The graduate program in the Department of Food Science ranks among the best of its kind in the United States. Strong faculty research groups exist in food chemistry, food engineering, food microbiology, and health. The master's track in these areas combines an array of in-depth courses with the use of advanced research methods for studying food properties: chemical, physical, physiological, and bioactive characteristics, material properties, microbial control and safety, sensory quality, procedures for the processing, storage, and preservation of foods.