College of Agriculture

Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences

The MFSQ degree is a professional degree designed to provide students with depth training in food safety assurance and the use of management systems such as HACCP. The degree is primarily intended for individuals planning careers in food quality assurance or other food safety-related positions in the food industry.

MFSQ Admission Requirements

Students seeking entry into the MFSQ program must satisfy the minimum admission requirements of the USU School of Graduate Studies and the NDFS Department, and must also achieve a score of 3 (equivalent to the 40th percentile) or higher on the newly administered GRE Written Examination. Applications will be reviewed by the MFSQ Advisory Committee, which is responsible for accepting students into the MFSQ program and assigning them an advisor. The advisor will then consult with the student to select two additional graduate committee members.

MFSQ Program of Study

The MFSQ program of study has been tailored for students with undergraduate training in (1) food science or (2) microbiology or biology. Students who lack prerequisite competencies in food  science, microbiology, or biology will be required to address those deficiencies during the MFSQ program of study. Course requirements to meet specific deficiencies will be designated by the student’s advisory committee and, in accordance with School of Graduate Studies policy, may or may not count toward course requirements for the MFSQ program of study.

The MFSQ program of study, outlined below, requires a minimum of 32 semester credits, including (1) 10 semester credits of core coursework in food safety assurance, microbiology, and  epidemiology; (2) at least 19 semester credits of coursework based on the student’s career goals and undergraduate competencies; and (3) the written preparation and oral presentation of a substantive literature review on a food safety topic.

MFSQ Program Requirements (32 credits minimum)

Students must complete all of the following courses (12 credits): NDFS 6170 , NDFS 6200 , NDFS 6900  (2 credits), NDFS 7800  (2 credits); BIOL 5850 /BIOL 6850 ; and PUBH 4030 . During NDFS 6900  (Special Problems), students will prepare a substantive written literature review of a food safety topic. NDFS 7800  (Seminar) must be taken during two semesters; during the final seminar, students must make an oral presentation on the food safety topic used for their literature review.

Students with a BS degree in Food Sciences must demonstrate competency equivalent to a USU BS degree in Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences with a Food Science emphasis. These students must also select a minimum of 10 credits from the following: ADVS 6400 ; BIOL 5150  (offered biennially), BIOL 5300 , BIOL 5330 . The remaining credits should generally be selected from the following, although additional course substitutions may be made with approval of the student’s advisory committee: NDFS 6020 , NDFS 6030 , NDFS 6210 , NDFS 6500 , NDFS 6510 , NDFS 6610 ; NDFS 6670 , NDFS 6680 , NDFS 6690 ; ASTE 6260 ; CHEM 6730 .

Minimum program prerequisites for students with a BS in biology, microbiology, or an equivalent degree include the following (the USU equivalent course is listed in parentheses): biochemistry (CHEM 3700 ), general microbiology (BIOL 3300 ), microbial physiology (BIOL 5300 ), and statistics (STAT 3000 ). In addition, these students must complete both NDFS 6110  and NDFS 6500 , and must take at least one of NDFS 6020  and NDFS 6030 . The remaining credits should generally be selected from the following, although additional course substitutions may be made with approval of the student’s advisory committee: NDFS 6210 , NDFS 6510 , NDFS 6610 ; NDFS 6670 , NDFS 6680 , NDFS 6690 , BIOL 5150 ; ADVS 6400 ; ASTE 6260 ; CHEM 6730 .