Food Science Major
Explore Endless Possibilities
Food Science is a major offered within the College of Agriculture at Purdue University. Simply stated, food science is the study of food. Food scientists are the people who turn raw agricultural crops like corn, wheat, rice, soybean, potatoes, tomatoes, sugar, cocoa, coffee beans, hops, barley, and more into the safe delicious foods and beverages consumers buy at grocery stores and restaurants. Have you ever wondered about the processes involved to get the food on your table? See why Purdue Food Science could be the perfect fit for you!
Transcript for Food Science: Explore the Possibilities in Purdue Food Science
Visual Description: A female student in a white lab coat, safety glasses, and blue gloves carefully pours liquid from a dark bottle through a funnel into a volumetric pipette.
Audio Narration: "You like science."Visual Description: A male student wearing safety glasses and blue gloves leans close to a laboratory bench, pouring liquid from a glass beaker into a graduated cylinder alongside several Erlenmeyer flasks.
Audio Narration: "You always have."
Visual Description: A student sitting at a biosafety cabinet uses a micropipette to transfer liquid samples into multi-well trays and test tubes.
Audio Narration: "From working in a lab,"
Visual Description: Four students wearing hairnets and white lab coats gather around a laptop placed on a stainless steel work table, pointing at the screen and discussing a project.
Audio Narration: "...to learning and talking about innovations and ideas."
Visual Description: Students wearing hairnets and lab coats surround a stainless steel table piled high with vibrant fresh produce, including sweet peppers, onions, and pineapples. One student holds up a ripe red bell pepper.
Audio Narration: "You're passionate about food."
Visual Description: A student wearing a Purdue Boilermakers shirt tastes a food sample off a small spoon at an event booth.
Audio Narration: "Not just how it tastes, but..."
Visual Description: On a farm field, a mechanical harvester loads freshly picked red tomatoes into a large tractor trailer bed.
Audio Narration: "...how it's sourced,"
Visual Description: Two lab-coated students in hairnets and gloves pour a thick liquid mixture from a stainless steel pitcher into a large vat while blending.
Audio Narration: "...manufactured,"
Visual Description: An industrial packaging machine heat-seals a metallic foil aseptic package while releasing a burst of steam.
Audio Narration: "...and packaged."
Visual Description: A student wearing a hairnet and gloves empties a perforated stainless steel bowl filled with sliced yellow bell peppers into a large commercial cooking vat.
Audio Narration: "In a way that is safe..."
Visual Description: An automated industrial mechanical mixer with twin impellers rotates rapidly inside a vat of bright yellow puree.
Audio Narration: "...and accessible to consumers around the world."
Visual Description: Two students in lab coats and hairnets fill small disposable sample cups with orange juice poured from juice containers.
Audio Narration: "And you have other interests."
Visual Description: A person uses a large cleaver knife to chop a pineapple on a cutting board in a kitchen laboratory.
Audio Narration: "Making food more nutritious,"
Visual Description: A hand uses a fork to scrape food scraps and greens off a ceramic plate directly into a waste bin.
Audio Narration: "...reducing food waste,"
Visual Description: A hand tosses a plastic container into three color-coded recycling bins labeled for paper, plastic, and organic waste.
Audio Narration: "...all while keeping sustainability and safety in mind."
Visual Description: A student wearing protective glasses and gloves inspects a bubbling solution inside a glass beaker on a hot plate stirrer equipped with a thermometer probe.
Audio Narration: "When you explore the possibilities in Food Science at Purdue University,"
Visual Description: Metal tongs place golden-brown fried croquettes onto eco-friendly palm-leaf plates.
Audio Narration: "...you can channel your interests..."
Visual Description: Three students in formal business attire present slides titled "Tikka Masala Chick'n Croquettes" on a presentation screen inside a conference room.
Audio Narration: "...into a great career."
Visual Description: A person wearing a tie-dye lab coat pushes a tray with sample dishes through a small service hatch labeled with the number 4.
Audio Narration: "You'll have lots of options in the industry because of your experiences in research,"
Visual Description: Inside a sensory tasting cubicle, a student seated in front of a computer screen uses a spoon to evaluate food samples from numbered plastic cups.
Audio Narration: "...test labs,"
Visual Description: An instructor in a lab coat and safety glasses demonstrates control panels on large industrial pilot plant processing equipment to a student.
Audio Narration: "...and even a small-scale manufacturing facility."
Visual Description: In a pilot plant facility, a student in a hairnet and gloves seals glass bottles filled with honey.
Audio Narration: "Not to mention all of the internships that are available."
Visual Description: A student in safety glasses uses a micropipette to transfer liquid samples onto a microscopic test slide setup.
Audio Narration: "Our track record is impressive."
Visual Description: At an indoor career fair, a student in a pink suit speaks with company representatives standing in front of branded display banners for Land O'Lakes and Purina.
Audio Narration: "100% of our graduates get jobs or go on to grad school."
Visual Description: A faculty member and a student wearing lab coats examine melon samples together at a laboratory workstation.
Audio Narration: [Upbeat instrumental music continues]
Visual Description: A student wearing a hairnet and lab coat carries a tray of freshly baked foods past a commercial cooking kettle.
Audio Narration: "Find out how you can pursue your passions..."
Visual Description: A young man wearing glasses and a backpack smiles while selecting fresh tomatoes from a colorful produce display inside a grocery store.
Audio Narration: "...and help feed the world."
Visual Description: Closing title card displays screen text: "DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SCIENCE", Email: foodsci@purdue.edu, Phone: 765-494-8256, Website: ag.purdue.edu/foodsci, along with the Purdue University College of Agriculture logo.
Audio Narration: [Upbeat instrumental music fades out]
the right fit for you
If you can answer YES to some of these questions, talk to our food science academic advisor, Patrick Tiffany, ptiffan@purdue.edu, about a bachelor's degree in food science and schedule a visit.- Do you like food?
- Do you like science?
- Do you wonder how food is made?
- Do you like to create foods and beverages?
- Do you want to help people have access to safe, nutritious, delicious, affordable food and beverages?
- Are you interested in biology, chemistry, engineering, technology, food safety, food security, food processing, culinary arts, nutrition, medicine?
- Are you interested in food law, regulations, policy?
- Do you like to solve problems?
careers in food science
Food scientists have many career paths including product development, research and development, quality assurance, food safety, food law, food policy, food supply chain, procurement, sales, and more! Some of our bachelor's degree graduates continue their education and pursue medical school, law school, or business school. Check out the Institute of Food Technologists Careers in Food Science page for more information about food science jobs, salary, food scientist profiles. You can also contact Purdue Department of Food Science Senior Academic Advisor, Patrick Tiffany, ptiffan@purdue.edu for more information.
Plan of study
Purdue University's Food Science bachelor of science degree program consists of 120 credit hours that can be completed in 8 semesters on the West Lafayette, Indiana campus. The Purdue University catalog lists the detailed requirements and list of food science courses.
Bachelor of Science Degree Food Science Major Details and Plan of Study
Purdue Food Science offers scholarships specifically for students pursing a food science bachelor's degree. Every year, our students receive departmental scholarships totaling over $150,000! Check out the Purdue College of Agriculture Scholarship page for details.
Purdue Food Science offers scholarships specifically for students pursing a food science bachelor's degree. Every year, our students receive departmental scholarships totaling over $150,000! Check out the Purdue College of Agriculture Scholarship page for details.
As the largest industry in the United States, food processing employs nearly 2 million people and accounts for more than 16% of the country's gross national product. As the industry strives to meet consumers' demands, the job market for trained food scientists grows.
The average starting salary for Purdue Food Science students with a bachelor's degree is ~$64,000 per year. As food scientists grow in their careers, they can expect to earn over $100,000 per year.
TAKE YOUR NEXT GIANT LEAP
Discover Purdue Food Science! Set up a campus visit to see if Purdue Food Science is the right fit for you.
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