Food and Animal Sciences

Samuel Nahashon, Ph.D.
Department Chair
Office: 108 Lawson Hall (615) 963-5829/5431

The M.S. degree in Food and Animal Sciences is offered by the Department of Food and Animal Sciences. It is designed to provide students with a solid background in blending food science and animal science through a relevant up-to-date curriculum that blends 21^st Century leadership skills and state-of-the-art science knowledge. The program is designed to prepare students for careers in the private, academic and government sectors to meet the growing demand for such professionals in these sectors. Experience and training are provided through (a) courses within traditional subject matter areas as well as on the frontiers of knowledge in the field, (b) seminars and discussions designed to broaden and sharpen the student’s ability to communicate and express ideas in the food and the animal sciences, and (c) research experiences designed to develop competency in applications of theory and the use of appropriate quantitative methods.

The Department of Food and Animal Sciences is on a growth trajectory and is home to fourteen graduate faculty members with diverse experience and educational training and background. The recruitment of six additional faculty is ongoing. Currently there are 11 research laboratories on the main campus housed in Lawson Hall Annex, Farrell-Westbrook Agricultural Research Complex, and the Agricultural Biotechnology Building. A new Food and Animal Science building will house an additional 15 research and 2 teaching laboratories. These laboratories provide state-of-the-art equipment essential for advanced microbiological, biotechnology, food science, and animal science research using the latest cutting-edge technologies. To facilitate field research, there are two field research stations - the main campus Agricultural Research and Education Center and the Cheatham County or Ashland City Agricultural Research and Education Center.

Objectives

The M.S. degree in Food and Animal Sciences is designed to prepare students to:

Become high achieving professionals and research scholars who have in-depth knowledge, and skills in the increasingly complex field of food and the animal sciences;
Become scholars who can evaluate and define a diverse set of problems, evaluating, and developing feasibility studies, analyzing, and interpreting data, and developing, implementing, and evaluating acceptable solutions to the real-world problems encountered by the government, academia, industry, and society in general.
Successfully compete for rewarding careers in higher education, government, agricultural industry, and international organizations that are involved in food safety and security, food and animal production, research and outreach.
Further train successfully in doctoral and/or post-doctoral programs; and
Take leadership roles in the Food and Animal Sciences’ careers and become Scholars capable of communicating effectively to diverse audiences.

Food and Animal Sciences Graduate Faculty

Programs

Masters

Food and Animal Sciences, M.S.