Application for Admission for Master and Doctoral Degree

Deadlines

Holistic Application Review

Because each applicant’s background and experience is unique, the Department of Food Science and Technology take a holistic approach evaluating the applicant as a whole individual. Applicants need to follow the directions when submitting their application.Because each applicant’s background and experience is unique, the Department of Food Science and Technology take a holistic approach evaluating the applicant as a whole individual. Applicants need to follow the directions when submitting their application.

Competitive

Our program is extremely competitive. We only accept 20 students or 20% of all applicants who apply each year. Advisors and funding are limited, and not guaranteed to all applicants.

Review Process and Finding a Faculty Advisor

The application review process has two steps. 

1. The Office of Graduate Studies reviews the application
2. The Food Science and Technology Graduate Committee reviews the application. 

Applicants are notified if they do or do not meet the minimum admission requirements, or “admissible.” After receiving notification that you meet the minimum admission requirements, applicants should begin contacting potential faculty advisors with shared research interests to discuss their background and why they are interested in working with them. Applicants are not automatically assigned an advisor. You do not need a faculty advisor before you apply.

Financial Support

Graduate Assistantship
Applicants for the Master of Science Degree with Thesis (Option A) and Doctoral Degree are eligible for graduate assistantships. Graduate assistants are required to work 19.6 hours per week (0.49 FTE). Graduate assistantships include a monthly stipend, tuition waiver, and 79% of the University health insurance premium. No additional forms are required to be considered for graduate assistantship. Graduate assistantships are extremely competitive. To be eligible for graduate assistantships, applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on 4.0 scale) or B average. Please select the research assistantship and/or teaching assistantship option(s) for “How do you intended to fund your study?” 

Graduate assistantships are extremely competitive. Graduate assistantships are dependent on available funding and an open position in a faculty advisor’s lab. Most funding come from outside funding agency grants. When a grant is approved, the faculty advisor searches for a well-qualified applicant to work on a specific research project. There is no separate application to be completed for assistantships, or list of current advisee openings or faculty with funding, as these vary according to term and faculty member.

Full-time Employees
Applicants who plan to be full-time employees are not eligible for graduate assistantships. Often full-time employees receive tuition benefits through their employers. Please select the employer or self-funded option(s) for “How do you intended to fund your study?”

Governmental and Outside Funding
Examples of governmental and/ or outside funding include, but not limited to Fulbright, Chinese Scholar Council, King Saud University Scholarship or NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Please select the external fellowship/ scholarship option for “How do you intended to fund your study?” Please upload the fellowship or scholarship agreement to your application.

For MS Project Only - No Financial Support
If a faculty member offers to advise an applicant without financial support from UNL and the applicant agrees to those terms, the applicant must not expect that graduate program funding will become available to the applicant at some later date. Instead, the applicant should seek to secure independent funding for the full duration of your graduate studies. Students interested in pursuing a Master of Science Degree with Project (Option B) must be willing and able to be self-funded. 

Tuition and Student Fees
Graduate tuition and student fees are assessed by the credit hour and the program. Estimated expenses can be found at:

• Financial Resource Certification form 
• Financial Aid Office’s Estimated Cost of Attendance 

Admission Requirements

Online Admission Application
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln uses an online application. If applicants do not have a CollegeNET account, they will need to “Create a New Account.” Once you set up your account, you may log in to check your application status.

Revising Admission Application
You may make changes to your application and materials until you submit your application through CollegeNET. Once submitted, you may update your reference information and resend reference letter requests. If you want to update your personal statement or resume/CV, you will need to email graduate@unl.edu and make a special request.

Application Fee
All applicants must submit a nonrefundable application fee to the University before their application is processed. While we understand the economic issues around the world, the UNL Food Science and Technology Department does not waive the application fee.

• $50 – All applicants not currently enrolled at UNL
• $25 – Currently enrolled UNL students (graduate and undergraduate)

Transcripts
Applicants must upload one unofficial transcript from each college or university attended to their application. Transcripts must include the student’s name, school name, courses completed, marks earned, and degrees conferred. For academic records in a language other than English, both the original-language documents and a certified word-for-word English translation must be uploaded along with certificates and diplomas. Official transcripts are required if admission is offered and accepted so newly admitted students can enroll.

Minimum Academic Requirement: 4-Year Bachelor's Degree
A four-year U.S. bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university or an equivalent degree as evaluated by the Office of Graduate Studies.

The minimum requirement for admission to a University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate program is 16 years of study. This is usually 12 years of elementary and secondary education plus four years of post-secondary study at an accredited college or university. Applicants must have reached an academic level equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree. 

Students with only three years of post-secondary education are not eligible for admission. In such cases, students may become eligible with:

• a master’s degree (or higher) from an accredited higher education institution
• an approved postgraduate diploma from an accredited higher education institution
• one additional year upper-level coursework from an accredited higher education institution

Expected Academic Background Experience
Transcripts are evaluated for course work and outstanding grades in biology, microbiology, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and calculus. Successful applicants have a bachelor’s degree or higher degree with a background in food science, microbiology, biochemistry, engineering, nutrition, biology, chemistry, animal science or another closely related field. 

To be eligible for graduate assistantships, applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on 4.0 scale) or B average.

Professional Development Supplemental Form
Applicants are required to fill out the Professional Development Supplemental Form for their respective Master of Science or Doctoral degree application. Applicants are asked to identify their career goals, research experience outside of the classroom, teaching experience, and top two interests within food science and technology.

Master of Science Professional Supplemental Form (PDF)

PhD Professional Supplemental Form (PDF)

PhD Expected Research Background Experience
It is expected that applicants for the doctoral degree program have prior independent research experience outside of the classroom, outstanding grades and GPA, and submit a superior letter of recommendation from their research advisor. Applicants with a bachelor’s degree or MS non-thesis or course-based degree will be competing against applicants with MS thesis or research-based degrees. 

If you do not have independent academic research experience outside of the classroom and outstanding grades and GPA, we highly encourage you to apply for the Master of Science Degree with Thesis option to gain experience and ensure original research is right for you. Once you complete your master’s degree, you have the option to apply for the PhD degree.

Letters of Recommendation
Letters of recommendation provide critical information about personal attributes and student drive. Applicants should choose three recommenders who are able to evaluate their academic and research experience, work ethic, initiative, and critical thinking skills as it relates to graduate school. Recommenders should be research advisors, faculty members, instructors, internship supervisors, or colleagues from food science and technology or closely related fields, industry, student groups, or competitions. Recommendations should never come from a family member or close friend.

Applicants may submit their admission application before receiving all the letters of recommendation. It is highly encouraged that letters be received by the deadline.

Personal Statement
In two pages or less, include a description of (1) your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree in Food Science, (2) your relevant experiences (research, teaching, internships/work, volunteering) that have prepared you for graduate school, and (3) what you want to gain during graduate school. Where appropriate, please include examples of your ability to overcome obstacles, your initiative, and communication skills. Although you do not need to identify an advisor to apply, please also indicate if there are specific faculty members you are interested in working with and why. Students interested in the Master of Science Degree-Project Option should clearly state in the personal statement that they are interested in the project option.

Resume or Curriculum Vitae
Successful applicants show their initiative outside the classroom. Be sure to include prior educational, research, teaching, internship/work, and volunteer experiences. Applicants are also encouraged to include information about awards, publications, and presentations and highlight any extra-curricular and/or leadership activities.

Publications and Awards
Applicants are not required to have publications to apply for our graduate program. If you do have publications, presentation abstracts or documentation of special recognitions or awards, you may upload files or provide a URL on the “Additional Information Page” of the online application. Students who have completed thesis or project papers are encouraged to upload it to their application as evidence of your previous success in critical thinking.

Only use the “Additional Information Page” of the online application to provide uploads or URLs. Do not duplicate information listed on resume/CV or documents uploaded elsewhere on the application.

GRE Standardized Test Not Required
As of November 2019, we no longer require GRE scores as part of our application.

English Proficiency Verification
Applicants whose native language is not English must submit TOEFL or IELTS test scores to demonstrate their ability to undertake advanced academic work in an English-speaking institution by providing an English Proficiency test score. Exemptions for the English proficiency requirement are granted for non-native speakers who have received a bachelor's or more advanced degree either from an accredited U.S. institution or from a university outside the U.S. at which English is the official language of instruction.

Applicants must upload a self-report to their application if they have taken an English proficiency exam, then their official scores are received by UNL Office of Graduate Studies. This is an UNL Office of Graduate Studies requirement, and they evaluate test scores and exemptions. Questions may be sent to graduate@unl.edu.