Bi-State School of Food Science

Graduate Degrees

Doctor of Philosophy
in Food Science


quick
links
 Undergraduate Preparation
Minimum Degreee Requirements
Application Process
Teaching/Research Assistantship Information

 

The School of Food Science offers a program of study leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree in food science. The program shares teaching and research activities with the Department of Food Science and Toxicology at the University of Idaho.

The following policies and procedures have been established as a guide to prospective students and advisors. This document is intended to be a supplement to the Graduate School Policies and Procedures established by the Graduate School at Washington State University. Faculty and prospective students should be familiar with both documents. For more information on policies and procedures, visit Graduate School website.

 

Undergraduate Preparation:

A. Chemistry
 
  • Two semesters of general/inorganic chemistry
  • One semester of organic chemistry
  • One semester of biochemistry
B. Biological Science
 
  • Two semesters including general microbiology
C. Mathematics
 
  • One course in calculus
D. Nutrition
 
  • One course
E. Physics
 
  • One course

Courses listed above that are not taken as part of the studentís undergraduate education will be considered to be deficiencies after admission for graduate education in FSHN. These deficiencies must be corrected early in the graduate program by enrollment for letter grade in the appropriate course(s). While the Graduate School requires a minimum TOEFL score of 550 for non-English speaking applicants, the student may be required by his/her advisor or thesis committee to take additional English courses and/or arrange for tutoring, if needed.

A Master of Science (M.S.) degree demonstrates the ability to conduct and report research and is normally required for admission into the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program in food science. However, a candidate admitted into the M.S. degree program may apply to by-pass the M.S. degree once a strong academic record and potential research ability is demonstrated. After completion of at least one semester of courses at WSU, and with approval of the graduate advisor and thesis committee, the candidate can petition the FSHN Graduate Affairs Committee (GAC) to be considered for admission into the Ph.D. program. The student must submit the request in writing to the GAC and include four (4) letters of support from members of the student's proposed Ph.D. dissertation committee.

 

Minimum Degree Requirements
A.

General REquirements

 
Requirements
Credits
 Course(s) fulfilling requirements
500-level courses
25
 Includes FS and/or supporting courses. Students are strongly encouraged to take all 500-level food science courses.
Total graded courses
34
 Of the 34 hours, up to 9 credits of 300- and 400-level courses may be used.
Research/Thesis
45
 FS 800
   
B.

Specific Courses
 
Requirements
Credits
Course(s) fulfilling requirements
Food chemistry*
4
 FS 460 and FS 461
Food microbiology*
4
 FS 416 and FS 417
Food processing*
2-3
 FS 301, 302, 303, 304, 404, 433, 434, 550, 570
 Advanced food science
variable
 FS 501, 510, 511, 512, 522, 550, 570, 587
 Seminar (written)
2
 FS 508
 Seminar (oral; 2x)
2
 FS 509
Statistics*
3
 400 level or above
Preparation for college teaching
2
 UNIV 590

*Equivalent courses taken as an undergraduate will satisfy these requirements.
C.

Research Proposal
 
  • All candidates will present a 50-minute seminar in defense of his/her research proposal, preferably before the completion of the 3rd semester of study. The seminar will be presented to faculty and graduate students. A short time will be reserved following the seminar for constructive discussion of the research proposal with faculty alone. The proposal must be presented before the Qualifying Examination can be scheduled.
D.

Examinations
 
  • Qualifying and Preliminary Examinations.
    The Qualifying/Preliminary Examinations shall take place after most of the coursework is completed and shall consist of a written portion (Qualifying Examination) followed by an oral portion (Preliminary Examination). To assure comprehensive knowledge of the overall field of food science, the student will be examined in the areas of (a) food chemistry, (b) food microbiology, and (c) food processing. The exam will include evaluation of the student's ability to (a) recall factual information and apply information to the resolution of problems, (b) demonstrate breadth and depth of knowledge and the ability to integrate major areas of emphasis, (c) communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, and (d) propose and define relevant research ideas. The Qualifying Examination will be scheduled and administered by the GAC in September and March of the academic calendar. The examinations will be conducted within a 7-day period, with one only area (food chemistry, food microbiology, or food processing) scheduled per day. The examination will be made up by the GAC using questions submitted by all food science faculty. Each area shall be made up of approximately 10 questions, each worth 10 points. Each answer will be corrected by the faculty member submitting the question with a score of 75% necessary to pass each area. At the conclusion of the examination, the GAC will forward a written evaluation of the results of the student's examination to the student and graduate advisor. If the student should fail an area, he/she will be required to repeat that area the next semester the exam is offered. Two consecutive failures of any area of the Qualifying Examination will result in a review of the student's continuance in the program by the GAC and the student's graduate advisor. The decision of a student to continue or not in the program will be made by the GAC and thesis advisor. The Preliminary Examination will be scheduled within 1 month of successful completion of the Qualifying Examination and all faculty shall be invited to attend. The Preliminary Examination cannot be scheduled until the student has successfully completed all areas of the Qualifying Examination
  • Thesis seminar/defense. After completing the research and prior to the final dissertation examination, the candidate will present a seminar describing the research and discuss the relevance of the results obtained. Faculty, staff, and students shall be invited to the seminar. The candidate will defend his/her thesis research at the final examination. Members of the studentís committee must be present at the examination and all must vote. The Graduate School Policies and Procedures should be consulted for additional information regarding who may attend the examination and vote.
E.

Other Requirements
 
  • Teaching requirement.
    All candidates will have a teaching component of his/her degrees. This requires the student to: (a) enroll in UNIV 590 and (b) prepare and present three lectures and two laboratory sessions in a FSHN course(s) of his/her choosing with the consent of the instructor(s). The instructor will evaluate the student's presentations and certify satisfactory completion by letter to the student and advisor.
  • Minor.
    A minor is required for Ph.D. candidates. Suggested fields include chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry, cell biology/genetics, engineering, business administration, economics, horticulture, nutrition or others depending on the professional goals of the student. Courses fulfilling requirements are subject to requirements specified by the minor department.
F.

Thesis Committee
 
  • A minimum of 4 faculty members are required, 3 of which must be graduate faculty. The major advisor must be graduate faculty and 1 member must represent the chosen minor. At least two members must be from FS (WSU) or FST (UI). Students are required to have at least 1 committee meeting per academic year to provide guidance.
  • If co-chairs are desired for the committee, the student must consult with the academic secretary for the procedures.
G.

Transfer Credits
 
  • A maximum of 17 credits of courses at graduate level (grade B or better) may be transferred from universities other than WSU. There is no limit on the number of credits a student can use from M.S. degree toward Ph.D. if the M.S. degree was awarded from WSU

 

Application Process:

To make application to WSU and FoodScience

Step 1 : Apply to Washington State University (WSU) Graduate School, using the electronic application at www.gradsch.wsu.edu/future-students/admission. Make sure to follow ALL directions and supply ALL documentation, transcripts, names of your three references, TOEFL score (see below), and pay the application fee. Of the three names you submit for references on the on-line Graduate School application, include your academic advisor as one of the references. Letters can be addressed to - Chair, School of Food Science.

Step 2 : We will be notified by the Graduate School to download a copy of your application and materials.

Step 3 : Apply to the Dept. of FS by submitting the following materials in one packet (if possible) and mail to: School of Food Science, 106 FSHN Building, PO Box 646376, Pullman, WA 99164-6376, USA:

•  Additional Information:

•  For Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) the minimum score is 550 (paper test), 213 (computer test) or 81 (for Internet test). If you received a degree from an English speaking school within two years of your intended enrollment at WSU, the TOEFL is not required. Applicants from the following countries are exempt from this English proficiency requirement: Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Botswana, Guyana, England, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, Scotland, Trinidad and Tobago.

•  Have ETS send your scores to: University code for Washington State University (WSU) is 4705; Departmental code for Nutrition is 0214 and Food Science is 0107.

Both domestic and international graduate student applications for admission to WSU and FSHN MUST meet the deadlines listed below before your file is reviewed:

APPLYING
FOR FALL SEMESTER
FOR SPRING SEMESTER
All Applicants
January 10th
July 1st

 

Teaching/Research Assistantships Information:

Assistantships in the School of Food Science are available from both grant and state funds. Grant funds are awarded at the discretion of individual faculty members. We award our assistantships on a competitive basis counting heavily on academic performance, the three letters of recommendation, and other information.

As a policy, we do not award state-funded assistantships to students for whom English is a second language during their first year of study. If you are not currently studying in the US, you should be prepared to finance your first year of graduate studies. After your first year at WSU, you can apply for state assistantship support, but this is not guaranteed. To apply for an assistantship, please fill out the yellow application form which you will receive from the Graduate School. Your paperwork MUST be complete and your application paid in full before your file will be reviewed for financial support of any kind.

Departmental review of your application includes the following two stages prior to notification of admission status:

When your application is complete your file will be circulated to the GAC for review. If you meet the minimum admission standards, your application will proceed to the faculty, where they review your research interests and academic goals in hopes of finding potential advisees. Since it is necessary to find at least one faculty member willing to serve as your graduate advisor, we highly encourage you to contact any faculty of interest to discuss your research interests.

After these two reviews, our department will notify the Graduate School of our recommendation on your application. You will receive notification of your admission status from both the department and the Graduate School, the latter being the official admission notice

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School of Food Science , PO Box 646376, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164-6376, 509-335-3843, Contact Us