Bachelor of Science in Packaging

The School of Packaging offers a program of instruction leading to the Bachelor of Science degree. The program combines basic principles of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and materials science with specialized courses to prepare students for rewarding careers in industry. Career opportunities are plentiful since some form of packaging is involved in the production and movement to market of nearly every item of consumption in today’s economy. In addition to careers in companies that use packaging, attractive opportunities are also available in the package supply industries. Package supplier industries include companies that print and convert paper and flexible plastic materials as well as manufacturers of such diverse items as bottles, cans, folding cartons, corrugated boxes, drums, wooden containers, pallets, pails, tubes, vials, and jars. Packaging impacts most functions in manufacturing firms so graduates may work in package development, production, quality control, research, sales, purchasing, marketing, testing, distribution, or technical services. In its flexibility, the program allows students to leverage their personal skills and interests and to make individualized choices. Two concentrations are offered: Packaging Science and Packaging Value Chain Management. The Packaging Science concentration focuses on the technical needs of packaging while the Packaging Value Chain Management concentration focuses on the role of packaging in the value chain and the need to understand economics and business functions. Elective courses provide focused study in specific areas of the packaging industry. The University requirements for bachelor's degrees as described in the Undergraduate Education section of this catalog; 120 credits, including general elective credits, are required for the Bachelor of Science degree in Packaging.