Poultry Science Offering New Processing Track
By: Katie Jackson
A new curriculum option in poultry processing—the first and only one of its kind in the country—is now available in the CoAg Department of Poultry Science. It is opening up a world of opportunities for students and will provide a new level of skilled employees for the poultry and egg industry.
The degree track, called the poultry processing and products option, received final approval in January and will officially begin in fall 2006. According to Patricia Curtis, professor of poultry science and director of the Auburn University Poultry Products Safety and Quality program, one of Auburn University’s Peaks of Excellence programs, the idea grew from PPSQ program efforts.
PPSQ is a multidisciplinary program, with the Department of Poultry Science at its core, that specifically targets further processing, value-added products and food safety. The PPSQ goal is to develop the knowledge and technology needed for the production of wholesome, high-quality poultry products in a globally competitive manner.
Curtis, who has been spearheading the development of the new degree option, explains that the degree was made possible because the PPSQ program increased the number of faculty members with processing expertise. “The PPSQ program has enhanced the departmental expertise in the products area,” she says. “Prior to this, the department was focused on production issues, but the new hires in the Peaks program have equaled out our expertise in both areas.”
That fact, and the fact that there are lots of job opportunities for poultry students interested in poultry processing, led to the development of the new degree program. “It’s probably one of the fastest-growing areas and there’s a lot of upward mobility possible for students going into that area,” says Curtis.
“The poultry and egg industry is always looking for new products and new ways to make their products better—from increasing the shelf life of products to developing innovative new foods for consumers,” she says. “The real growth opportunity for the industry is to create new products or expand the interest in the line of products they already have.”
One big area of industry need is for employees who are certified in Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point procedures, which are food safety procedures mandated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The new AU poultry processing option provides training so that AU students graduating from the program will be HACCP-certified when they graduate and will be able to step into those roles when they join the job force.
“What we hope to do with this program is provide graduates who can go into a processing plant and have the science background to understand how to meet HACCP requirements and how to develop new products,” Curtis said.
“It is very much like a food science degree and students could work in other areas besides poultry processing with this degree,” she adds, “but it is aimed specifically for those interested in the poultry industry, to give them a leg up when they go into their first job.”
Curtis expects that some current students will transfer into this degree track, but she notes the department is launching a recruitment program that will target potential students who may never have considered getting a degree in poultry science.
“A student interested in this track may be a cross between someone interested in food science and also one interested in basic science,” she says. “It should also be popular in Alabama because, with so many poultry plants in the state, graduates will have a chance to live and work here in Alabama in upwardly mobile jobs without leaving the state.
“It also will be a great pre-professional school major,” she adds, in part because of the program’s strong science background, which will prepare students for medical and pharmacy schools.
The department also hopes to partner with two-year colleges in the state to recruit students to Auburn and to help those students prepare for this as a four-year degree.
“We have a good relationship with industry and this is yet another way that we can help them,” she adds.
“Addition of this curriculum track is one of our many recent changes in the poultry science department designed to strengthen the Alabama poultry industry and meet its workforce needs,” says Don Conner, head of the department.
“As the poultry industry continues to expand its further processing efforts to produce the array of high-quality further-processed and value-added products that today’s consumer demands, it is imperative that our curriculum keep pace with these industry trends, while continuing to meet existing needs,” he continues. “This new curriculum track will help meet the need for well-qualified graduates, and has been designed to prepare our graduates for the challenging positions associated with the further processing of poultry, ranging from food safety and quality to product development.”