Does anyone have any personal experience with a Food Science undergraduate degree? Interested to hear what jobs are out there after graduation…or if you ended up doing something completely unrelated. It is currently at the top of my daughter’s list, but she is still exploring all her options.
Thanks!!
I don’t have direct experience, but you might find data sources like Berkeley’s First Destination Survey helpful. It shows where alums went immediately after studying at Berkeley, and it allows you to filter by various things like majors, colleges, etc.
On the right-hand side of the page, in the “College” dropdown, select “Rausser Clg of Natural Resources” and then you can look down the list of Employment → Positions closer to the bottom of the page to see jobs that alums went on to. (Or grad schools, on the left side of the page.)
If you want to filter further, the “Major” dropdown at the top-right of the page allows you to refine your query (look for the “Nutrition” options near the bottom of that list). A number of College of Natural Resources (CNR) students go into food-related jobs even if they aren’t in a “Nutrition” major (and a lot of “Nutrition” students apparently go into non-food-related jobs), so you might find some interesting data by playing with the filters … your daughter might find some adjacent academic areas that seem interesting.
Thanks so much! Will definitely check it out.
My daughter will be graduating from Purdue Univ. in three weeks with a BS degree in food science. She has elected to continue on to graduate school to pursue a masters in food science technology with a concentration in microbial science.
Recognize that food science isn’t so much about health and wellness (as you might find with a nutrition program); rather it entails research, development and testing of new food products, viniculture and fermentation science, sensory testing and the science of preventing food spoilage and enhancing food shelf life. All of this plays into the broader topic of food security which, guess what, is becoming a major concern…. even here in America.
I was surprised when my daughter said that she was pro GMO, something most young people reject. Why? Because her vision is to use science in a way that increases food supplies…. she basically wants to feed the world. The ongoing research is amazing…. for example, the harvesting and transforming of seaweed into protein-based foods or the growing of consumable meat from small (and harmless) amounts of tissue taken from animals.
Job placement is nearly 100%. Her classmates are going on to work for large food producers such as Kraft-Heinz, Cargill, Pepsico, ADM as well as smaller companies. My daughter did an internship with ConAgra last summer which she absolutely loved. Some go into government regulatory work while others continue in academia.
It’s not an easy major but definitely doable. It entails a lot of chemistry and an assortment of math, biology and engineering.
I’ll end by saying that my daughter was not an extraordinary student in high school. She struggled her first year in college; but eventually found her niche and from that developed a passion for the field. These are exciting times for young people and hope my comments provide some answers. Good luck…. I wish both you and your daughter all the best!