Food and Society Certificate | The University of Texas at Austin

Skills & Competencies

Skills developed through this program

Auto-populatedfrom O*NET via SOC 19-4013.00

Skills

Reading ComprehensionWritingSpeakingActive ListeningScienceCritical ThinkingQuality Control AnalysisMonitoring

Knowledge

Food ProductionProduction and ProcessingChemistryEnglish LanguageComputers and Electronics

Abilities

Near VisionOral ComprehensionWritten ComprehensionOral ExpressionWritten ExpressionDeductive ReasoningInductive ReasoningProblem SensitivityVisual Color DiscriminationSpeech Recognition

Tasks

Taste or smell foods or beverages to ensure that flavors meet specifications or to select samples wi
Measure, test, or weigh bottles, cans, or other containers to ensure that hardness, strength, or dim
Maintain records of testing results or other documents as required by state or other governing agenc

Technology

Object or component oriented development softwareWeb platform development softwareData base user interface and query softwareGraphical user interface development softwareGraphics or photo imaging software

Tools

Agar platesAnaerobic jarsBenchtop centrifugesBioluminometersBoiling water bathsBunsen burnersCalorimetersColony countersColor testing equipmentCompound binocular light microscopesDesktop computersDessicatorsDistilling equipmentDropping pipettesDry bulb thermometers

Work Values

SupportRelationshipsAchievementIndependenceWorking ConditionsRecognition

Career Pathways

Occupations this program prepares you for

Auto-populatedfrom O*NET + BLS

Occupations matched to this program, with median wage, top wage, growth, and openings
SOC	Occupation	Method	Wage	Growth	Openings
Match confidence: medium19-4013.00	Food Science Technicians	title_inference	—	—	—

Program Pathways

Credentials this program stacks toward

No program pathways.

What You'll Learn

Key competencies developed through this program

Auto-populatedfrom NSX Competency Framework

Mastery: developing (Level 2)(based on Certificate)

Flavor and aroma profiling — conduct independent sensory evaluations of food and beverage samples, documenting deviations from flavor specifications and escalating out-of-spec results to quality supervisors.
Container integrity testing — independently operate measurement instruments to assess hardness, strength, and dimensional tolerance of packaging materials and record findings without direct oversight.
Regulatory recordkeeping — maintain organized, accurate testing logs and compliance documents required by state and federal governing agencies, applying agency-specific formatting standards.
Temperature control management — monitor, adjust, and document product temperatures across multiple production lines using automated sensors and control software in a processing plant.
Test result classification — analyze multi-variable test data, apply deductive reasoning to classify product batches against specification standards, and flag borderline results for supervisory review.
Microscopic examination — routinely examine chemical and biological samples to identify cell structures, detect microbial contamination, and note extraneous material with growing independence in a food laboratory.
Equipment calibration and maintenance — perform scheduled inspection, calibration, and minor repair of laboratory instruments to maintain measurement accuracy across routine testing workflows.
Technical report preparation — compile test results into structured graphs, charts, and written reports using spreadsheet and office suite software for distribution to quality assurance teams.
Quality control analysis — apply quality control principles to identify recurring testing anomalies, trace potential sources of variance, and communicate findings clearly to production staff.
Time and task coordination — manage daily testing schedules across concurrent sample sets, prioritizing tasks to meet production deadlines in a fast-paced food science environment.

Program Details

Detailed information about this program

No detailed information available.

Requirements

What you need to earn this credential

No requirements listed.

Financial Aid

Eligible funding programs

No funding information available.

Scholarships

No scholarships listed.