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
July 19, 2024
Penn State professor named to advisory board of National Smell and Taste Center
John Hayes, professor of food science and director of the Sensory Evaluation Center in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has been appointed to the external scientific advisory board of the newly established National Smell and Taste Center at the National Institutes of Health.
Read MoreJuly 10, 2024
College of Ag Sciences students explore Italian viticulture with alumni support
In May, 21 Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences students, mostly undergraduates, embarked on a unique learning journey to Italy, studying grape growing, vinification and wine marketing.
Read MoreJune 13, 2024
Penn State Dairy Products Evaluation Team places high in a national contest
The Penn State Dairy Products Evaluation Team recently competed in the Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest in Milwaukee, placing high in several categories.
Read MoreJune 10, 2024
Researchers develop model to guide milk processors’ food safety decisions
Certain strains of bacteria can withstand heat treatments such as pasteurization of milk and possess the potential to induce foodborne illness. To help minimize and predict the magnitude of this risk, a team led by Penn State researchers developed a model that can guide processors to improve food safety.
Read MoreUpcoming Events
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Programs for Meat and Poultry Processors (HACCP) -University Park, PA
August 20-21, 2024
University Park, PA
Venison 101: Hands-On Butchering, Processing, and Cooking
August 23, 2024
Penn State Meat Laboratory/The Butcher Block at Penn State
Dairy Basics: Fundamentals of Quality and Safety - University Park, PA
August 27, 2024
University Park, PA
Hazard Analysis and Preventive Controls Workshop for Small-Scale Dairy Processors - University Park, PA
August 28, 2024
University, PA
Department of Food Science
- Email foodsci@psu.edu
- Office (814) 865-5444
- Fax (814) 863-6132