Food Science and Industry Bachelor’s Degree

With two areas of emphasis to choose from, the food science and industry bachelor’s degree will prepare you for a wide variety of careers in food development and production.

This online program provides training in topics such as food chemistry, food safety, nutrition, processing and product development, providing you with a solid foundation for a career in the field of food science. The emphasis in industry and technology will prepare you for technical jobs in food production and product management, while the emphasis in food business and operations management offers the additional knowledge and training you’ll need to make informed decisions for your organization as a member of the management team.

$492.68 per credit hour*

120 credit hours

2 program options

*Tuition rate is based on 2024-2025 rates, which are subject to change annually. Your hours and costs will differ depending on your transfer hours, course choices and academic progress. For a full breakdown of all tuition and fees, please visit K-State's Online Tuition and Fees website.

Career Prospect Highlights

Median Salary

Nationwide Median Salary

Jobs 2023

Jobs Nationwide

Job Growth

5-Year Nationwide Job Growth

Admission Requirements

Careers

Food Business and Operations Management Curriculum

Communications (11-12 credits)

ENGL 100 - Expository Writing I (3 credits)
ENGL 200 - Expository Writing II (3 credits)
COMM 105 - Public Speaking IA (2 credits) OR
COMM 106 - Public Speaking I (3 credits)
Course in communications (2-3 credits)

Social Sciences and Humanities (12 credits)

ECON 110 - Principles of Macroeconomics (3 credits)
Courses in social sciences and humanities (9 credits)

Quantitative Studies (6 credits)

MATH 205 - General Calculus and Linear Algebra (3 credits)

Select one:

STAT 225 - Introduction to Statistics (3 credits)
STAT 250 - Business and Economic Statistics I (3 credits)

Biological Sciences (8 credits)

BIOL 198 - Principles of Biology (4 credits)
BIOL 255 - General Microbiology (4 credits)*

Physical Sciences (13 credits)

CHM 210 - Chemistry I (4 credits)
CHM 230 - Chemistry II (4 credits)
BIOCH 265 - Intro to Organic and Biochemistry (5 credits)

Business and Economics (18 credits)

ACCTG 231 - Accounting for Business Operations (3 credits)
ACCTG 241 - Accounting for Investing and Financing (3 credits)
ECON 120 - Principles of Microeconomics (3 credits)
ECON 510 - Intermediate Macroeconomics (3 credits)
ECON 520 - Intermediate Microeconomics (3 credits)
FINAN 450 - Principles of Finance (3 credits)
MANGT: Any course 300 level or above (3 credits)
MKTG: Any course 400 level or above (3 credits)

Core Food Science (32-33 credits)

FDSCI 302 - Introduction to Food Science (3 credits)
FDSCI 305 - Fundamentals of Food Processing (3 credits)
FDSCI 310 - Food Science Professional Preparation (1 credit)
FDSCI 500 - Food Science Seminar (seniors only) (1 credit)
FDSCI 600 - Food Microbiology (2 credits)
FDSCI 601 - Food Microbiology Lab (2 credits)*
FDSCI 690 - Principles of HACCP and HARPC (2 credits)

Select one:

ASI 218 - Fundamentals of Nutrition (3 credits)
FNDH 132 - Basic Nutrition (3 credits)
Select one:

FDSCI 501 - Food Chemistry (3 credits)
FNDH 313 - Science of Food (4 credits)

Select one:

FDSCI 695 - Quality Assurance of Food Products (3 credits)
FDSCI 740 - Research and Development of Food Products (4 credits)

Processing Electives (8 credits)

ASI 350 - Meat Science (3 credits)
ASI 640 - Poultry Products Technology (3 credits)
GRSC 602 - Cereal Science (3 credits)
GRSC 635/636 - Baking Science I and Lab (2+2 credits)
GRSC 637/638 - Baking Science II and Lab (3+1 credits)
GRSC 645 - Pet Food Processing (4 credits)

Restricted Electives (11 credits)

*Course is not available online at K-State.

Industry and Technology Curriculum

Communications (11-12 credits)

ENGL 100 - Expository Writing I (3 credits)
ENGL 200 - Expository Writing II (3 credits)
COMM 105 - Public Speaking IA (2 credits) OR
COMM 106 - Public Speaking I (3 credits)
Course in communications (2-3 credits)

Social Sciences and Humanities (12 credits)

ECON 110 - Principles of Macroeconomics (3 credits)
Courses in social sciences and humanities (9 credits)

Quantitative Studies (9-10 credits)

MATH 205 - General Calculus and Linear Algebra (3 credits)
STAT 351 - Business and Economic Statistics II (3 credits)

Select one:

STAT 225 - Introduction to Statistics (3 credits)
STAT 250 - Business and Economic Statistics I (3 credits)

Biological Sciences (8 credits)

BIOL 198 - Principles of Biology (4 credits)
BIOL 255 - General Microbiology (4 credits)*

Physical Sciences (20-21 credits)

CHM 210 - Chemistry I (4 credits)
CHM 230 - Chemistry II (4 credits)
CHM 350 - General Organic Chemistry (3 credits)
CHM 351 - General Organic Chemistry Lab (2 credits)
BIOCH 521 - General Biochemistry (3 credits)

Select one:

PHYS 113 - General Physics I (4 credits)
PHYS 115 - Descriptive Physics (5 credits)*

Core Food Science (30-31 credits)

FDSCI 302 - Introduction to Food Science (3 credits)
FDSCI 305 - Fundamentals of Food Processing (3 credits)
FDSCI 500 - Food Science Seminar (seniors only) (1 credit)
FDSCI 501 - Food Chemistry (3 credits)
FDSCI 600 - Food Microbiology (2 credits)
FDSCI 690 - Principles of HACCP and HARPC (3 credits)
FDSCI 307 - Applied Microbiology for Meat and Poultry Processors (3 credits)
FDSCI 695 - Quality Assurance of Food Products (3 credits)
FDSCI 740 - Research and Development of Food Products (4 credits)
FDSCI 725 - Food Analysis (3 credits)

Select one:

FNDH 132 - Basic Nutrition (3 credits)
ASI 218 - Fundamentals of Nutrition (3 credits)

Processing Electives (8 credits)

ASI 350 - Meat Science (3 credits)
ASI 640 - Poultry Products Technology (3 credits)
GRSC 602 - Cereal Science (3 credits)
GRSC 635/636 - Baking Science I and Lab (2+2 credits)
GRSC 637/638 - Baking Science II and Lab (3+1 credits)
GRSC 645 - Pet Food Processing (4 credits)

Restricted Electives (15 credits)

*Course is not available online at K-State.

Transfer Equivalency

Scholarships and Financial Aid

The online food science bachelor’s degree has its own designated scholarship, in addition to the university’s other financial aid opportunities.

Nathan and Becky Smit Food Innovation Scholarship: This renewable $1,000 scholarship is awarded each fall to an online undergraduate student in food science. Applicants must have a 3.0 GPA to be eligible and can apply via the Global Campus scholarship application process.
Additional financial assistance can be found on the scholarships webpage.

Nathan Smit, '08

Nathan credits his bachelor’s degree with helping him earn five promotions during his time at Hormel Foods Corporation, moving him from an entry-level lab technician to a corporate innovation manager.