Pre-Health Professions
The Pre-Health Professions concentration is designed to develop students who have a thorough understanding of the principles of food science and have also fulfilled the prerequisites for medical school or other health-related professional or graduate school programs (examples include but are not limited to: medicine, nursing, physician's assistant, physical therapy, pharmacy, occupational therapy, public health, optometry, podiatry, and others). Most careers in the health profession require advanced degrees. The Pre-Health concentration is in the Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion major.
Occupational Outlook Handbook: Overall employment in healthcare occupations is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations from 2023 to 2033. About 1.9 million openings are projected each year, on average, in these occupations due to employment growth and the need to replace workers who leave the occupations permanently. The median annual wage for healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (such as dental hygienists, physicians and surgeons, and registered nurses) was $80,820 in May 2023.
Curriculum
Careers
The pre-health professions concentration prepares students for medical school or other health-related professional or graduate school programs including medicine, nursing, physician's assistant, physical therapy, pharmacy, occupational therapy, public health, optometry, podiatry, and others.
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 Biochemistry, 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. Learn more about organizations in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.