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Food Business

Food Business

This concentration combines food science and business courses to prepare students for careers in the food industry, government, or private business. The food processing/business concentration is a broad discipline that offers lots of opportunities. You will learn the food processing side, where raw materials are processed into consumable items, and the business side of the industry. If you are interested in business and love food, this is the major for you! Not only will you study food from a scientific perspective, you will also learn the business side of the industry, including the marketing, economics, and technology used in the food industry. Plus, you will have opportunities to create new food products and develop new ways to manufacture, preserve and package food products. The food processing/business concentration is in the Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion major.

Occupational Outlook Handbook: The median annual wage for food scientists was $62,910 in May 2017. Overall employment of food scientists is projected to grow 7 percent from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Employment of food scientists is projected to grow as research into agricultural production methods and techniques continues.

View the curriculum

Careers

This program trains students to be successful in the food industry in the areas of processing and business in the following careers:

  • Communications and Marketing
  • Consumer Affairs Specialist
  • FDA/USDA Inspector
  • Food Manufacturing Operations Manager
  • HACCP Manager
  • Ingredient Sales or Purchasing
  • Marketing
  • Plant Management
  • Process Operations
  • Product Development
  • Quality Assurance
  • Quality Control Technician
  • Research Chef
  • Regulatory Affairs
  • Technical salesman

Food Science Minor

A minor in food science is available. Students complete 18 hours of courses in Applied Food Chemistry, Composition and Chemical Reactions of Foods, Microbiology of Foods, Food Preservation Technology, plus other courses from which students can choose.

Meat Science Endorsement

The Department of Biochemistry, Nutrition and Health Promotion and the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences offer a Meat Science Endorsement for students who wish to specialize in the meat processing industry. The 24 credit hour curriculum equips students to be career-ready professionals with a comprehensive understanding of the industry and a skill-set designed for them to make an immediate impact in meat science government, academic, or industry positions upon graduation. More information

Transfer Guide

Students may transfer to Mississippi State University from regionally accredited community, junior or senior colleges for any period of enrollment, provided they have earned a 2.0 GPA (as computed by Mississippi State University) on all college courses attempted as well as earned a 2.0 GPA on the 30-hours of core courses. Transfer students should look at the transfer course equivalent guide to determine which courses will transfer.

Internships

Internships and/or professional experience prepares students for future careers in Food Science. A significant percentage of employers prefer students with work experience outside of a college environment to students with no experience, according to new data released by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Students should check with the MSU Career Center or the program coordinator for internship opportunities.

Scholarships

Students may apply for university, college and departmental scholarships through one application. You can find the scholarship application once you login to myState. Under the banner tab, select Financial Aid and Scholarships. The application is listed as Submit/Revise General Scholarship Application.

Organizations

The Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion encourages its students to take advantage of the many experiences offered by the departmental student organizations and teams. Clubs are a great way to develop leadership skills and to learn about the various food industries. Visit the organizations page to find out more.