Food Engineering
Overview
This pathway focuses on the design of systems for processing, preservation, and distribution of food supply using methods that ensure quality and safety. Food engineers create efficient and sustainable processes that produce and package safe, nutritious, appetizing, and appealing food, from staples to snacks.
Popular Minors
Career Opportunities
- Food and Process Engineer
- Plant Manager
- Research Scientist
Alumni Spotlight
Jake Patish - Class of 2018
Product Development Specialist
How did BSE prepare you for where you are now? BSE provided me with a strong foundation for my career as a food engineer. Beyond teaching core engineering and professional fundamentals, the program’s professors played a key role in helping me envision a career in the food industry by connecting me with potential employers. The co-op and internship opportunities I completed during my undergraduate studies, with support from the BSE department, allowed me to apply classroom knowledge to real-world settings and positioned me as a competitive candidate for jobs after graduation.
Your day-to-day: As a product developer, I bring new food products to market and renovate our existing portfolio. My current product specialty includes cookie dough, pumpkin, and chocolate morsels. In practice, I turn ideas into tangible products, scaling them from small benchtop recipes to full-scale manufacturing lines. My daily activities range from developing and testing formulas in the kitchen, baking and leading sensory panels with marketing, to preparing and executing manufacturing trials at our factories. Collaboration is key, as I work closely with cross-functional teams beyond engineering. And, of course, taste-testing plenty of cookies is a delicious part of the job!
Favorite classes from undergrad: Looking back, my favorite classes within BSE were senior design and food process engineering because they represented a capstone to learning what I knew I wanted to do after graduation. Along the way, I also took and enjoyed many courses in the food science department, including intro to food science, food processing, food chemistry, and food product development. I highly encourage anyone pursuing the food pathway to build a curriculum that allows you to gain as much broad food and manufacturing knowledge as possible.
My first piece of advice to any current student is to gain as much practical experience as possible in the field you want to pursue. I know that it feels like a steep climb to land a co-op/internship. But there are many other stepping-stones such as career-related clubs, undergrad research, and competitions through professional organizations. Even in-class labs/projects or senior design are great talking points to show a potential employer what you are passionate about. My second piece of advice is to take chances on connecting with people you find interesting. I landed the internship that eventually led to my first job because a speaker came to my class. I thought they had the best job ever because they made snack cakes. Having a conversation with them after class, reaching out for their contact information, and asking if they had any job opportunities opened the door to my current career.