On Nov. 19, the University of Maine’s School of Food and Agriculture publicly announced that it will offer a new online graduate program for food and brewing industry professionals, which will be available to students on UMaine Online starting in January of 2020.
The students who complete this program will graduate from UMaine Online with a Master of Science in food science and human nutrition. This master’s degree will provide the opportunity for students to graduate with competency in the field of nutrition, as well as provide them with skills needed to understand scientific developments in food science.
The degree requires students to complete 30 credits over the span of approximately two years, with all necessary courses accessible online. Additionally, UMaine now offers a graduate certificate for those interested in focusing their studies on human nutrition.
The graduate certificate requires a lighter course load than the master’s program and students are expected to complete 12 credits to earn the certificate. This lighter course load offers more flexibility for students to complete the certificate in either one or two years. The graduate certificate at UMaine was designed for those looking to gain a stronger understanding of nutrition and potentially further their education in the health field. In order to graduate from this program, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA.
Taking courses through UMaine Online is a great resource for students of any age looking to pursue a degree through the University of Maine System, and allows students who are unable to commute or be close to the UMaine Orono campus to pursue a graduate program. With over 1.5 million people in the United States working in the food industry, an online graduate program allows more people the opportunity to gain crucial skills in order to pursue higher-paying jobs, as well as contribute original ideas to benefit the growth of the food industry.
Through UMaine, graduate students also have the opportunity to pursue a concentration in food science and human nutrition, which is a subset of human nutrition and food technology. The concentration does not require students to write a thesis, but prepares students for research opportunities, hones their communication skills and encourages professional development in the nutrition field. The primary focus of this concentration is based on food production and ensures that students have a strong understanding of how food is made around the world. Food packing, preservation and distribution are all topics that this degree concentration focuses on.
In addition to 21 online masters programs, UMaine Online offers three online undergraduate degrees: a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in political science, a B.A. in surveying engineerical technology and a B.A. in university studies. Students who choose to pursue university studies are given the freedom and options to create a self-designed track to complete their degree.
UMaine also offers minors in child development and family relations, family relations, labor studies, Maine studies and political science for students completing an undergraduate degree online.
UMaine Online also offers courses over winter and summer academic breaks. The winter break sessions are three-week intensive courses which fulfill three credits. These courses are often an easy way for undergraduate students to stay on track in order to graduate in four years by utilizing the “Think 30” initiative, which guides students to complete their undergraduate career within four years.
Applications for the online graduate program for food and brewing industry professionals are rolling and are currently being accepted for spring 2020. For more information, contact Mary Ellen Camire at camire@maine.edu or at 207-581-1627.
