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Department of Dairy and Food Science

Department of Dairy and Food Science

Feed the world – with science

Dairy is a huge industry that helps feed the world. And the science behind it helps employ a lot of SDSU grads. All of the decisions that go into the products consumers pick up from their grocery aisle were meticulously made by professionals in the dairy and food science field. SDSU's Dairy and Food Science Department has been an industry-leading program in the United States for more than a century. Starting with the founding of the Dakota Agricultural College in the 1880s, officially forming as a department in 1907 and more than doubling in enrollment since 1967, dairy science is a hallmark of SDSU's culture–and a high-demand, high-earnings field, to boot.

Let's dive into what makes SDSU's Dairy and Food Science Department a magnificent major choice for those in search of a lucrative career.

Dairy Extension

Extension

Plant

Facilities

Digest

News and Publications

Calves

Programs

DRTF Graduate Research

Research

Dairy Challenge

Student Activities

Fast Facts

Number of Students

48

Undergraduate

29

Graduate

Student/Faculty Ratio

9:1

Job Placement

100%

Scholarships Awarded

58

Recipients

$175K

Awarded

Schedule a Tour

Department of Dairy and Food Science News

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The university’s newest endowment holders are, from left, Dan Hansen, J. Bruce Laughrey Endowed Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions; John Jaeger, Calvin and Mary Hayenga Endowed Department Head of Animal Science; Londa Nwadike, David A. Thompson Endowed Department Head of Dairy and Food Science; Cheryl Reese: Klingbeil Endowed Educator in Precision Agriculture; and Biying Yang, Nies Endowed Early Career Faculty Scholar.

South Dakota State honors newest endowment holders

South Dakota State University recently paid tribute to the university’s newest endowment holders. The third annual University Leadership Honors investiture ceremony — honoring six holders of endowed positions across three different colleges and SDSU Athletics — was held Sept. 19 in Founders Recital Hall in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center.

Experiencing SDSU in Sioux Falls

From NASA rovers and jumping challenges to medieval weapons and a virtual reality exploration of the ocean, South Dakota State University Day at the Washington Pavilion gave students and visitors a taste of what SDSU has to offer. More than a dozen academic programs took over the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls Sept. 20-21 to showcase the many different opportunities at SDSU in a first-of-its-kind event.

Nwadike leading SDSU’s Department of Dairy and Food Science

Londa Nwadike, a Bruce native and 2000 South Dakota State University alumna, has been named the David A. Thompson Endowed Department Head and Professor of Dairy and Food Science at SDSU.