Admission Criteria

The primary requirement for admission is evidence of intellectual achievement and potential for successful graduate study. Applicants should hold at least a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in a physical or biological science or in engineering from an institution of acceptable standing. The minimum acceptable grade point average is a "B" or its equivalent. Translation of transcripts from non-US institutions into a grading system similar to the American 4 point scale will help those applicants to be compared appropriately with their American counterparts.

Beyond these minimum requirements, the admission committee looks for evidence of intellectual potential by reviewing performance in university coursework, considering GRE scores, and carefully reading the candidate's statement of interest and letters of recommendation. The candidate's statement and recommendation letters should highlight the applicant's potential for performing independent, thoughtful research. That can be done, for example, by describing the candidate's previous research experience in an academic or industrial setting, or by describing the student's ability to think beyond class assignments in a coursework setting. If the applicant has published papers, attachment of one or two of these and a description of their impact is encouraged. The candidate's statement should include a description of the student's future research interests, as well as their motivation for pursuing graduate education.

The admissions committee reviews every completed application in its entirety.

Institute of Food Technologists' Scholars Justin Shimek, Lauren Franssen and Fiona Hutchison show off their awards with Professor David Reid.

Deadlines and Application

Requirements for applying to our graduate program:

1. An application form, including statement of purpose
2. A transcript from previous institution (translated to English if necessary) including current grade point average 
3. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) verbal, quantitative and analytic scores 
4. Three letters of recommendation
5. Science Worksheet.

• MS Program:  Word format or PDF format
• PhD Program:  Word format or PDF format 

The applicant is responsible for getting all components listed above to the graduate group by the deadline. An application is not complete until all components are received and is unlikely to be reviewed if not received by the deadline.

The Graduate Group in Food Science welcomes applications from international students. Please note, however, that we are no longer able to offer financial support to international MS students.

An application form for admission may be obtained from Graduate Studies or from 

Karen Jo Hunter, Advisor
Food Science Department
University of California, Davis
One Shields Avenue,
Davis, California 95616.

Completed paper applications should be returned to the Graduate Group in Food Science. Application for admission may also be submitted electronically, using the forms and instructions located at ON-LINE GRADUATE ADMISSION APPLICATION.

Application Deadlines:  Priority and Fellowship:   January 1; Final deadline, January 15.  Early completion of your application is highly recommended.