Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

Why Major in the Field of Food Science and Human Nutrition: A Note from the Department Chair

Dear Students:

Pick up any newspaper today and you will see a story that relates to the role of food in disease prevention, the impact of food safety on the economy, or a story about the obesity epidemic - not to mention the impact of the Food Network! Food and health issues have never been more important or timely, and there is great demand for students educated in these areas. The disciplines of food science and human nutrition are diverse and multidisciplinary.

The opportunities for food science majors with B.S. degrees are strong and we see high job placement of our students upon graduation. Food science majors have excellent job opportunities with above average starting salaries. The national average for a food science graduate with a bachelor's degree is $46,000 according to the Institute of Food Technologists.

Our dietetics students are very competitive for their supervised internships which lead to their credentialing as registered dietitians by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Iowa State University offers the only ADA approved program in the State of Iowa for students who want to become registered dietitians and has been recognized by colleagues in the profession as a very well respected and rigorous program. The job market for highly trained dietitians will continue to grow .

Nutritional science is increasingly attracting pre-medical, pre-pharmacy and pre-dental students because of the realization of the connections between health and nutrition. Our curriculum provides an equivalent science foundation to other science degrees, but our program provides an additional understanding of food-health interconnections that is not available through other more traditional degree paths. When you realize that most medical schools do not include nutrition in their curriculum, and the relationships between diet and chronic diseases, you can see the value of a background in nutrition for pre-medical students.

The culinary science degree is a new undergraduate program that is one of few of its kind in the nation allowing students to build a strong science foundation while building basic culinary skills. The food industry is demanding employees with both cooking expertise and scientific knowledge of food. Culinary science graduates are uniquely prepared to meet both of these demands.

Finally, as graduate degrees become increasingly important, qualified students strive to begin their careers with both a bachelor's and master's degree in hand and can do so concurrently with the following B.S./M.S. programs: Diet & Exercise, Food Science & Technology, and Nutritional Sciences.

Food science and human nutrition coursework at Iowa State University provides students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and learning in the food and nutrition disciplines. With its practical approach to student learning, Iowa State offers what has been called by the president of the university, the strongest food science and human nutrition program in the nation.

There's never been a more exciting time to enter the growing field of food science and human nutrition and Iowa State University is the place to start your career!

Sincerely,

Dr. Ruth MacDonald
FSHN Chair/Professor