Food Science & Human Nutrition: Food Science, PhD
for the Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science and Human Nutrition, Food Science Concentration
The PhD Program in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition is a traditional on campus doctoral program. Students are required to have a research advisor and applicants are encouraged to contact department faculty in their areas of interest to inquire about possible research and funding opportunities.
Research Areas for the Food Science Concentration
In addition to receiving training in the general field of food science or human nutrition, students have the opportunity to conduct research in the following areas of specialization:
You have the opportunity to study a wide-variety of research areas related to food science, including these general focal areas of strength:
- food chemistry
- sensory science
- food microbiology
- chemical/microbial food safety
- food processing and engineering
For more information about our Graduate Degree Programs, please visit our website.
Admission
In addition to meeting the Graduate College admission requirements, a student planning to pursue a graduate degree in the department should have a baccalaureate degree in a recognized field of biological, physical, agricultural, or engineering science. Background deficiencies may be removed with graduate credit courses designed for this purpose.
Review all Food Science and Human Nutrition Admission requirements online.
International Applicants
Please visit the Illinois Graduate College resources for further admission requirements.
The Food Science MS and PHD is a STEM-designated program.
Internship in Dietetics
The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition offers a dietetic internship for master's and doctoral students specializing in human nutrition. Completion of the degree and the internship qualifies the student to take the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics registration examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. For information on our dietetic internship program, please contact Ms. Jessica Madson (jamadson@illinois.edu).
Graduate Teaching Experience
Teaching is neither a Graduate College nor a FSHN requirement. A limited number of teaching assistantships are available to FSHN graduate students. Students are selected to be Graduate Teaching Assistants by the Department Head in consultation with the course instructor.
Financial Aid
Financial aid for graduate students is available in the form of fellowships (Fall admission only), teaching and research assistantships, and tuition and partial fee waivers. Qualified candidates are considered for financial support upon application.
for the Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science and Human Nutrition, Food Science Concentration
Doctoral degrees require successful completion of a minimum of 96 semester hours of graduate credit. Doctoral degree students, regardless of transfer credits or a master’s degree completed elsewhere, must complete at least 64 hours of residence credit out of the total of 96 hours required for the doctoral degree. Thesis hours count toward residence credit.
In consultation with the advisor and advisory committee, the remainder of the 64 graduate hours required for the degree consists of courses selected from inside or outside the department that are appropriate for training in the student's field of specialization. Upon completion of all necessary formal courses and special options, the student is required to take an oral preliminary examination. After passage of the preliminary examination, the student's activities are primarily devoted to thesis research. Upon submission of the dissertation, the candidate is required to pass a final oral examination before a graduate faculty committee.
Undergraduate training must include statistics (ACE 261, CPSC 241, ECON 202, MATH 161, PSYC 235, SOC 280, or STAT 100), nutrition (equivalent to FSHN 220), and systemic physiology (equivalent to MCB 246). These undergraduate courses are not required for admission, but must be completed early in the graduate program and do not count toward concentration requirements.
Additional courses may be required beyond the concentration minimum, per Advisory Committee recommendations, depending upon student/advisor learning objectives. A student whose prior education includes course work with identical or similar content to those specified above will be guided by their advisor and Advisory Committee regarding the selection of additional course work needed to meet the minimum hours of the concentration.
Students are encouraged to take new courses, rather than retake required courses they have already taken. If you have already taken a required course at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, it is highly recommended that you do not retake it. No petition is required. If you have taken a very similar course at another university, you are strongly encouraged to petition for acceptance of that course in lieu of the required course. Courses should be selected to expand and strengthen your knowledge in core and related disciplines, and/or to increase your research capabilities. Retaking a course does not meet that objective. For additional advice on this topic, contact your advisor and faculty advisory committee.
Students are required to enroll in another seminar course if they have a conflict that precludes their enrollment in FSHN 597 or NUTR 500. The seminar course may be offered by another department.
Course selection is flexible beyond this list if decided in consultation with advisor/advisory committee.
For additional details and requirements refer to the department's graduate handbook and the Graduate College Handbook.
Entering with approved M.S./M.A. degree
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration-specific coursework selected in consultation with advisor | 26 | |
| FSHN 599 | Thesis Research (max applied toward degree) | 0 to 16 |
| Total Hours in residence | 64 | |
Entering with approved B.S./B.A. degree
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration-specific coursework selected in consultation with advisor | 26 | |
| FSHN 599 | Thesis Research (max applied toward degree) | 70 |
| Total Hours | 96 | |
Other Requirements
| Other requirements may overlap | |
| Minimum Hours Required Within the Unit: | 8 |
| Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall | 12 |
| Additional courses may be required beyond the concentration minimum per Advisory Committee recommendation | |
| Qualifying Exam Required | Yes |
| Preliminary Exam Required | Yes |
| Final Exam/Thesis Defense Required | Yes |
| Dissertation Deposit Required | Yes |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.0 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Hours for Concentration in Food Science | 26-27 | |
| Required Courses: | 16-17 | |
| FSHN 481 | Food Processing Unit Operations I | 2 |
| FSHN 483 | Food Processing Unit Operations II | 2 |
| FSHN 514 | Advanced Food Chemistry | 3 |
| FSHN 573 | Advanced Food Microbiology | 3 |
| FSHN 593 | Seminar in Foods and Nutrition | 2 |
| FSHN 595 | Advanced Topics in Food Science and Human Nutrition (Section: Nutrition for Food Scientists) | 4 |
| FSHN 597 | Graduate Seminar | 0-1 |
| or NUTR 500 | Nutritional Sciences Seminar | |
| Electives: | ||
Food Processing and Engineering | ||
| ABE 498 | Special Topics (Section: Engineering Application of Nano-scale Biology) | 1 to 4 |
| FSHN 460 | Food Processing Engineering | 3 |
| FSHN 482 | Food Processing Unit Operations I Lab | 1 |
| FSHN 484 | Food Processing Unit Operations II Lab | 1 |
Food Chemistry | ||
| FSHN 595 | Advanced Topics in Food Science and Human Nutrition (Section: Advanced Food Processing) | 1 to 4 |
| FSHN 416 | Food Chemistry Laboratory | 3 |
| FSHN 518 | Chemistry of Lipids in Foods | 3 |
| FSHN 519 | Flavor Chemistry and Analysis | 4 |
| FSHN 595 | Advanced Topics in Food Science and Human Nutrition (Section: Transport in Food Biopolymers) | 1 to 4 |
| FSHN 595 | Advanced Topics in Food Science and Human Nutrition (Section: Water Relations in Foods) | 1 to 4 |
Food Microbiology | ||
| FSHN 574 | Value Added Biotransformation | 3 |
| FSHN 595 | Advanced Topics in Food Science and Human Nutrition (Section: Food Safety for Global Food Security) | 1 to 4 |
Others (of interest to many) | ||
| FSHN 424 | Biopsychology of Ingestive Behavior | 3 |
| FSHN 440 | Applied Statistical Methods I | 4 |
| FSHN 502 | Advanced Sensory Science | 3 |
| FSHN 592 | Graduate Internship Experience | 2 |
| FSHN 598 | Advanced Special Problems (Up to 2 hours of FSHN 598 for thesis degrees.) | 1-8 |
| or NUTR 593 | Individual Topics in Nutrition | |
| CPSC 541 | Regression Analysis | 4 |
| NUTR 550 | Grantsmanship and Ethics | 3 |
for the Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science and Human Nutrition, Food Science Concentration
- Food chemistry and sensory science: will study flavor chemistry, manipulation of storage components, food safety and toxicology, structure-function behavior, and chemical stability of foods.
- Food microbiology: research genetic and physiological manipulation of bacteria, growth conditions and their effects on microbes, and fermentation.
- Chemical/microbial food safety: will study safety, production, and preservation and relations to human health.
- Food processing and engineering: research the effects of thermal processing on fats and oils, bioprocessing, state-of-the-art novel processing technologies, heat and mass transfer analysis, rheology, the use of acoustic ultrasound in processing, production systems modeling and optimization, and development of bio-based, biodegradable resins, and plastics.
for the Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science and Human Nutrition, Food Science Concentration
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
Department Head: Nicki Engeseth (engeseth@illinois.edu)
Associate Head of Graduate Programs: Pratik Banerjee (pratik@illinois.edu)
Food Science and Human Nutrition Department website
Program website
Food Science and Human Nutrition Graduate faculty
260 Bevier Hall
905 South Goodwin Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 244-4498
FSHNGradAdmissions@illinois.edu
College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences
College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences website
College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences Course Catalog website
Admissions
Overview of Department Admissions & Requirements
Graduate College Admissions & Requirements