UConn’s meat science program in the Department of Animal Science (College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources) was officially established in 1956 by internationally recognized Dr. Donald Kinsman, a longtime American Meat Science Association member who dedicated his career to meat science research and teaching. Since then, the program has been preparing students to embark on diverse careers in the field, while faculty conduct groundbreaking research to help make meat safer, higher-quality, and more sustainable. The meat science curriculum at UConn covers multiple steps in the meat production process, from raising animals that will be healthy and produce high-quality meat, to assessing the quality and safety of the end product.
UConn Animal Science offers both a two-year program through the Ratcliffe Hicks School of Agriculture and a four-year degree baccalaureate program. The courses taken by students in this focus cover fundamental and cutting-edge information about animal nutrition, genetics, assessing meat safety and quality, as well as the meat industry in Connecticut and elsewhere in the country.