This area of emphasis involves the application of physical and engineering sciences in the design and operation of food processing facilities. Students are equipped to function in teams of food scientists that are charged with designing and safely processing a wide range of food products to meet consumer demands. Graduates fill jobs that are responsible for a wide range of production processes ranging from production control to materials handling.
The educational goal of this emphasis area is to go into depth in the mechanical design process and to equip engineers to be knowledgeable of food processing operations such that they can understand food processing needs and design equipment and select processes based on consumer demands.
Career Opportunities
As engineers, graduates with this specialization are pursuing careers in food manufacturing and handling. Typical work done by graduates include:
- Unit operation selection, design, and arrangements for desired products
- Scheduling inputs and product flows to achieve desired output rates
- Quality assessments throughout the manufacturing process
- Troubleshooting production problems
- Minimizing processing to preserve nutritional quality
