Students in the Culinary Arts Institute at Mississippi University for Women said they were excited about a new partnership with Mississippi State, offering a degree in culinology.
“I think it’s cool,” said April Jackson of Greenville, a junior culinary arts major, as she worked Thursday in the Columbus university’s Culinary Arts Institute’s kitchen. Jackson hopes the partnership will mean the opportunity for more classes and additional funding to expand Mississippi University for Women’s current culinary arts facilities.
On Thursday, Mississippi State announced a joint degree program in culinology. The degree would blend courses from MSU’s food science, nutrition and health promotion department, which provides academic preparation for careers in food science, nutrition and health education; and MUW’s nationally recognized Culinary Arts Institute, which focuses on food preparation techniques, menu development and business skills.
A culinology emphasis, explained Chef Erich H. Ogle, interim director of MUW’s Culinary Arts Institute, focuses on food technology as well as culinary arts.
“It basically prepares students for work with your major food companies in research and development,” said Ogle, noting a handful of MUW students already were working toward a culinology certificate.
The new degree program is one of only 12 in the nation offering the degree, he added.
“It’s great,” he said. “We’re excited about it.”
The culinary arts department averages about 100-125 students, Ogle said, and “we definitely want to grow it into more.”
“I don’t mind it,” said Patrick Ray, a senior culinary arts major, from Pearl. “I feel that we have a great culinary arts program here. For students who want a little more emphasis in culinology, it would be great ... and they would enjoy using Mississippi State’s facilities.”
Brittany Shelby, a junior culinary arts major from Jackson, is “very interested” in the culinology degree program, which got College Board approval Thursday.
“I would do it because I plan on getting my master’s degree in food science,” she added.
Shelby plans to work as a research specialist at a major food company such as Kraft.
Nursing merger
The school’s nursing department also will begin a partnership with State. Through an agreement signed by both schools on Thursday, students will be able to take pre-nursing classes at MSU, continue their nursing studies at MUW and graduate with a degree from both institutions.
“We have a lot of students who start at State and take their first two years and complete their nursing degree here,” said Sheila Adams, dean of MUW’s College of Nursing, which has more than 300 students.
“We have more than we can take,” said Adams. “We always have to turn students away.”
Casi Vance, a junior nursing major from Aberdeen, doesn’t expect the change to affect students already in the program.
“I do know some people that came from State who are in classes with me right now,” she noted, adding students who start at The W have a harder time getting into the nursing program.
“We have to take sixty-something hours before we even get into the program,” Vance said, adding she has taken summer classes to stay on par with her expected graduation date.
Along with prerequisites for the nursing program, Vance and others planning to major in nursing must also complete their core classes required for an MUW degree before entering the nursing program.
Those who start their coursework elsewhere have “more choices and don’t have to fulfill as many hours,” Vane said.
While the details have yet to be worked out, Adams is confident students entering from State through the new program will have to meet the same criteria as those who start the nursing program at MUW.
The school offers an associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degree in nursing.
