The timetable came out last week, with scheduling for classes soon to follow. The Daily Cardinal Food page explains two often-confused food majors, food science and nutritional sciences, for those interested in taking their love of food to the level of higher education.
Food science
If you enjoy your science classes and would like to work in one of the world's largest industries, then food science is the right choice for you. Food science integrates and applies principles from several disciplines, including basic sciences and engineering, to design and deliver safe and nutritious food.
The department of food science is housed in Babcock Hall (where the Dairy Store and Babcock ice cream are also located), which has excellent facilities and a dedicated faculty to groom students to be fine food scientists.
Dr. Richard Hartel, a professor in the food science program, stated: The food science department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has an exceptional reputation around the country and we have an excellent undergraduate program that ranks among the nation's top five in terms of quality.\
Prospective students are assigned undergraduate advisors who provide individual mentoring and work with students for appropriate course selection. Depending on the student's science background, the program can take between two to four years to finish. The program also offers specialization in food business (agricultural sciences) for students with non-science background that balances the science and business classes required. The food engineering option caters to the students with a penchant for engineering.
The department provides a plethora of summer internships and other funding opportunities, as well.
""Last semester we had around 12 companies come to the department and there is more this semester. There are still internship slots waiting to be filled in,"" Hartel said. In addition, the food science department gives away approximately $30,000 in scholarships every year.
During the course of the study, students have several opportunities to gain research and product development experience, as well as participate in various food science club activities.
The program boasts a 100 percent placement record for its undergraduates in various food companies with a comprehensive and exciting starting package.
""It is not unusual for a food scientist to earn a starting salary of $40,000 to $50,000 per annum,"" Hartel said. He further added that being a food scientist opens the door to a wide spectrum of exciting jobs in the industry, such as product development, quality control, technical sales, research and development and production management.
And of course, being a food scientist also offers the sublime satisfaction of observing the consumer enjoy food products that you had a hand in creation.
Above all, an attractive feature of the food science department is that it provides a small college atmosphere with smaller classes, a lot of contact with the professors and other students, while still being a part of a world class research establishment.
""The bottom line is that every faculty member in this department cares about the undergraduate learning experience,"" Hartel said. ""It is a mentality about training students and making sure they learn the best they can.""
For more information about a food science major, contact Richard Hartel at rwhartel@wisc.edu, or hartel@calshp.cals.wisc.edu.
Nutritional sciences
""You have to have a passion for health, nutrition and food to major in nutritional sciences,"" said Monica Theis, an instructor and a registered dietician in the department of nutritional sciences at UW-Madison.
The mission statement of UW-Madison's department of nutritional sciences states the goal of the department is ""to generate and disseminate knowledge regarding diet and nutrition to improve the health and economic development of current and future generations and foster an educated society."" And this department at UW-Madison is well equipped to accomplish this mission.
""First of all, we are situated in a medical research university with internationally recognized medical and pharmacy schools, and so we have access to the outstanding medical resources and information,"" Theis said. ""Secondly, UW housing and hospital services let us use the facilities for administrative programs for students.""
""UW graduates from nutritional sciences are light years ahead, in terms of their understanding of human physiology and anatomy as well as the administrative skills,"" Theis added.
The department offers three majors: dietetics, natural sciences, and international agriculture and natural resources. Depending on the science background, it may take two to four years to finish the course requirements. The department also provides individual mentoring to the undergraduates.
""Students can also get involved with the dietetics club and do a lot of community programming, culinary arts programs and even work with the farmer's market,"" Theis said.
The natural sciences major provides a solid background in the biological aspects of human nutrition, preparing students to work in research labs and clinics. The international agriculture major focuses on areas such as natural resource issues and also offers an international experience.
At present, the dietetics program has the highest enrollment. Students are extensively trained in medical nutrition therapy (treatment of a disease through diet and nutrition) and food service operations. On completion, students have to secure an internship opportunity which can last anywhere between six months and two years.
""The internship placement rate of students is very high and of course it depends on the GPA, recommendations and the strategy used,"" Theis said.
The successful completion of the internship makes the student eligible to take the computer based credentialing examination to become a registered dietician. Registered dieticians have a wide range of career choices, from working in health care settings or corporate wellness to sports nutrition, community nutrition or even private consultancy services.
""With the rising national focus on nutrition related health problems such as obesity, there is a lot of demand for dieticians and the starting salary is around $30,000 per annum,"" Theis said.
Theis went on to say that people love nutritional sciences because there are always many avenues to pursue in their career, and that it stays exciting because the trends in health and nutrition are very dynamic.
For more information about a nutritional sciences major, contact Monica Theis at mltheis@facstaff.wisc.edu.
\
