Food Safety and Biosecurity

multiple students learning food safety in classroom

Food Safety and Biosecurity Concentration

Virginia Tech’s Online Master of Science in Agricultural and Life Sciences (OMALS) offers a 15-credit Food Safety and Biosecurity concentration focused on food safety, sanitation, microbiology, and food biosecurity.

Coursework explores the microbiological safety of food, water, and the environment; laws and regulations affecting food production and processing; food safety management programs; and the biosecurity of food supplies in developing countries. Students build evidence-based knowledge for evaluating and managing food safety and biosecurity practices across local, state, national, and global settings.

Food Safety and Biosecurity Skills and Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the OMALS degree with a Food Safety and Biosecurity concentration, students will be able to:

Demonstrate breadth and depth of knowledge of evidence-based food safety and food biosecurity practices.
Apply scientific literature to critically evaluate the practices of legal and regulatory issues on food safety and food biosecurity
Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of fundamental concepts relevant to food safety and food biosecurity practices across diverse agriculture scales (local, state, national, and global).
Design, implement, and evaluate food safety and food biosecurity management programs and practices.
Identify sources of food safety and food biosecurity information and distinguish reliable sources from unreliable sources.