Education & Training

NCFST offers graduate and short courses for credit, continuing education and training opportunities, as well as, symposium, seminars and workshops.

NCFST houses the Illinois Institute of Technology’s graduate program in food safety, food technology and food process engineering, offering Master of Science (M.S.) degrees in Food Safety and Technology and in Food Process Engineering and professional degrees (MAS) in Food Safety and Technology and in Food Process Engineering.

Designed to develop expertise in food safety and technology for food science and management positions in both the private and public sectors, the programs have flexible structures. Students may attend part-time or full-time, on campus or at distance learning sites. The educational program also includes a seminar series open to students, members and industry professionals. Certificate programs are offered in Food Safety and Technology and in Food Process Engineering, and NCFST is also developing a certificate course in food process authority.

Get a downloadable Graduate Program briefing in PDF format.

SUMMER  2009

The summer semester begins June 1, 2009 and ends July 25, 2009.

FST/FPE 511 Food Law and Regulation
Instructor: Richard Schell
Monday and Wednesday, 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Legal and scientific issues in regulating the nation’s food supply and nutritional status. Rules of regulatory agencies, Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and definitions and standards for food and adulterated foods. Manufacturing processed foods in compliance with regulations.
(3-0-3)

FST/FPE 522 - Advanced Food Process Engineering
Instructor: Dr. Alfredo Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Tuesday and Thursday, 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Process calculations for food processing methods such as canning, aseptic processing, ohmic heating, microwave processing and pulsed energy processing. Extrusion techniques in food processing. Discussion of new food processing techniques and safety implications. Prerequisite: FST 521 or permission of the instructor (3-0-3)

FST/FPE 597701 –Short Course HACCP in the Food Plants
Instructor: Ericka Voogd
June 16-17, 2009 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Attendees will learn the seven basic principles of HACCP and how to apply them to develop and implement a HACCP program in a food processing plant.  Instruction will include resource information on US HACCP regulations for food plants.  The course will utilize “real life” examples and exercises to facilitate an understanding of the necessary components to meet USDA, FDA and customer requirements for HACCP.  At the completion of the class, students will be expected to create and submit a HACCP plan for a food product (2 credit hours)
NOTE:  FST/FPE 597701 will not be available through IIT's interactive TV site.

FALL 2009

The fall semester begins August 24, 2009 and ends December 14, 2009.
Numbers in parentheses after course description indicate class, lab and total credit hours, respectively.

FST/FPE 505 - Food Microbiology
Instructor: Stephen Grove, Ph.D.
Monday & Wednesday, 5:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
Moffett Campus, Room 216
Microorganisms of importance to food safety, spoilage and food fermentations. Principles of occurrence and control; importance of sanitation and prevention of public health problems; microbiological contaminants and methods for their detection and mechanisms of microbial inactivation.
 (3-0-3)  

FST/FPE 506 - Food Microbiology Laboratory
Instructor: Alvin Lee, Ph.D.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Moffett Campus, Room 216
Basic microbiological techniques and safe laboratory practices. Introductory food microbiology; isolation of pathogenic bacteria and spoilage microorganisms; fermentation; environmental monitoring rapid Identification tests; and sporeformers. (0-3-3)
NOTE: FST/FPE 506 and will not be available through IIT's interactive TV site.

FST/FPE 524 - Fundamentals of Food Science and Technology
Instructor: Jack Cappozzo
Tuesday & Thursday, 5:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
Moffett Campus, Room 216
This course will cover the central food science issues encountered with storage and processing of all major American food commodities including meats, grains, confections, vegetables, eggs, dairy. It will also review the relevant chemistry, physics and engineering required to understand common food-related unit operations such as drying, freezing, sterilization and radiation treatment of foods. An introduction to microbial and chemical issues of food quality and safety will also be covered. (3-0-3)

FST/FPE 593 - Seminar in Food Safety & Technology
Instructor:  Wei Zhang, Ph.D.
Friday, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Moffett Campus, Room 100
Students attend seminars offered during the semester. Each student is also expected to give a 30 minute presentation on a topic of his/her interest or a research project on which he/she has worked.(1 credit hour)
NOTE:  FST/FPE 593 will not be available through IIT's interactive TV site.

For a registration package, please contact Renee McBrien, Program Coordinator,
phone: 708-563-8271 email: mcbrienr@iit.edu