Illinois Institute of TechnologyGraduate Program in Food Safety & Technology & Food Process Engineering
Center Director: Dr. Martin Cole, Ph.D.
Graduate Program Director: Dr. Peter J. Slade, Ph.D.
Contact: Application materials can be obtained by contacting Ms. Renee McBrien, Senior Administrative Assistant, National Center for Food Safety & Technology, IIT-Moffett Campus, 6502 S. Archer Road, Summit-Argo, IL 60501, Phone 708-563-8271, fax 708-563-8274 E-mail: mcbrienr@iit.edu
Web site: http://www.ncfst.iit.edu
Degrees Offered: M.S., Food Safety & Technology, Food Process Engineering; MAS Degree (Non-Thesis Option) Food Safety & Technology, Food Process Engineering and Certificate Programs in Food Safety and Technology and Food Process Engineering
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Entrance Requirements: A bachelor's degree in Food Science and Technology, Agricultural Engineering, Chemical Engineering (or related disciplines) from an accredited institution. The student must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0/4.0. General prerequisites for the program are Food Processing, Chemistry, Microbiology, Calculus, and Statistics. Students without appropriate prerequisites are expected to take courses suggested by their academic advisors. GRE general exam is required for full-time study. Original transcripts from all institutions attended. Two (2) letters of recommendation. Statement of purpose and professional goals. For international students a minimum TOEFL score of 600 is required. Meeting the minimum GPA and test score requirements does not guarantee admission. If you are applying for graduate assistantship positions, higher academic credentials would be expected.
Degree Requirements: Master of Science. A total of 32 credit hours must be completed. Students must register for 6 to 8 credit hours of research as a part of the curriculum requirement. Research topics will be selected from food process engineering, food safety, food packaging, food biotechnology, or related topics. The Certificate Program requires completion of 12 credit hours.
Statement of Costs: Graduate tuition for Fall 07- Summer 2008 is $778.00 per credit hour. Application fee of $40.00 is required.
Financial Aid: A limited number of graduate research assistantships are available. Consideration is given to the extent and quality of previous academic work, evidence of research ability and intellectual capacity. This will be done on a competitive basis to qualified students who have submitted completed applications by January 30, for admission in Fall semester, by September 1, for admission in Spring semester. Assistantship appointments are in general for a year and renewed upon satisfactory research progress.
Unique Aspects of Program: The National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST), with IIT faculty, U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists and food industry scientists, provides a unique training ground for individuals seeking graduate education in food safety and technology and food processing. The NCFST facilities include 2,692 square meter modern industrial scale pilot plant. The pilot plant houses a number of state of the art equipment such as a computer-controlled retort, high-pressure food processor, pulsed electric field processor, ozone equipment, fermenters, and package recycling pilot plant. Microbiological, food engineering, chemical and packaging laboratories support the pilot plant facilities. Adequate computer facilities are provided to the students.