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What general ed. college classes should i take in high school to prepare for a food science degree?

I want to go to college for food science. #culinary #food #food-science

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Steven’s Answer

Food science spans several disciplines, so this is an interesting question. I would recommend that you take home economics courses, culinary courses (if available) as well as computer science, mathematics, earth sciences and business classes, as all are involved in the life-cycle of food science.

I'd recommend you meet with an actual food science professional as well to get their introspective on what they would have studied as well to better prepare for their career. Local outreach programs and contacts on LinkedIn could help you here as well.

What you must do first when considering a discipline for a career is to understand what someone in your field of choice really does to verify that it's something you LOVE doing, as when you love your craft, it will never feel like that four-letter word most think of when they say - "time to go to WORK" as you'll invest more time in your career than anything else you'll do in life.

Here's a link to help you as well. https://apps.il-work-net.com/cis/clusters/OccupationDetails/100324?parentId=110100§ion=courses§ionTitle=Helpful%20High%20School%20Courses


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Thomas’s Answer

Food Science covers a broad curriculum over 4 years. It is helpful to have a foundation in chemistry, biology and mathematics however the modules in 1st year aim to bring everybody up to the same level. All universities will provide the course structure online. This gives you a list of the modules they run which will include general biology and general chemistry. They will also give you an understanding of nutritional science, process science, data analytics and food engineering.
Do not worry if you did not do chemistry or biology before university. It just means that you will have to put in more effort in these modules than those who did do the subjects. I know people who have excellent backgrounds in science before college who subsequently ended up failing exams and dropping out. Do not let the subjects you have chosen define your performance mentality once you reach college.
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Jordan’s Answer

Taking biology and chemistry is especially important when pursuing a degree in food science. However, while you are still in High School I would not put as much weight on those classes as one, they are required anyways, and two, you will retake those courses or similar courses in college as well. What I would focus on is taking as many college courses (usually a partnership with a local community college), international baccalaureate or advanced placement classes so that you can start working on your college program pre-requisites early. The more courses you don't have to take as pre-requisites in college is the more classes you can take that better fit the niche you're trying to fill. It also gives you less stress if you opt to change your major.

Jordan recommends the following next steps:

Determine if your school offers courses (or partners with local colleges) that give you college credit.
Review the top five colleges you wish to attend and confirm their policies on college credit from high school (some schools have limitations).
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Sokhun’s Answer

Hi Steven,

You will definitely want to take any science and specifically a chemistry course if available. If there isn't one, or you want a course that is more robust, there are introductory chemistry courses all over the internet and for free. Here is one: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/chemistry

I would check out the Oregon State University - Food Science Program. There have been several food innovations that have come out from that program and they are well-known in the industry. There is even an example of a 4-year schedule for the program: https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/sites/agscid7/files/foodsci/attachments/examp-4yr-pgm-rev2017.pdf

Looking at the courses that you would need to take in order to obtain the degree, you can choose gen ed classes from there: calculus, general physics, biology, etc.


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