MS Food Safety and Technology at Illinois Institute of Technology

Programme overview

Prepare to take on a variety of roles in processing, quality, nutrition, safety, and product development across the food industry through hands-on learning with government and industry scientists and professionals in state-of-the-art research and laboratory facilities, at both Illinois Tech’s Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH) and Clinical Nutrition Research Center and at facilities across Chicago. Illinois Tech’s food safety and technology master’s program requires students to select one of three tracks: master’s research (thesis), food safety (non-thesis), or food processing technology (non-thesis)—and provides students with access to a plethora of internships and networking opportunities, including working with U.S. Food and Drug Administration scientists as part of the FDA’s on-site division at IFSH.

Faculty: School of Engineering, Applied Science, and Health | Department: Food Science and Nutrition | Study mode: full-time | Location: Chicago, IL, United States

What you will study

Sample courses: FSN 506 Food Microbiology Lab; FSN 508 Food Product Development; FSN 531 HACCP Planning and Implementation.

Career pathways

Students in our M.S. in Food Safety and Technology program are prepared to enter a Roles include: Food safety specialist; Quality assurance manager; Food technologist.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

University-level graduate admission: You must complete the Illinois Tech graduate application , regardless of which graduate program you wish to pursue. Visit our admission website to learn more about what information and documents you need to apply. Admission to the graduate program normally requires a bachelor’s degree in chemistry; biology; food science; or chemical, agricultural, food, or environmental engineering, or a related field.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Entry terms: Fall and Spring.

Fall term: priority deadlines January 31 and April 15; regular deadline July 15 (domestic and international students living in the U.S.) or June 15 (international students living outside the U.S.). Spring term: priority October 1, extended to October 15; regular deadline January 7 (domestic) or November 15 (international). The admissions application fee is $100. GRE is optional for master's applicants.

Chicago-Kent J.D.: no application fee for 2026 J.D. applicants; first-year entry is Fall, with transfer entry in Fall or Spring.

Apply through the official page: https://www.iit.edu/admissions-aid/apply

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