University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Program Information

Degree Offered

Food Safety and Defense graduate certificate

Format: Online

Program Description:

The Food Safety and Defense graduate certificate program addresses the advanced educational requirements of individuals currently working in the production, manufacturing, and quality monitoring of food products. The program is intended to serve the needs of industry and agencies that must protect the food supply.

The 12 credit certificate program may be completed entirely online or by combining residence and distance courses. The courses are term-specific meaning that students will need to begin and complete the course during the offering period (usually a 14-16 week semester or shorter summer session).

Potential career paths for graduates of the program include:

•Food safety analyst
•Quality control specialist
•HACCP consultant
•Plant manager
•Food safety engineer

Who Should Consider This Degree?

This certificate is aimed at professionals with a bachelor's degree who are working in a food industry related field and interested in furthering their knowledge of food safety and defense, such as:

•Food industry professionals who want to enhance or add areas of expertise
•Professionals who want to fulfill challenging personal and professional goals
•Full-time professionals who want flexible course schedules and delivery
•Independent, self-motivated individuals with a strong commitment to lifelong learning

This program is part of the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (Great Plains IDEA), a consortium of eleven universities offering fully online graduate programs.

Each university brings a unique strength to the multi-institution academic programs. You apply, and are admitted at one university; enroll in all your courses at that university; and, graduate or receive a certificate from that university. However, your online courses are taught by the best faculty in the discipline from several universities.

The Food Safety and Defense Certificate program requirements include 12 hours total of graduate coursework, including:

Core Courses:
FDST 871 - A Mulitidisciplinary Overview Of Food Safety And Security (2 credit hours) Topics include food safety policy, ag bioterrorism, border security, animal ID, food defense and site security, risk analysis, crisis communication, epidemiology, HACCP, and more.
FDST 805, Food Microbiology (BIOS 845) (3 credit hours) Prerequisite: a 3 hr course in biology and chemistry •The course includes an introduction to food-borne diseases, the effect of food processing systems on the microflora of foods, principles of food preservation, food spoilage, and foods produced by microorganisms. Food plant sanitation and criteria for establishing microbial standards for food products are included in the course.
FDST 872 - Principles Of HACCP (2 credit hours) A comprehensive study of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System and its application in the food industry.
FDST 873 - Foodborne Toxicants (2 credit hours) Mechanisms of action, metabolism, sources, remediation/detoxification, risk assessment of major foodborne toxicants of current interest, design of HAACP plans for use in food industries targeting foodborne toxicants.

Elective Courses are available to complete the 12 credit hour requirement.

Accreditation:

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Chartered in 1869, UNL is an educational institution of international stature. Nebraska is listed by the Carnegie Foundation within the "Research Universities (very high research activity)" category. UNL is a land-grant university and a member of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). UNL celebrated the 140th anniversary of its founding on Feb. 15, 2009.

Eligibility Requirements:

To participate in this program the student must have:

•A bachelor's degree
•Work in a food industry related field or have an interest in furthering your knowledge of food safety and defense

# of Credits Required:

12

International Student Requirements:

?If your native language is not English, demonstrate English proficiency by proving at least one of the following: Paper-based TOEFL score of 577 or higher Internet-based TOEFL score of 90 or higher IELTS score of 6.5 or higher

Tuition & Financial Aid

Cost Per Credit Hour:

changes in July of each year USD

Financial Aid Offered: Yes

Classification: {Item not available}

Institution Sector: Public

Locale: Midsize City

Size & Settings: Not applicable