Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
The MS in Agriculture program provides students with advanced knowledge and skills in their areas of interest to succeed in their future endeavors. The dairy products technology specialization is for students who wish to use their academic preparation in food science and nutrition, dairy science, microbiology, chemistry, engineering, biochemistry and related fields to address research questions that impact the field of dairy foods. The program requires a demonstration of strong analytical thinking, effective oral and written communication, and project management. Graduates enter research and development positions with major food companies, leadership positions in dairy food processing and other allied areas, or further graduate study for the Ph.D. degree.
Requirements for Admission
Students apply via Cal State Apply and must submit a transcript, a personal statement addressing motivation for pursuing a Master’s in Agriculture at Cal Poly, and two letters of recommendation. In addition, applicants who did not obtain their undergraduate degree at Cal Poly are also required to submit scores from the GRE General test. Communicating with the Graduate Program Coordinator before applying is strongly recommended.
International Students must meet all the standard eligibility criteria and demonstrate proficiency in English (English Proficiency Exam Requirements)
Prerequisites: A bachelor’s degree from a closely related field.
Minimum GPA: Must have attained a minimum grade point average of 2.75 in the last 60 semester units attempted. An applicant not meeting these academic standards, but who meets the basic university standard of a grade point average in the last 60 semester units attempted may be considered for admission as a conditionally classified graduate student.
Application due date: Applications are accepted for Fall and Spring semesters. Please see Graduate Student Dates and Deadlines for application deadlines.
Advancement to Candidacy
Six units of graduate coursework completed with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and completion of the CAFES Graduate Committee Form.
Culminating Experience
Thesis Option: Along with a faculty advisor, students will work on a specific research topic, preparing a written thesis, and present it to the public as a 45-minute thesis seminar, after which the thesis committee will have the opportunity to privately ask related questions as the student defends the thesis.
Program Learning Objectives
- Demonstrate expertise in manufacturing and analysis of dairy products.
- Develop, test or select the appropriate technology in ensuring the quality and safety of dairy foods and ingredients based on current conditions and future needs.
- Demonstrate effective communication skills.
- Formulate decisions utilizing professional ethics within their respective disciplines.
- Examine the value and role of diversity of people and ideas when developing agricultural system solutions.
- Investigate problems relevant to the dairy foods industry using critical thinking and derive appropriate solutions.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| AG 5599 | Thesis | 6 |
| ASCI 5581 | Graduate Seminar in Animal Science | 2 |
| DSCI 4401 | Physical and Chemical Properties of Dairy Products | 3 |
| DSCI 4402 | Quality Assurance and Control of Dairy Products | 3 |
| ESCI 5501 | Research Planning | 3 |
| FSN 5505 | Orientation to Graduate Studies | 1 |
| or AG 5581 | Graduate Seminar | |
| STAT 5110 | Introductory Statistics for Graduate Students | 3 |
| STAT 5120 | Intermediate Statistics for Graduate Students | 3 |
| Approved Electives | ||
| Select any 4000-5000 level DSCI, ASCI, BIO, MCRO, CHEM, AG, AGB, AGC, AGED, FSN, STAT, BRAE, or PLSC courses | 6 | |
| Total Units | 30 | |