Food Science Transfer Plan
This document was accurate on the date it was prepared but may not reflect subsequent changes by Iowa State University or your transfer institution. For this reason, this transfer plan should be used as a guide only, and should not replace consultation with an advisor at your current institution and at Iowa State.
No more than 65 semester credit hours earned at a two-year college can be applied to a baccalaureate degree from Iowa State. Iowa State will accept up to 16 semester hours of credit earned in career-technical courses if the sending community college accepts such courses toward its Associate in Art or Associate in Science Degrees.
Note: All courses on this plan do not need to be completed prior to transfer. An emphasis on completing science sequence courses will best help students move through the program at the quickest pace after transfer.
These plans are suggestions only and may need to be adapted to meet individual needs and commitments.
If you are a part-time student or cannot complete all of the suggested coursework on this plan, consider choosing the science coursework first since this begins the longest sequence of courses. (Begin the science sequence with General/College Chemistry equivalent(s) and Principles of Biology equivalents.)
Transfer plans are available for Iowa community colleges on the Iowa State Transfer Plan Portal.
View links to the course requirements, sample four-year plan, and course sequence flow chart on the food science major page.
Use the Financial Aid Timeline to plan ahead for financial aid and scholarship opportunities.
Timing/Sequence
First Semester
| Iowa State course number, name | ISU credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 177/177L, General Chemistry | 4 (lecture), 1 (lab) | |
| Select an interchangeable course from the list below | 3 | |
| Select an interchangeable course from the list below | 3 | |
| Select an interchangeable course from the list below | 3 | |
| Library 160, Introduction to College Level Research | 1 | Some schools have an equivalent to this course, and some do not. If an equivalent doesn’t exist, this course can easily be fit into a schedule at Iowa State after transfer |
Total credits: about 15 (varies based on credits of courses at transfer institution)
Second Semester
| Iowa State course number, name | ISU credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 178, General Chemistry II | 3 | Select this course only if you selected an equivalent to CHEM 177/177L during Semester 1. Industry and Consumer students who selected an equivalent to CHEM 163/L during semester one do not need to select this course. |
| BIOL 212/212L, Principles of Biology II + lab | 4 | |
| Select an interchangeable course from the list below | 3 | |
| MATH 166 or MATH 182, Calculus II | 4 |
Total credits: about 14 (varies based on credits of courses at transfer institution)
Third Semester
| Iowa State course number, name | ISU credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 231/231L, Elementary Organic Chemistry OR CHEM 331/331L, Organic Chemistry II | 3 (lecture), 1 (lab) | Technology option must select an equivalent to CHEM 331/331L. Industry and Consumer options can choose equivalents to either CHEM 231/L or 331/L. |
| MICRO 201/201L OR Select an interchangeable course from the list below | 2 (lecture), 1 (lab); 3 credits for interchangeable course | Microbiology courses that transfer as MICRO 2T** on the Course Equivalency Guides, are at least 3 credits, and include a laboratory, will fulfill the MICRO 201/201L requirement. |
| Select an interchangeable course from the list below | 3 | |
| Select an interchangeable course from the list below | 3 | |
| Select an interchangeable course from the list below | 3 | Select this additional course based on your needs/ability to balance your course load this semester. |
Total credits: about 16 (varies based on credits of courses at transfer institution)
Fourth Semester
Typically, at this point in the sequence of courses, it is important that students have transferred to Iowa State. You should visit with the FSHN transfer advisor to determine the best time for you to transfer based on your specific situation. If possible, early planning is recommended to determine the transfer semester that will result in the timeliest completion of your degree requirements.
Interchangeable Courses
Where the transfer plans says, “select an interchangeable course”, select one of the courses below. All courses must be taken to fulfill requirements for your degree program, but the order of these courses prior to transfer is typically less significant.
Humanities Courses
3-9 credits of humanities are needed for food science majors. Consult with the Iowa State FSHN advisor regarding how many credits of humanities classes you should take prior to transfer. Courses at Iowa State that can fulfill Humanities requirements can be found at this link. Additionally, classes listed on the Course Equivalency Guides as HUM 1T**, 2T**, 3T**, 4T** can also serve as humanities.
| Iowa State course number, name | ISU credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Math 160 or 165 – Calculus course | 4 | |
| STAT 101, Principles of Statistics STAT 104, or Introduction to Statistics. | 4,3 | Take an equivalent to one of these two courses |
| ENGL 150, Critical Thinking & Communication | 3 | |
| ENGL 250, Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Communication | 3 | Usually an equivalent to ENGL 150 is the pre-requisite to an ENGL 250 equivalent |
| SP CM 212, Speech Communication | 3 | |
| FS HN 167, Intro. to Human Nutrition and Health | 3 | |
| ECON 101, Principles Of Micro. Econ. | 3 | |
| PHYS 131/131L, General Physics I + lab OR PHYS 115/115L, Physics for the Life Sciences | 4 |
Total credits: about 26-27 (varies based on credits of courses at transfer institution)