Food safety and defense

University of Missouri-Columbia
Graduate certificate
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Overview

A graduate certificate in food safety from MU can help you advance your career in protecting our food supply from accidental or deliberate contamination. If you are a food industry or agency professional who needs to deal effectively with food safety and biosecurity issues, this may be the certificate for you.

Quick facts

Official name

Graduate certificate in food safety and defense

Campus

University of Missouri-Columbia

Program type

Graduate certificate

Academic home

College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources | Department of Food Science

Delivery mode

100% online

Accreditation

Higher Learning Commission

Credit hours

12

Estimated cost

$7,200.00

*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.

Food safety professional wearing a hard hat and holding a clipboard.

Career prospects

Potential careers

  • Agriculture and food scientist
  • Biochemist
  • Clinical laboratory technologist
  • Epidemiologist
  • Food science technician
  • Microbiologist
Burning Glass Technologies. 2021. Salary numbers and employment growth numbers are based on models that consider advertised job posting salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics data and other proprietary and public sources of information for multiple occupations.
9.52%
Employment growth
Burning Glass Technologies. 2021. Salary numbers and employment growth numbers are based on models that consider advertised job posting salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics data and other proprietary and public sources of information for multiple occupations.
$57,000
Median salary

Program structure

The online graduate certificate in food safety and defense is 100 percent online: no campus visits are required.

Students typically take two classes each semester session and finish the program in less than three years.

Course work covers

  • Food fermentations
  • Food biotechnology
  • Food laws, safety and security
  • Foodborne toxicants
  • Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) programs
  • Risk assessment for food

Delivery

100% online

Calendar system

Semester-based

Typical program length

3 years

Typical course load

2 classes per semester

Accreditation

The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.

Great Plains IDEA

Great Plains IDEA is a consortium of 19 universities offering fully online graduate programs and courses in agriculture disciplines. Students apply to and are admitted by one university, enroll in all of their courses through that university and graduate from that university. However, the online courses are taught by faculty in the discipline from several universities.

Learn more about Great Plains IDEA.

 

Learn more about this program

Explore courses
How to apply
Tuition & fees
This program is administered by the Department of Food Science