Each student must complete a minimum of 12 graduate credit hours within the program including required Core Courses and selected Elective Courses.

Food Safety and Defense Graduate Certificate - Graduate Catalog

A list of course offerings by semester can be found at the Great Plains IDEA website.

Must meet entrance requirements of the K-State Graduate School, which include:

• A Bachelor of Science degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale), or GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 hours of coursework.
• English proficiency requirements (for applicants whose native language is not English): minimum score of 79 for iBT TOEFL (internet based), 550 for TOEFL (PBT), 6.5 for IELTS, or 58 for Pearson Test of English (PTE).

Must have completed the following pre-requisite courses:

• Biology, Botany, or Zoology
• Physics
• Microbiology
• Organic chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Calculus
• Statistics

Must reside within the U.S. or Canada. Currently, only students who reside within the United States or Canada are eligible for admission into the Food Science Online Graduate program.

GRE scores are not required. However, if you ultimately wish to apply the graduate credits earned in this non-degree certificate program towards an MS degree, you will need to apply to and be accepted by the K-State Graduate School as an MS degree-seeking student before you complete 9 hours of credit. Application to the MS program does require submission of GRE scores.

To apply, complete the online application process via the Graduate School website.* Note that a non-refundable application fee will apply. You will be required to submit the following materials as part of the application process:

• Official transcripts of all previous college work.
• Three letters of recommendation (see note below).
• A brief statement of objectives (see note below).
• English proficiency scores – for applicants whose native language is not English

SUBMIT ALL DOCUMENTS THROUGH THE ONLINE APPLICATION—DO NOT MAIL ANY DOCUMENTS.

* If you have already been admitted to the K-State Graduate School and are currently pursuing a K-State graduate degree, a full application is not required. Contact the Food Science Graduate Program Chair.

For the three letters of recommendation, ideally aim to include representation from both academic and professional (i.e., employer) references.

Brief statement of objectives:

• One to two pages is sufficient.
• Describe why you want to pursue a graduate degree in Food Science at Kansas State University.
• Indicate your general area of interest (i.e., food chemistry, food microbiology, cereals, meat science, sensory analysis, etc.). This allows the application to be directed to the appropriate faculty. Terms such as "food processing" and "food technology" are too general and may result in rejection because of lack of specificity.
• Indicate any prior contact you have had with faculty.
• Indicate faculty you desire to work with as a graduate student, if known.

Applications for the non-degree certificate program are accepted on a rolling basis; however, applicants are encouraged to apply by the deadlines indicated here. Currently, only students who reside within the United States or Canada are eligible for admission into the Food Science Online Graduate program. Incomplete applications will not be processed. Please allow at least 8 weeks for processing of your application materials.

To be admitted for FALL (classes begin in August):

• International Students apply by January 8
• Domestic Students apply by April 1
• Online Masters Students apply by August 1

To be admitted for SPRING (classes begin in January):

• International Students apply by August 1
• Domestic Students apply by December 7

Once you have submitted the required application, your application materials will be reviewed by an admission committee composed of the Food Science graduate faculty. Upon acceptance for admission into the program you will be assigned an advisor. Your application will then be forwarded to the Graduate School to review your official transcripts, verify that you have a valid degree from an accredited institution, and determine official approval into the graduate program. Please allow at least 8 weeks for your application materials to be processed.

Cost information for this program is available here:

Great Plains Idea - Cost

The Great Plains IDEA Cabinet is pleased to announce applications are now being accepted for the 2020-2021 Great Plains IDEA Student Excellence Award. The Great Plains IDEA Cabinet will grant five (5) $1000 awards annually for a total of $5000. Students can apply annually, however preference will be given to students who have not received previous financial support from Great Plains IDEA. Application materials should be submitted through the online application system.

Details and application