BS Food Science at University of California, Davis

Programme overview

Food Science is a discipline in which biological, physical, and sensory sciences are integrated for the study of foods to ensure their safety, quality, and healthful properties. The food science curriculum encompasses food chemistry and biochemistry, food safety and microbiology, food processing and preservation, and sensory and consumer sciences. Food Science is a multidisciplinary major that includes core competencies in food chemistry and analysis, food safety and microbiology, and food processing and engineering.

Faculty: College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences | Department: Food Science & Technology | Duration: 127 units (quarter system) | Study mode: full-time | Location: Davis, CA, United States

What you will study

The major requires a minimum of 127 units. Requirements are organised into preparatory subject matter, depth subject matter, electives components. Required courses include BIO 002 Introductory Biology: Molecules to Cells; CHE 002A General Chemistry; CHE 002C General Chemistry; PHY 007A General Physics; PHY 007C General Physics Food Science & Technology.

Career pathways

Opportunities for employment include positions in the food and allied industries, government agencies, and educational and research institutions. Graduate study for the food science student may lead to M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in food science, or in related fields such as agricultural chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, nutrition and health sciences.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission is to UC Davis and the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences; the catalogue entry gives no major-specific admission requirement beyond the major requirements below.

Domestic applicants: USD 14,202 a year (2026-27). Systemwide UC undergraduate Tuition for California residents, cohort first enrolled in 2026-27 (annual, quarter system); rate is the same for all undergraduate majors. Excludes Student Services Fee, campus-based fees, and Nonresident Supplemental Tuition. Source

First-year and transfer students enter in the fall term (quarter system); the UC application opens Aug. 1 and the filing period is Oct. 1 to Nov. 30 for admission the following year.

The UC application filing period is Oct. 1 to Nov. 30 for admission the following year, and a single application covers all UC campuses.

The UC application filing fee is $80 per campus for domestic applicants and $95 per campus for international applicants, payable by credit card or mail; fee waivers are available for up to four campuses.

Transfer applicants submit the UC application by Nov. 30; Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) applications are due Sept. 1-30; the priority deadline for the Transfer Academic Update is Jan. 31.

Apply through the official page: https://www.ucdavis.edu/admissions

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