Program Overview

Nutrition and Food Science, Food Industry Concentration, B.S.

The Food Industry Concentration in the Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Science is offered through the College of Behavioral and Health Science at MTSU. This concentration prepares students to work for food processors, government agencies, non-government organizations, or pursue graduate studies in food science.

Careers

The major in Nutrition and Food Science offers preparation for careers in community nutrition services; county, state, and federal health departments; food processing; food marketing; and quality control. Examples include:

• Catering manager
• Food researcher
• Food-service manager (schools, hospitals, residential care facilities, prisons, etc.)
• Production manager
• Public nutrition educator
• Purchasing manager
• Quality assurance specialist
• Restaurant manager and/or owner
• Sales representative

Employers of MTSU Alumni

Employers of MTSU alumni include:

• Adams Place
• Colts Chocolates
• Cracker Barrel
• Healthways
• Middle Tennessee Medical Center
• Morrison Management Specialists
• Nashville Metro Public Health Department
• National HealthCare Corporation
• Sodexo
• Spectra Laboratories
• Stewart County (Tenn.) Schools

Requirements

Degree Requirements

• True Blue Core (TBC) | 41 hours
• Major Requirements | 53 hours
• Auxiliary Course | 4 hours
• Optional Minor | 15-18 hours
• Electives (if minor chosen) | 4-17 hours
• TOTAL | 120 hours

True Blue Core (41 hours)

True Blue Core (TBC) requirements include courses in the Foundational Skills areas of Written Communication (WC), Information Literacy (Info Lit), Non-Written Communication (NWC), and Quantitative Literacy (Quant Lit). Knowledge Domains include Human Society and Social Relationships (HSSR), Scientific Literacy (Sci Lit), Creativity and Cultural Expression (CCE), and History and Civic Learning (HCL), which include Discovery and Explorations categories.

Major Requirements (53 hours)

Nutrition and Food Science (15 hours)

• CDFS 3320 - Family Relations
• NFS 2220 - Nutrition for the Health Sciences
• NFS 2100 - Cultural Food Studies
• NFS 3200 - Food Science
• NFS 3201 - Food Science Lab

Food Industry Concentration (23 hours)

• AGRI 4830 - Food Quality Control
• HSC 1010 - Career Orientation
• HSC 4000 - Senior Seminar
• NFS 4100 - Food Service Management for Culinary Arts
• NFS 4240 - Experimental Food Study
• NFS 4241 - Experimental Food Study Lab
• NFS 4260 - Food Safety Issues from Production to Consumption
• NFS 4555 - Food Laws and Regulations
• NFS 4570 - Fundamentals of Culinary Arts
• NFS 4810 - The Food Industry

Major Electives (15 hours)

Choose 15 credit hours from the following:

• ACTG 3000 - Survey of Accounting for General Business
• AGRI 3810 - Milk Processing and Marketing
• AGRI 4200 - Fruit and Vegetable Marketing
• AGRI 4820 - Principles of Food Processing
• BCED 3510 - Business Communication
• ENTR 2900 - Entrepreneurship
• FERM 1000 - Introduction to Fermentation Science
• FERM 3700 - Consumer Motivation and Sensory Evaluation of Fermented Foods
• HSC 4102 - Internship: Nutrition and Food Science
• MGMT 3610 - Principles of Management
• MKT 3820 - Principles of Marketing
• NFS 4090 - Field Experience in Foods and Nutrition

Auxiliary Course (4 hours)

• CHEM 1010 - Introductory General Chemistry I AND
• CHEM 1011 - Intro to General Chemistry I Lab
• OR
• CHEM 1110 - General Chemistry I AND
• CHEM 1111 - General Chemistry I Lab

Optional Minor (15-18 hours)

Electives (4-17 hours)

Curriculum: Nutrition and Food Science, Food Industry

Freshman Fall

• NFS 2220 - Nutrition for the Health Sciences
• HSC 1010 - Career Orientation
• Written Communication
• Creativity and Cultural Expression
• CHEM 1010 - Introductory General Chemistry I AND
• CHEM 1011 - Intro to General Chemistry I Lab
• OR
• CHEM 1110 - General Chemistry I AND
• CHEM 1111 - General Chemistry I Lab

Freshman Spring

• NFS 2100 - Cultural Food Studies
• Information Literacy
• Scientific Literacy
• Human Society and Social Relationships
• Human Society and Social Relationships

Sophomore Fall

• Non-written Communication
• History and Civic Learning
• Quantitative Literacy
• Minor/elective
• NFS 3200 - Food Science AND
• NFS 3201 - Food Science Lab

Sophomore Spring

• NFS 3260 - Community Nutrition
• Creativity and Cultural Expression Literature
• History and Civic Learning
• Minor/elective
• Major elective

Junior Fall

• CDFS 3320 - Family Relations
• NFS 4100 - Food Service Management for Culinary Arts
• NFS 4260 - Food Safety Issues from Production to Consumption
• Major elective
• Optional minor/elective

Junior Spring

• NFS 4555 - Food Laws and Regulations
• Major elective
• Creativity and Cultural Expression/Elective
• NFS 4240 - Experimental Food Study AND
• NFS 4241 - Experimental Food Study Lab
• NFS 4570 - Fundamentals of Culinary Arts

Senior Fall

• AGRI 4830 - Food Quality Control
• HSC 4000 - Senior Seminar
• NFS 4810 - The Food Industry
• Major elective
• Optional minor/elective
• Elective

Senior Spring

• Optional minor/electives
• Major elective
• Elective

Faculty

• Cindy D. Ayers, Master Instructor
• Virginia Bogle, RD, LDN, Master Instructor
• Dr. Janet Colson, R.D., Professor
• Sarah Achelpohl Harris, Lecturer
• Lisa Shepherd, MS, RD, Lecturer
• Dr. Elizabeth A Smith, RD, LDN, Associate Professor

Information

Degrees

Undergraduates in the Nutrition and Food Science major program may pursue a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree with a major in Nutrition and Food Science and one of five concentrations:

• Dietetics
• Food Industry
• Family and Consumer Sciences Community Education
• Family and Consumer Sciences Secondary Education
• Nutrition and Wellness

Professional Licensure Disclosure

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Nutrition and Food Science with a concentration in Nutrition and Wellness at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) is accredited by the American Association for Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS). Graduates in BS in Nutrition and Food Science with a concentration in Nutrition and Wellness will meet the requirements to sit for the Nutrition and Wellness Educator Certification exam administered by AAFCS.