Pre-Health Professions

The Pre-Health Professions concentration is designed to develop students who have a thorough understanding of the principles of food science and have also fulfilled the prerequisites for medical school or other health-related professional or graduate school programs (examples include but are not limited to: medicine, nursing, physician's assistant, physical therapy, pharmacy, occupational therapy, public health, optometry, podiatry, and others). Most careers in the health profession require advanced degrees. The Pre-Health concentration is in the Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion major.

Occupational Outlook Handbook: Employment of healthcare occupations is projected to grow 18 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations, adding about 2.4 million new jobs. Healthcare occupations are projected to add more jobs than any of the other occupational groups. This projected growth is mainly due to an aging population, leading to greater demand for healthcare services. The median annual wage for healthcare practitioners and technical occupations (such as registered nurses, physicians and surgeons, and dental hygienists) was $64,770 in May 2017. Healthcare support occupations (such as home health aides, occupational therapy assistants, and medical transcriptionists) had a median annual wage of $28,710 in May 2017.

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Careers

The pre-health professions concentration prepares students for medical school or other health-related professional or graduate school programs including medicine, nursing, physician's assistant, physical therapy, pharmacy, occupational therapy, public health, optometry, podiatry, and others.

Food Science Minor

A minor in food science is available. Students complete 18 hours of courses in Applied Food Chemistry, Composition and Chemical Reactions of Foods, Microbiology of Foods, Food Preservation Technology, plus other courses from which students can choose.

Meat Science Endorsement

The Department of Biochemistry, Nutrition and Health Promotin and the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences offer a Meat Science Endorsement for students who wish to specialize in the meat processing industry. The 24 credit hour curriculum equips students to be career-ready professionals with a comprehensive understanding of the industry and a skill-set designed for them to make an immediate impact in meat science government, academic, or industry positions upon graduation. More information

Transfer Guide

Students may transfer to Mississippi State University from regionally accredited community, junior or senior colleges for any period of enrollment, provided they have earned a 2.0 GPA (as computed by Mississippi State University) on all college courses attempted as well as earned a 2.0 GPA on the 30-hours of core courses. Transfer students should look at the transfer course equivalent guide to determine which courses will transfer.

Internships

Internships and/or professional experience prepares students for future careers in Food Science. A significant percentage of employers prefer students with work experience outside of a college environment to students with no experience, according to new data released by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Students should check with the MSU Career Center or the program coordinator for internship opportunities.

Graduate Studies

A student may work toward a Master of Science in Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion with a concentration in Food Science and Technology by selecting courses from Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion and allied areas such as biochemistry, microbiology, animal and dairy sciences, and other disciplines. Faculty, staff members, and facilities of the cooperating departments are utilized. A Bachelor of Science in Food Technology, Food Science, or related areas will be considered to meet the prerequisites for study toward an advanced degree. Students from other disciplines may be required to take leveling courses generally not to exceed 15 semester hours. Learn More

Scholarships

Students may apply for university, college and departmental scholarships through one application. You can find the scholarship application once you login to myState. Under the banner tab, select Financial Aid and Scholarships. The application is listed as Submit/Revise General Scholarship Application.

Organizations

The Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion encourages its students to take advantage of the many experiences offered by the departmental student organizations and teams. Clubs are a great way to develop leadership skills and to learn about the various food industries. Visit the organizations page to find out more.

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Contact:

Antonio Gardner | 662.325.3200