Cyberspace Education

“Students can typically complete the degree in three years or less,” says Steve Seideman, PhD, a faculty advisor in the MS AFLS Food Safety program. “The program offers students flexibility, convenience and quality education while maintaining their current career position.”

Suzanne Finstad, director of food safety & regulatory compliance for Tyson Foods, Inc., Springdale, Ark., completed the program in three and a half years and graduated in December 2009.

Her employer offers an educational assistance program that provides 75 percent tuition reimbursement in exchange for good grades (“B” or above). “I’m proud to work for a company that fully supports and encourages advanced educational opportunities such as this,” Finstad says. “Without the support of Tyson Foods, it’s extremely unlikely that I would have found the time to pursue a graduate degree.”

Finstad’s graduate project was a literature review related to Salmonella and broiler processing. Her paper was peer-reviewed and published in Food Research International.

Having the ability to develop a project directly related to her work was invaluable, Finstad emphasizes. “Not only was the subject matter of interest to me personally, but it was also of interest to Tyson Foods,” she says, calling it “a win-win situation for the graduate student and the company.”

“The MS AFLS Food Safety program offered by the University of Arkansas is a great option for professionals wanting to advance their education while maintaining a career,” Finstad adds. “The UARK School of Continuing Education and Academic Outreach is uniquely positioned to balance the demands of full-time employment and graduate students’ desire for an advanced degree in their field.”

For more information: www.globalcampus.uark.edu/Distance_Education/Graduate_Degree_Programs/MS_Food_Safety/index.html

University of Illinois

Since 2010, the University of Illinois (U of I) Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN) has offered an online non-thesis MS Food Science degree.

The U of I online MS program is unique in that lectures are delivered live and scheduled during the evening, providing students the ability to interact with instructors and classmates in real-time and outside of regular business hours.

“The online delivery platform makes the program accessible to students in various locations, including those who may also be balancing a travel schedule for their careers,” says Dawn Bohn, PhD, director of U of I off-campus programs. “Many of the students in this program are working professionals and our students live in all regions of the United States and several foreign countries.”

To date, 25 individuals have completed the online MS Food Science degree and 60 are currently enrolled in the program.

To earn the degree, students must complete 32 hours of coursework and then successfully pass an oral examination.

“Thus, for students taking one course at a time, the degree takes approximately four years to complete,” Dr. Bohn says. “Students can register for more than one class each semester; however, it is the recommendation of the FSHN department that a student does not participate in more than two classes in any one semester.”

The online MS Food Science program offers one to three courses each semester, including the summer term.

Courses offered include Food Chemistry; Applied Statistical Methods; Food Processing Engineering; Food Processing I and II; Package Engineering; Food and Industrial Microbiology; Fermented and Distilled Beverages; Chemistry of Lipids in Foods; and Issues in Food Safety. Additionally, Food Science Advanced Topics offerings include Advanced Topics in Sensory Science; Flavor Chemistry and Analysis; Food Enzymology; Water Relations in Foods; and Advanced Special Problems (which includes one to eight hours of supervised research in Food Science).

Melissa Jones, senior manager of supply optimization at Diageo, Plainfield, Ill., a major premium drinks business, completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the U of I campus in Champaign-Urbana, and then completed the online MS Food Science degree in 2011.