The Department of Animal and Food Sciences offers a non-thesis, 30-hour Master of Science degree in food science with concentrations in food safety, food analysis/chemistry, food regulations, and agricultural product processing (meats, food, or feeds emphasis). An internship is required for this degree. The non-thesis Master of Science degree is considered a terminal degree.<br>The Department of Animal and Food Sciences also offers a Master of Science in Food Science for students seeking a non-terminal, thesis option. The master's degree in food science emphasizes the scientific and technological aspects of pre- to post-harvest food processing and distribution. Knowledge of the physical and biological sciences, economics, marketing, and engineering is applied to product development, food processing, packaging, food microbiology and safety, food defense, food security, quality control/assurance, technical sales, and distribution. Research programs involve food safety, food security, food processing, food microbiology, food quality and composition, and processing. Consumer demands for a variety of highly nutritious and convenient foods of uniformly high quality create many and varied career opportunities in the food and allied industries. These careers include management, research and development, process supervision, quality control/assurance, procurement, distribution, sales, and merchandising. This degree requires a thesis in addition to at least 24 semester credit hours of coursework and 6 thesis hours.