Food Science Major

Get involved. Find your people.

Explore a few of the food science-related student organizations and extracurriculars at UW–Madison:

• The Food Science Club is an active chapter of the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association and connects food science majors and any student interested in food. Learn about career opportunities, attend student-faculty socials, and attend food-making workshops.
• The Dairy Product Judging Team is for students who want to test their skills and compete in regional and national judging competitions. Students on the judging team take a fundamentals of sensory evaluation class offered by the Department of Food Science.
• Challenge yourself by competing in the College Bowl, an annual trivia competition hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists Student Association. Or you can learn about product development, research, and experimentation with the Product Development Team.

Study food science abroad

Complement your coursework and strengthen your understanding of food science throughout the world with a study abroad program. Learn about sustainable agriculture and local food systems in France, understand the complexity of achieving food security in Japan, study health and nutrition in Uganda, and so much more.

You can also choose from one of UW–Madison’s many semester, summer, and short-term study abroad programs and map your study abroad experience as a food science major.

Get involved in the lab

Gain laboratory experience with laboratory-focused classes and explore additional opportunities in your electives. Work directly with faculty to solve a real-world research problem in your capstone lab class.

Join a faculty lab and conduct mentored or independent research in areas such as food quality, microbiology, chemistry, sustainability, and food and health.

Build your skills outside the classroom

Develop hands-on skills with opportunities at Babcock Dairy Plant, the Center for Dairy Research, the Food Research Institute, or Bucky’s Varsity Meats. There are a wide variety of paid, volunteer, and internship opportunities to choose from on campus.

Pursue a summer or semester internship and gain real-world experience. Food science students have interned with companies such as General Mills, Pepsico, Kraft-Heinz, Organic Valley, Danone, Agropur, Schreiber Cheese, and Lindt Chocolate.