OVERVIEW OF DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Minimum number of credits required to earn minor: 18
GPA requirements to earn minor: None
Minimum Grade requirements for courses to count toward minor: C- or higher
Contact Information: Julie Milan, Director of Academic Services, 120 Hitchner Hall, 581-3315, julie.milan@maine.edu
Residency Requirement: 15 of the 18 credits for this minor must be taken at the University of Maine
This minor allows students with basic science degrees to have some training in food science and to be more competitive in the job market. It may be of interest to science or business majors who wish to seek employment in the food industry or with government agencies associated with food. Food companies will hire graduates with degrees in basic sciences and engineering.
Completion of the Food Science minor does not satisfy the reduced professional time required to sit for the Certified Food Scientist examination. A person with a B.S. degree in Food Science or the Food Science concentration may take the CFS exam after 3 years of professional employment; persons with a bachelor’s degree in a related science may not take the exam until 6 years of employment in food science. The certification examination covers product development, quality assurance and control, food engineering, food chemistry and food analysis, food law, food microbiology, food safety, food engineering and sensory evaluation and consumer testing. This breadth of knowledge is not possible with this minor.
Please note:
- Be sure to consider the prerequisites for the courses below when planning for this minor.
- No more than 3 credits of FSN 396 Field Experience in Food Science and Human Nutrition may be counted towards the 18-credit total.
- No more than 3 credits of FSN 397 Independent Study in Food Science and Human Nutrition may be counted towards the 18-credit total.
- Seniors may take the 500-level graduate classes, if they meet the prerequisite.
- Some of the courses below may be offered in alternate years. Be sure to check the course descriptions in the online Undergraduate Catalog.