The Food Science and Nutrition Department welcomes you to our website! We look forward to the possibility of your joining our department as a Food Science, Nutrition, or Wine and Viticulture (Enology) major. Our faculty and staff engage in exciting teaching and support activities designed with you in mind. The university's "learn by doing" principle gives you the chance to graduate with real-world skills and with more than just an understanding of the work place: you will lead it.
You will be challenged by the coursework and by our outstanding faculty, who are focused on student learning and fostering success in the classroom. The Food Science and Nutrition faculty are committed to excellence and strive to incorporate the most up-to-date, cutting-edge research and knowledge into the classroom and laboratory experience.
We offer students many options for activities beyond the classroom. We encourage participation in the Nutrition Club and the Food Science Club. Our Product Development and Nutrition College Bowl Teams have received many honors and have lead in nationwide competitions repeatedly.
If you don't know already, Cal Poly is located in one of the most beautiful regions of the coast. California's central coast boasts clear skies, sunny beaches, vineyards, and a variety of interesting things to see and do. Kayaking, surfing, hiking, and bicycling are some of the fantastic activities students appreciate while attending Cal Poly (of course, these opportunities are to be enjoyed only after you have completed your homework).
So, we look forward to your arrival should you decide to learn with us. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, contact me or the members of the FSN Department administrative staff.
Doris Derelian, PhD, JD, RD, FADA
Food Science and Nutrition Department Head
Why Choose Cal Poly?
Cal Poly! For your undergraduate education, there is no place like it! The Cal Poly experience is truly unique. At Cal Poly, students apply the principles of what they learn in the classroom to tangible, real life experiences.
Have you ever wondered why you are learning something and what it actually means in the real world? If so, Cal Poly can provide the exciting, hands-on education you are looking for.
Want to be more than a number? Cal Poly students form immediate relationships with faculty. Food Science and Nutrition students are assigned a faculty academic advisor who can help answer questions about classes and potential careers. Students not only have access to their professors but often develop important, long-lasting mentor relationships with faculty and administrative advisors. And, smaller class sizes make it likely that your professors will know you by name.
Do you like variety? The variety of courses offered in the Food Science and Nutrition Department is hard to find anywhere else. The coursework reflects the breadth and depth of expertise of our exceptional faculty. Our students are exposed to a multitude of subjects relating to their coursework, an opportunity that is simply not available in other undergraduate institutions.
Interested in seeing the world? You can study "down under" in Australia, "across the pond" in London, or at any number of international institutions available through Cal Poly's Study Abroad Program.
If you've ever dreamed of life at sea, Cal Poly at Sea offers the unique opportunity to spend two months aboard the California Maritime Academy training ship, The Golden Bear.
The decision is yours. The university you select will be a lifetime connection to both your career experiences and your college memories. Why not choose Cal Poly for the best of all of it?
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