About the Department
The Department of Food Science at Penn State is one of the premier food science departments in the country.
The Department of Food Science is Penn State’s home for the emerging technologies and best practices required for producing, safe, delicious, nutritious food. Our small-school atmosphere facilitates a warm, welcoming, intellectually stimulating, and professional environment.
Our work is closely aligned with the demands of industry and the needs of the community. We boast state-of-the-art facilities and world-class faculty with years of working experience in their fields.
Student success drives the department. Our undergraduate Food Science major offers students hands-on science with real-world applications, strong internship experiences, wide-ranging scholarship opportunities, and excellent job placement.
Our graduate program offers master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees. Graduate students receive in-depth training in the core disciplines of food chemistry, food microbiology, food engineering and processing, and sensory evaluation.
Research is facilitated through core disciplines as well as following collaborative multidisciplinary signature areas: Microbial Food Safety, Food Choice, Food-Based Solutions for Enhanced Health, and the Material Nature of Foods, as well as underlying cross-cutting research themes of Food Quality and Food Fermentation. Students can participate in meaningful research from the first semester of their first year.
Meet our faculty, staff, and students, and see why we are one of the premier food science departments in the country.
Latest News
April 29, 2024
Sending a 'We Are!' to these Penn Staters — April 29
As part of our regular "We Are!" feature, we recognize 16 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.
Read MoreApril 29, 2024
Sour Patch adults: 1 in 8 grown-ups love extreme tartness, study shows
For most people, biting into a lemon would leave them puckered up and desperate to lose that sour flavor, but a new study by Penn State researchers revealed that roughly one in eight adults like intensely sour sensations. The cross-cultural study, recently published in the journal Food Quality and Preference, demonstrated there is a subset of “sour likers” who enjoy exceptionally sour foods.
Read MoreApril 8, 2024
College of Ag Sciences recognizes students, faculty for exceptional achievements
During its annual meeting on April 3, the Penn State chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the agricultural honor society, honored faculty and students from the College of Agricultural Sciences.
Read MoreApril 5, 2024
Size of salty snack influences eating behavior that determines amount consumed
The size of an individual snack piece not only influences how fast a person eats it, but also how much of it they eat, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State. With nearly a quarter of daily calorie intake in the United States coming from snacks, these findings may have implications for helping people better understand how eating behavior impacts calorie and sodium intake.
Read MoreUpcoming Events
Preventive Controls for Human Foods Ceritification - University Park
May 14-16, 2024
University Park, PA
Principles of Sensory Evaluation
May 14-16, 2024
Erickson Food Science Building
Seminar - Characterizing E. coli and Salmonella obtained from the vegetable supply chain in Cambodia: identifying diversity and transmission
May 16, 2024
226 Erickson Food Science Building
Food Microbiology Short Course
May 21-23, 2024
Erickson Food Science Building
Department of Food Science
- Email foodsci@psu.edu
- Office (814) 865-5444
- Fax (814) 863-6132