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Food Science and Human Nutrition

Master of Science (M.S.)

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Get an MS Through UW

Help prevent disease and enhance human potential with knowledge and experience gained in the Master of Science in Food Science and Human Nutrition program at the University of Wyoming. UW’s food science and human nutrition master’s degree integrates food and nutritional sciences with the biological sciences, natural sciences and social sciences for a flexible, research-based program.

In this highly competitive graduate degree program, you’ll gain direct experience with data collection, analysis, writing and publication through laboratory and classroom learning experiences. Choose your research focus to pursue graduate studies in areas such as food microbiology, human nutrition and metabolism, meat science and food chemistry, food product development and community nutrition.

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Program Details

Tuition and Fees

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Program Requirements

Curriculum & Courses

Department

Family and Consumer Sciences Department
Animal Science Department

What is Food Science and Human Nutrition?

When you apply for the master’s degree program in food science and human nutrition at UW, you indicate the research experience you want and faculty member you’re interested in working with. Our graduate program faculty are actively conducting research in the areas of eating behaviors, indigenous/traditional diets, micronutrient needs and deficiencies, food product development, sensory characteristics of food products, health and physical performance of active individuals, nutrition and disease, brain-reward pathway, microbial diagnostics, rumen microbiome, nitrogen/protein metabolism, lipid analysis and alternative feed/forages.

As part of a university that has been epically innovative since 1886, we are making amazing discoveries to impact food production, disease prevention and public health. The world needs more relentless curiosity. Research experiences in food science and human nutrition are readily available.

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Choose specific graduate courses, many of which include service-learning and college teaching opportunities, that align with your research interest and career goals. These are just some of the diverse topics available in the food science and human nutrition master’s program at the University of Wyoming:

  • Advanced Nutrition
  • Mammalian Endocrinology
  • Nutrition and Weight Control
  • Maternal/Infant/Adolescent Nutrition
  • Food Microbiology
  • Global Public Health

View the full Master of Science in Food Science and Human Nutrition degree program curriculum.

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You can earn your master’s degree in food science and human nutrition through the Department of Animal Science or Family and Consumer Sciences. You also have an interdisciplinary program option, which adds a theory component to your laboratory and classroom learning.

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What Can You Do With a Food Science and Human Nutrition Master’s Degree?

Graduate students who earn their M.S. in food science and human nutrition find jobs in clinical, community and research settings. They have also been accepted into professional education and doctoral degree programs across the United States in fields such as human medicine and health care.

Human nutrition and food science jobs include research, food product development, quality control, marketing, management, sales, advertising, public relations, regulation, food microbiology, health and wellness, public health and community nutrition, college teaching and extension work.

If you enter the food science and human nutrition graduate program as Registered Dietitian (RD) or pursue an RD after earning your master’s degree, you’ll have even more opportunities for human nutrition and food science jobs in fields such as inpatient care, nutrition counseling and sports nutrition.

Food Science and Human Nutrition Careers

UW graduates from the food science and human nutrition master’s degree program hold titles such as:

  • Quality and Product Development Manager
  • Research and Development Manager
  • Food Industry Consultant
  • Director of Food Safety and Assurance
  • Nutrition and Regulatory Specialist
  • Clinical Dietitian
  • Research Assistant Professor 

 

 

Chef in Washakie Dining Center

Here are a few places where food science and human nutrition alumni have made a difference:

  • Chobani
  • Nestlé Purina North America
  • General Mills
  • Glanbia Nutritionals, Inc.
  • Abbott Laboratories
  • Clear Springs Foods
  • Butter Buds
  • Air National Guard
  • Memphis VA Medical Center 
  • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  • ELITE One Source Nutritional Services
  • University of Kentucky
  • Watson, Inc.
  • Ingredion Incorporated
  • Plains All American
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Food Science and Human Nutrition Program Highlights

Here are some reasons to consider the UW food science and human nutrition graduate program:

Modern Facilities

As a graduate student in UW’s food science and human nutrition master’s program, you’ll have access to modern facilities with major lab instrumentation, including metabolic cart, DEXA and nutrient composition analysis technology. In particular, you may find useful our meat processing laboratory, sensory evaluation rooms, experimental kitchens and a variety of research facilities involving small animals and human subjects.

Graduate Thesis or Project

The food science and human nutrition master’s degree program culminates in a written paper and oral defense of your graduate thesis or project. This is also an opportunity to submit your work for publication in a scholarly journal or presentation at a professional conference.

Community

Our food science and human nutrition graduate students are closely connected to department activities, courses and undergraduate students. You’ll have a variety of opportunities to collaborate with faculty and drive your own research focus area.

Financial Aid

Pursue a graduate assistantship available on a competitive basis from the university to full-time students studying on campus in Laramie, Wyoming. Additional assistantships supported by grants and special projects may also be available, as well as student loans and part-time jobs.

Several graduate students in the food science and human nutrition master’s degree program at UW have been awarded the Ellbogen Outstanding GA Teaching Award for their involvement with teaching. You’ll have a variety of opportunities to gain college teaching experience through undergraduate classes, which can lead to a certificate in college teaching through UW’s Center for Teaching and Learning.

Related Programs

Are you considering a career in food science and human nutrition? These programs might also be of interest:

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Family and Consumer Sciences

Dr. Christine Wade | Department Head

Department 3354, 1000 E. University Avenue

Laramie, WY 82071

Phone: (307) 766-4145

Email: fam-consci@uwyo.edu