-hour written section and an oral examination, including a public presentation. The written portion is designed to test the student’s knowledge of food science and other subject matter. The questions are submitted by faculty members to the student’s advisor, who prepares and administers the examination. The student’s answers are evaluated individually by the faculty members who have submitted the questions and overall by the Examination Committee.

The MS non-thesis examination begins with a presentation. The presentation can be on the research project or a literature review. It should be announced at least 7 days in advance and will be open to the public.  Students must send announcement details (title, advisor, date, and location for the seminar) to the Academic Program Manager 7 days prior to the defense. The presentation lasts a maximum of 45 minutes and includes a 20–35 minute presentation followed by a maximum of 10 minutes of questions. The exam continues with a closed-door examination by the student’s committee of no less than 1 hour. The start of the presentation to the end of the examination is two hours. The committee is required to attend the entire exam, including the presentation. The closed-door portion of the exam includes a defense of the student’s study project review.  A synopsis of the project, with premise, objectives, procedures, and results, must be submitted to the members of the Examination Committee 7 days before the scheduled examination date. The remainder of the oral examination is devoted to subject matter for clarification and supplementation of answers to the written questions.

Other rules of the department concerning the MS examination and the thesis, including judgment and decisions on the student’s performance, are covered in the Graduate School Handbook.

The rules outlined in the Graduate School Handbook apply specifically to the department’s Doctorate Degree programs. Selected rules and conditions are highlighted as follows:

Program of Study

The Food Science and Technology department offers a program leading to a Doctoral Degree. The student must have an advisor and an Advisory Committee. Students entering the PhD program are expected to hold an MS Degree; however, direct admission to the PhD program with a bachelor’s degree may be an option if all prerequisites are met. Additionally, students may petition to transfer from the FST MS program without completing the MS no later than the end of the first two weeks of the 5th semester with the support of the student’s advisory committee and approval of the Graduate Studies Committee. Requests are made through the department’s MS to PhD Transfer Form. The form must come from the student’s advisor, outline the student’s academic and research excellence, and be signed by the student and the advisory committee members. Strong candidates for transfer to the PhD program will have a 3.5 GPA or higher and demonstrated research experience.

All students who plan to obtain a PhD degree from our Food Science and Technology graduate program must achieve a minimum competency in the following 3 categories. This competency can be achieved by a grade of B or higher in at least one course from each of the following 3 categories or is demonstrated by equivalent knowledge acquired from other sources, such as a similar course completed elsewhere, demonstrated proficiency, or real-world practical experiences. The equivalence must be indicated in the course plan by the student’s advisor and approved by the Advisory Committee. The assessment of competency is determined by the student’s advisory committee. If the student receives a B- or lower in one of the courses meeting the competency requirement, the advisor may petition the Graduate Studies Committee for approval. Petitions must be received by the following semester. Courses listed below with no prefix are in the Food Science and Technology department, FDSCTE. Courses from FDSCTE must be 5000 level or above, and courses from other fields should be 4000 level or above and taught by a faculty member to receive graduate course credit. Courses below the 4000 level do not receive graduate credit but can add competency.

A.  Food Chemistry:  5600, 5610
B.  Food Engineering and Processing:  5400, 5410, 5420, 5430, MEATSCI 4510
C.  Food Microbiology:  5536, 5546

The student will select a program of courses early in their career in consultation with their advisor. The Course Plan form will be approved by the Advisory Committee and submitted to the Academic Program Manager before the end of the first term of enrollment. The course plan should identify probable dates for proposal, candidacy, and final oral examinations.  The advisory committee consists of a minimum of 4 members of the graduate faculty including the advisor. At least one of these committee members, aside from the advisor, must be a full (not adjunct or courtesy) faculty member of the Food Science and Technology department and all committee members must hold Graduate Faculty status at The Ohio State University.

The department does not have additional language or internship requirements for graduate students. Students can pursue internship opportunities with preapproval; see the section on internships.
 

Doctoral Degree Course Requirements

Students in our doctorate program must complete a minimum of 80 credit hours to graduate. Students entering the PhD program with an MS from another institution can request that 30 credit hours from their MS program be counted toward the 80 credit hours needed for the PhD. This request should be made during the first term of attendance at Ohio State through the Grad Forms application.

Graduate students who wish to transfer to this department from other institutions must complete 24 of their 80 required graduate credits at The Ohio State University over a period of at least two semesters. If credits are being transferred from another institution to count toward a graduate degree, they should be transferred at the time the student is admitted but no later than the end of the first term of enrollment in the Graduate School.

PhD students with a BS in Food Science and no MS degree are required to take at least 26 course credit hours with at least 13 of these course credit hours in FDSCTE. At least 13 of the 26 course credit hours must be at the 6000 level or above, with at least 4 of these 6000 level or above in FDSCTE.

PhD students with a BS in non-Food Science majors and no MS degree are required to take at least 26 course credit hours with at least 18 of these course credit hours in FDSCTE. At least 13 of the 26 course credits must be at the 6000 level or above, with at least 4 of these 6000 level or above in FDSCTE.

PhD students with a BS and MS with at least one in Food Science are required to take at least 8 course credit hours with at least 4 of these course credit hours in FDSCTE at the 6000 level or above. Students that have already completed FDSCTE 8991 will only be required to take FDSCTE 8992.

PhD students with BS and MS in non-Food Science majors are required to take at least 20 course credit hours with at least 12 of these course credit hours in FDSCTE. At least 10 of the 20 course credit hours must be at the 6000 level or above, with at least 4 of these 6000 level or above in FDSCTE.

FDSCTE 8193 (independent studies) and 8998/8999 (research credits) do not count toward course credits. English as a Second Language courses (any courses in EDUTL) do not count toward graduate credit requirements.

Each student must take FDSCTE 8991 (recommended during their first autumn semester) and FDSCTE 8992 during their final semester (autumn or spring). Students will be presenting their research results during FDSCTE 8992. Students who complete both their MS and PhD degrees at Ohio State are required to take FDSCTE 8992 twice, once during the MS program and once during the PhD program.

Proposal Defense

Doctoral students must prepare a research proposal that will be defended before the student’s Advisory Committee. The proposal must be received by the committee a minimum of one week before the defense. The proposal should focus on proposed future research and cannot include completed research, except as preliminary results.  Preliminary data can be used to support the research plan  We recommend using the format of the CFAES Research & Graduate Education Internal Grants Graduate Program as a guideline, but other formats can be acceptable as long as the focus is on future work. The committee will discuss the student’s proposed research, provide comments and determine if the student can move forward. It is expected that the exam will occur in person. After the proposal defense, the Academic Program Manager must be notified by the student. The Academic Program Manager will send the Graduate Student Approval of the Research Proposal form and the Graduate Program Assessment and Evaluation Form to the committee to complete electronically. The proposal defense must be completed within two years of the start of the PhD program and before scheduling the Candidacy Examination. Should the committee decide that the student’s performance failed to meet expectations, the student is expected to schedule a second defense of the proposal.

Candidacy Examination

Students pursuing a PhD degree in Food Science and Technology should complete the Candidacy Examination after completing all required courses in their program of study, but no later than one year before their final defense. The proposal defense must be scheduled and completed before the candidacy examination. The purpose of the Candidacy Examination is to test a student’s comprehension of the field of food science and technology, allied areas of study, capacity to undertake independent research, and ability to think and express ideas clearly. Students are encouraged to form study groups to prepare for the examination.

The Candidacy Examination consists of a written and oral portion. The Candidacy Examination will be administered by the Examination committee; which is generally the same as the Advisory Committee. The Candidacy Examination Committee oversees the entire examination, and the composition of the committee should not change between the written and oral portions of the exam. Every Examination Committee member will submit questions and evaluation them. The exam can be closed book (6–8 hours) or open book (up to 3 days). The student’s answers to all questions will be distributed to the Candidacy Examination Committee for evaluation.

If the Examination Committee concludes that the results of the written examination are not satisfactory, the student may waive the oral portion of the Candidacy Examination. The Examination Committee may not deny a student the opportunity to take the oral portion of the Candidacy Examination. If the student waives the oral portion of the Candidacy Examination, a written statement requesting the waiver (II.6.9.7.3) must be presented to the Advisory Committee. In this case, the Examination Committee reports an "Unsatisfactory" on the Report on Candidacy form submitted to the Graduate School, along with a copy of the waiver request from the student.

Oral Portion:
To schedule the oral exam, the student must submit an Application for Candidacy on GRADFORMS and have this approved by their program and advisor at least two weeks before the oral’s proposed date. Once the exam is passed, the student needs to notify the Academic Program Manager, who will send the committee the online Graduate Program Assessment and Evaluation Form to complete. The oral portion of the Candidacy Examination is administered by the Examination Committee and lasts no more than two hours. A student presentation is not a part of the oral portion of the Candidacy Examination. The questions for the oral examination may relate to questions from the written examination but are not limited to those topics. The oral portion of the Candidacy Examination must be completed within one month of completing the written portion of the examination.

The Candidacy Exam tests for a basic understanding of food science and the ability to analyze critically complex problems related to food. Therefore, the student should have a thorough understanding of food chemistry, microbiology, and engineering. At a minimum, the student should have successfully completed core food science courses and should be able to effectively address Candidacy Exam questions relevant to these courses.  The Candidacy Exam also tests the student’s understanding of a particular specialization within the food science discipline. Familiarity with theories, research methods, and data analysis and interpretation, within the student’s specialization, is essential for passing the Candidacy Exam.

Results of the Candidacy Examination:
The outcome of the Candidacy Examination is reached in the absence of the student. The student is considered to have completed the Candidacy Examination successfully only when the decision of the Candidacy Examination Committee is unanimously affirmative.

If the Candidacy Examination is judged unsatisfactory, the Examination Committee must decide whether the student will be permitted to take a secondary Candidacy Examination and must record that decision on the Report on Candidacy Examination.

If the results of the Candidacy Examination are unsatisfactory and the Examination Committee permits the student to take a second examination, the Examination Committee will provide feedback to the student on ways to improve performance (e.g., recommend areas for study, courses to take). The second exam can include both a new written and an oral portion, or only a new oral exam, as determined by the Examination Committee. The advisor should indicate on the Report on Candidacy Examination from the first attempt that a new written exam will not be required for the second attempt. If any portion of the first written exam was not satisfactory, the Examination Committee must administer a second written exam. A second oral exam will always be required. The Candidacy Examination Committee for a second exam must be the same as the committee for the first attempt, unless a substitution is approved by the Graduate School, and must include a Graduate Faculty Representative.

Candidacy

The department’s requirements for candidacy for the PhD degree are listed in the Graduate School Handbook, including time limits and readmission for candidacy.

Dissertation

The student’s advisor and Dissertation Advisory Committee must approve the subject of the dissertation research.
Other departmental rules governing the dissertation, including committee selection, draft approval, format, and approval and submission of the final copy are outlined in the Graduate School Handbook.

Final Oral Examination

During the term the student expects to graduate, they need to submit an electronic Application to Graduate  through GradForms no later than the third Friday of that term. For the application to be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee, students will need to update the copy of their approved Course Plan form with their advisor’s signature indicating that the course plan was completed and turn it in to the Academic Program Manager.

The student must submit a copy of their dissertation to their committee, either electronically or printed, a minimum of 3 weeks before their defense. Additionally, the dissertation must be given to the committee a minimum of 1 week before the committee is asked to electronically sign the Application for Final Examination form. 

The final oral examination begins with a research presentation.  The research presentation should be announced at least 7 days in advance and will be open to the public. Students must send announcement details (title, advisor, date, location for the seminar, and virtual link if applicable) to the Academic Program Manager 7 days prior to the defense. The presentation lasts a maximum of 45 minutes and includes a 20–35 minute presentation followed by a maximum of 10 minutes of questions. The exam continues with a closed-door examination by the student’s committee, lasting 60–90 minutes. The start of the presentation to the end of the examination is two hours. The committee, including the graduate school representative if requested, is required to attend the entire exam, which includes the presentation. The closed-door portion of the exam tests the student on originality, independence of thought, and ability to synthesize and interpret information. This examination is based on, but not limited to, the student’s dissertation.

If a student’s research project is funded by a company and governed by an industry-sponsored research agreement with the university that contains confidentiality language, the advisor will submit a request to the company for the student to publicly present their results at the time the Application to Graduate form is submitted. If the company denies the request, the advisor will inform the GSC and the student will have a confidential, closed exit seminar with only the committee present.

Other rules about the Final Oral Examination, including the selection of the Examination Committee, action by the Graduate School Representative, postponement, and the decision concerning the student’s performance and repetition of the examination, are stated in the Graduate School Handbook.

Stipends

Stipends for new and renewed GAs in the department are determined according to the university’s annually established levels. Instruction and general fees and non-resident fees, when applicable, are authorized by the department or university for all GAs on at least a .5 FTE appointment for the duration of the appointment.

Other Forms of Financial Support, Including Outside Jobs

All graduate students on or above a 0.5 FTE paid appointment (GRA, GTA, or Fellowship) may not have any other employment.  Exceptions are by advisor petition to the Graduate Studies Committee.  Exceptions for Fellows also require Graduate School approval.  International students should check with the Office of International Affairs to determine their eligibility.

Fellowships for qualified applicants are available from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and the Ohio State Graduate School. Occasionally, the department needs for graduate students to perform part-time service anywhere from one week to a few months.  Students who are not appointed as GAs are offered the opportunity to fill this need at an hourly pay rate; however, these assignments do not provide fee authorizations.

Criteria for Reappointment or Termination of GA

The department’s criteria for reappointment or termination of GAs are listed in the Graduate School Handbook.

Grievance Procedures 

Grievance procedures are handled as stated in the Graduate School Handbook.

Benefits

Benefits for GAs in the department are listed in the Graduate School Handbook.  Specifically, concerning Time Off, GAs who have been assigned to assist with laboratory classes are expected to report to the Instructor in charge one week before the beginning of the semester.

GAs who are appointed to research assignments are expected to work during the semester breaks.  Such GAs are entitled to 10 working days of Time Off following one full year of service. Time Off cannot be accrued.

The Graduate Studies Committee assigns students to desks in the common areas of 220, 230, 240, 266, 320, 330, 340 Parker and 044, 048, 144A Howlett. While priority will be given to professors proximate to the lab, assignments will be made based on need and availability. 

Objectives

• To motivate and encourage graduate students to contribute to our excellent teaching program for our undergraduate students.
• To provide graduate students the teaching opportunity experience and the advantages of award recognition for obtaining academic faculty positions after their graduate study.

Selection Criteria

Graduate students assisting with laboratory instruction should be nominated and evaluated by students for the award.  There will be one category of recognition: the Departmental Outstanding Teaching Award with an individual plaque, name on the Departmental Award Display Plaque, and a cash award of $500.  The Departmental Outstanding Teaching Award will be given to the top student each year with at least 80% of the students rating them in the top 25% and 70% of the students voting “yes” to the candidate who deserves the award.  The percentage calculation will be made based on the number of students present in the classroom when the ballot voting occurs.

Evaluation Sheet

(1) Ranks among TAs at the university: 

Top 5%, Top 25%, Top 50%, Below 50% 

(2) Should the nominee receive the award? Yes or No

A student can receive a maximum of two teaching awards during their entire graduate study. 

The Academic Program Manager will solicit nominations for the award in the 10th week of the semester.  The Department Chair and Chair of the Awards Committee will present the award to the winner at the Spring Graduation Party.

Evaluation

The student evaluation will be administrated and tabulated by a staff member.  The staff member should keep records until the end of the following semester.  

Objective 

To motivate and encourage graduate students to publish research in top-tier food science (or related) journals or patent research inventions in a timely manner. 

Award Criteria

All the graduate students who meet the award criteria will be presented with the award. 

MS student: One or more journal research publications (and/or patent) with cumulative score of 2 and above. 
Cumulative score = (publication 1)*(CF1) + (publication 2)*(CF2) > 2

PhD student: Three or more journal research publications (and or patents) with cumulative score of 5 and above
Cumulative score = (publication 1)*(CF1) + (publication 2)*(CF2) + (publication 3)*(CF3) > 5

Calculation of Cumulative Score

The impact factor of an academic journal is an index calculated by Clarivate that reflects the yearly mean number of citations of articles published in the last two years in a given journal. 

Refer to Clarivate Journal Citation Reports for impact factors (IF) for various food science and technology journals. Use the impact factor for the year you are applying the award to determine the calculation factor (CF):

IF 0–3:  CF = 1; 
IF 3-6:  CF = 2;
IF 6-12: CF = 3;
IF > 12: CF = 4

Provisional patent: CF = 2; Utility patent: CF = 3

Additional Considerations 

Original peer-reviewed journal articles or provisional or utility patents must be based on thesis or dissertation research. For multi-author publications or patents, document your significant research contributions; please include full citations for each publication. The Food Science and Technology Awards Committee will decide the appropriateness of the work if there are any uncertainties or questions. 

Award Selection

Submit supporting material for the award (electronic copies of the publication, patent) to the Chair of Food Science and Technology Awards Committee. M.S. students apply for the award within 2 1/2 years after 
starting the MS program. Doctoral students should apply within 5 years after starting the PhD program. 

Awards

1. Individual Plaque and $500 Cash Award 
2. Departmental Award Display Plaque 

As a part of our graduate student program, students will have many opportunities to participate in competitions and be recognized for their excellence.  Some of those opportunities, which are open to all our students, are highlighted below.  While the exact dates will change each calendar year (and can be checked using the links provided), the general timeline will remain the same.

Hayes Forum

The Edward F. Hayes Graduate Research Forum is co-sponsored by the Council of Graduate Students, the Graduate School, and the Office of Research.  The competition takes place each year during the spring semester.  The benefits of participating in this competition are as follows:

• Encourages graduate students to share their research with the academic community 
• Recognizes outstanding graduate student research at Ohio State
• Facilitates exchange between students, faculty, administration, and the public
• Provides a significant professional development experience for graduate students

CFAES poster competition

This poster competition takes place in conjunction with the annual Celebration of Research Week, usually held in April.

CFAES Research and Graduate Education Internal Grants Program Competition

The Graduate Student IGP Awards are intended to accomplish the following objectives:

• Provide graduate students with an opportunity to gain experience with research methods in food, agriculture, environmental sciences, human ecology and related social sciences
• Introduce graduate students to the grant-writing and peer-review processes
• Stimulate faculty-graduate student collaborations and mentoring of graduate students by CFAES faculty

The application can be found on the CFAES research page, and is typically due in December. Acceptable expenses for the grant include materials and supplies, domestic travel, publication costs, rental fees, and other expenses.

IFT 

IFT Student Association Competitions provide student members of IFT the unique opportunity to compete individually or in teams.  Competition details are found on the IFTSA website.

IFT Graduate Research Paper Competition

IFT, in coordination with Phi Tau Sigma, hosts an annual Graduate Research Paper Competition.  Students entering the competition must be IFT members by the date of submission.  Please see the IFT website (www.ift.org) for details.

OVIFT poster competition

The Ohio Valley section of the IFT sponsors a student poster competition, typically held in March or April together with the OVIFT Symposium or the OVIFT Suppliers Expo. In 2024, it will be in the autumn. The submission of a poster abstract has traditionally been due about 10 days before the event.  Information about opportunities for students through OVIFT can be found at the OVIFT website.

Russell Klein OSUN poster and oral competition 

This competition takes place during the spring. Information about entering the competition is announced at the beginning of the spring semester in the blog posts of the Council of Graduate Students which can be found at http://cgs.osu.edu/blog/

The Pamela Parker Gartin and Tom Parker Graduate Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded to one graduate student per academic year as part of the Pat and Bobby Moser Scholars Program. The award is given to a student with a high caliber of leadership experience in addition to significant research experience and activity. Self-nominations are requested in the Spring semester via the department listserv. 

The following forms are going to be housed within the department's intranet. All current faculty, staff and students can access the food science and technology intranet. 

• MS Thesis Course Plan
• MS non-thesis Course Plan
• PhD Course Plan
• MS to PhD Transfer Form
• Graduate Student Approval of the Research Proposal Form
• Graduate Student Petition for Change of Advisor Form