General Degree Requirements

General Coursework Requirements

Students receiving a M.S. or Ph.D. in Food Science must have satisfactorily completed (Grade C or above) FDSC 500A, FDSC 500B, FDSC 500C, FDSC 500D, and FDSC 501.

It is the responsibility of international graduate students to take the Penn State American English Oral Communicative Proficiency Test (AEOCPT) prior to their first semester in the program. The Graduate Program Coordinator will register international students for this exam and notify students of their test date/time in advance of arrival. To view details and additional information, please visit About AEOCPT.

On April 7, 1981, the Penn State Faculty Senate passed legislation mandating that "all graduate teaching assistants whose first language is not English" must take and pass an oral language proficiency test. This legislation is in accordance with legislation passed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under Act 76, the English Fluency in Higher Education Act.

Exemptions: Citizens of countries listed on this Fox Graduate School webpage are exempt from the AEOCPT. Degrees from countries on the list, including the US, do not exempt students from the AEOCPT.

Enrollment

In accordance with GCAC-501 Credit Load, GSAD-501 Credit Loads and Academic Status for Graduate Assistants, GSAD-502 Credit Loads for International Students, Penn State Global Enrollment Requirements, and College of Agricultural Sciences recommendation, the Department of Food Science encourages MS and pre-comp Ph.D. graduate students on ½ time assistantships to enroll for the maximum of 12 credits each Fall and Spring semester. For most students this means registering for FDSC 600 (research) credits to meet the 12-credit maximum credit load. Each semester, students should enroll in their academic courses and wait for the Graduate Program Coordinator to contact them regarding enrollment in FDSC 600 credits.

Teaching Experience

All Food Science graduate students have an academic requirement of obtaining teaching experience for their graduate degree. Non-Food Science graduate students advised by Food Science faculty are expected to serve as Teaching Assistants (TAs) in the Department as if they were Food Science graduate students.

Graduate students in their first year are expected to register for FDSC 602, Supervised Experience in College Teaching, in preparation for a Teaching Assistant (TA) assignment beginning in year two. From the second year on, a graduate student can expect to TA once per year. Therefore, M.S. students completing the degree in two years would TA once during their degree program and a Ph.D. student completing the degree in three years would TA twice during their program, however, if they are taking longer, they are expected to serve as TA every year past their first year.

During each Spring semester the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) solicits student preferences for courses to TA and faculty preferences for students to assist as TA. The DGS then makes tentative assignments based on the following priorities:

  • Required courses with lab sections take precedence.
  • Both student and faculty preferences and the obligation to provide a quality experience to the undergraduates. For this reason, qualifications (research area) and past TA experience are important and considered.
  • Anticipated graduation date to avoid a TA assignment in the last semester. If the Graduate Program Coordinator is made aware of graduate date, effort is made to avoid course conflicts.
  • Preference that graduate students do not TA for their research advisor(s).

It is recommended that TAs visit the University Bulletins Undergraduate Food Science Courses  to become familiar with the Food Science undergraduate courses. For additional information on courses (beyond that available in the Bulletin, e.g. a course syllabus), contact the course instructor or ask a fellow student that has assisted with the course in the past.

The DGS discusses the tentative assignments with the Department Head to arrive at the final TA assignments for the coming academic year. The final assignment is typically communicated in late spring/early summer.

Assistantships/Time Limitations

Department Assistantship appointments are normally ½ time (20 hours/week, plus 9-12 credits) and made on an annual basis. Renewal of the assistantship is contingent on satisfactory academic progress. Please discuss with your advisor(s) what this entails.

Review policies GCAC-610  and GCAC-632 regarding time limitations for successful degree completion.

Grade-Point Average

A minimum grade-point average of 3.0 for work done at the University is required for graduation. See policy GCAC-404 Satisfactory Scholarship.

Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR; formerly known as SARI)

At least one CITI training course (RCR recommended) and a minimum of 5 hours of in-person discussion-based education and Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) requirements are necessary for graduation. In Food Science, successful completion of FDSC 501 satisfies the RECR requirement. 

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Penn State is committed to providing access to students with disabilities to the university's graduate programs. The Office for Student Disability Resources (SDR) offers support specifically tailored to the needs of graduate students. The office considers the need for accommodations in the following areas:

  1.  graduate assistantship accommodations;
  2.  coursework accommodations;
  3.  lab, fieldwork, and clinical work accommodations;
  4.  qualifying / comprehensive exams accommodations;
  5.  thesis / dissertation accommodations.

An overview of disability resources specific to graduate students can be found online.

To be considered for reasonable accommodations, students are required to contact the SDR office, participate in an intake interview, provide documentation, and complete the registration process. Students should be aware that it may take time to go through the intake process, and that they may not know in advance whether accommodations will be needed either for their coursework or for their milestone exams. We thus recommend that students register with SDR for any eligible disabilities in advance, ensuring that all documentation is in place should accommodations be needed at any point during their graduate program. Students can register with SDR and choose not to request accommodations once registered.

Once registered, students can approach course instructors (for course accommodations) and/or the DGS or PIC (for accommodations to other program requirements, including benchmark examinations) to request accommodations. For milestone examinations, this process is required for each milestone examination for which you request accommodations. Specific accommodations are determined through an interactive process and tailored to each student’s needs with the goals of upholding rigor and disciplinary expectations in each of the distinct components of graduate education.

Students who would like accommodations for academic events (such as non-course-based department colloquia or seminars) that are not covered under the official SDR categories are encouraged to express these needs to the program leadership (e.g. DGS, PIC, or program head) and/or SDR.

Individual Development Plan (IDP)

An Individual Development Plan is to be developed between the student and their advisor(s) at the beginning of each fall semester as a tool to assist in identifying areas for scientific and personal development.  An IDP can be initiated by the student or by the advisor and should be completed within the first 4 weeks after starting the program (e.g., start of fall semester) and annually after that. A half-year check-in at the beginning of the following semester is highly recommended. At the end of the spring semester and no later than 4 weeks after the end of the semester, the student and advisor(s) must check-in and evaluate progress and development.

Annual Review

Each spring there will be a formal review of all students to ascertain progress through the program via the Annual Graduate Student Evaluation Form. The Graduate Program Coordinator initiates and facilitates the flow of this process and will send an email to students attaching the form including instructions for completion and processing. The Graduate Program Coordinator provides the completed evaluation forms to the Director of Graduate Studies for review and completion. NOTE: Part Three of the evaluation form has space for text as an opportunity for the student to communicate to the Director of Graduate Studies. This information remains confidential. If improvements are needed the Director of Graduate Studies will send the student and their advisor(s) a letter detailing a remediation plan that is developed with the advisor(s). This process may change during the academic year and additional details will be provided in the spring semester.

Thesis/Dissertation Research Seminar

All Food Science graduate students are required to present a seminar on their completed research before their final defense. The presentation is to be 30-45 minutes in length with an abstract and bibliography made available to the audience. This presentation is viewed as a professional obligation to the Department and is considered a general Food Science graduate degree requirement. The seminar should be scheduled preferably during the weekly Department Seminar Series, if possible. Weekly seminars through the Department Seminar Series are planned one semester in advance and organized through the Seminar Committee. Department seminars have a set weekly schedule of Thursday at 4 p.m. during the fall and spring semesters.

The scheduling of a thesis/dissertation research seminar is administered by the student's advisor in conjunction with their thesis/dissertation committee and the Seminar Committee. Once a date is selected, but at least two weeks prior to the scheduled seminar, provide the Graduate Program Coordinator with the title and abstract of the seminar alongside the names of three evaluators (see below). If not a part of the Department Seminar Series, the student should submit a Grad Request Form no later than 45 days prior to the date of the seminar so that a room can be reserved and so that the Graduate Program Coordinator is aware of the seminar date/time. The thesis research seminar will be evaluated by members of the Graduate Faculty in Food Science using the rubric detailed in the Defense Seminar Review Form. The student, in consultation with their advisor(s), should ask three faculty who are not on the student’s committee to serve as evaluators. One evaluator may be a post-doc. The completed evaluations will be given to the Graduate Program Coordinator who will share the completed evaluations with the student. This evaluation is part of the ongoing assessment of the Graduate Program in Food Science by the Graduate Program Committee (GPC) and is not part of the thesis defense.

Electronic Submission of Dissertation and Thesis (eTD)

Electronic submission of the final dissertation (eTD) is a requirement for all graduate doctoral students at Penn State. Master's students must also submit the final thesis as an electronic document. Both should be submitted for formatting review and final submission by the Thesis, Dissertation, Performance and Oral Presentation Deadlines Calendar as per GSAD-510 – Thesis Submission.  For information on formatting requirements and the submission process see the Thesis and Dissertation Handbook. Visit the eTD website to review previously uploaded Theses and Dissertations. 

Food Science Student Resources

Please visit the Food Science Graduate Program Student Resources for information about our program. 

College of Agricultural Sciences Resources

Dual-Title Degree Programs

For general information on Dual-Title Degree Programs, review Policy GCAC-208.

Clinical and Translational Science

The Department of Food Science participates in the Clinical and Translational Science Dual Title program. Visit the CTS Dual Title Handbook to review the requirements of the program. A CTS graduate faculty member must be included on the doctoral committee and must participate in all doctoral milestones (qualifying exam, comprehensive exam, defense).

International Agriculture and Development

The Department of Food Science participates in the International Agriculture and Development (INTAD) Dual Title program. Visit INTAD Degree Requirements for more information. An INTAD graduate faculty member must be included on the master's or doctoral committee and participate in all milestones (qualifying exam, comprehensive exam, defense).

Microbiome Sciences

The Department of Food Science participates in the Microbiome Sciences Dual Title program. Visit Microbiome Sciences for more information. A Microbiome Sciences graduate faculty member will need to be either the chair or else appointed as co-chair of the doctoral committee and participate in the oral comprehensive exam and final thesis defense. Note that the topic of the thesis must contain a substantial microbiome component.  

Fox Graduate School Links to Information and Policies

The Department of Food Science Graduate Program adheres to The Fox Graduate School Policies.  Below are links to more frequently referenced policies (in numeric order).  For a complete list of Fox Graduate School policies, visit Penn State Fox Graduate School Policies.

Student Support

New Students

Summer Tuition Assistance Program (STAP) Funding

Information for Graduate Assistants Webpage covers topics such as:

Frequently Referenced Policies:

Transfer Credit: GCAC-309

Credit Load: GCAC-501

Credit Load for International Students: GSAD-502

Continuity of Registration and Resume Study: GCAC-514

Registration Requirements When Course Work Has Been Completed: GCAC-515

Residency Requirement: GCAC-601

Time Limitation – Research Doctorate: GCAC-610

Time Limitation – Research Master's: GCAC-632  

Student Conduct and Performance Policies:

Conduct:  GCAC-801

Student Affairs: The Student Code of Conduct

Procedures for Resolution of Problems:  GCAC-802

Termination of the Degree Program for Unsatisfactory Scholarship: GCAC-803

Termination of Assistantships Due to Inadequate Performance:  GCAC-804

Academic Integrity:  GCAC-805

Graduate Assistants: GSAD-901

Graduate Student Leave of Absence: GSAD-906

Graduate Enrollment Services: Student Forms