Dairy Foods Manufacturing Certificate and Continuing Education Series

Online Dairy Training
& Career Acceleration

The purpose of the Online Dairy Foods Manufacturing Certificate is to provide the skills and expertise you need to be in demand and command a higher salary.

This program was specifically designed by working closely with the dairy industry to help you gain the essential framework for career growth and professional development.

The knowledge gained from the dairy certificate tracks and modules will help you with the essentials of:

operations
manufacturing
quality
supply chain
technical and scientific understanding
regulatory and safety

Thoughtfully Designed For Dairy Manufacturing Careers

The modules and certificates are designed to train and upskill:

Plant personnel new to dairy manufacturing with limited or no prior education in the dairy or food industry
Existing personnel aspiring to advance in the company by preparing themselves for work on the food quality team or food safety team
Persons with supervisory skills or roles can deepen dairy-related technical and scientific knowledge to their skillset and increase career mobility

Because of the close connection to industry, this program is also helpful if you're in the regulatory space or in sales on the supplier side.

Learning Options

The full certificates (Essentials and Advanced Certificates in Dairy Manufacturing) provide an in-depth exploration of core topics related to dairy manufacturing. They are ideal for new hires with limited or no prior dairy or food industry education, as well as those looking to brush up on foundational knowledge.

Micro Certificates and individual modules focus on specific specialties in dairy manufacturing, and are ideal for existing personnel seeking career advancement, supervisors, and others looking to deepen their dairy-related technical and scientific knowledge.

Each on-demand module is approximately 1 – 2 hours in length.

Why OSU is a big deal

Oregon State University's dairy foods program has been teaching students for over 100 years.

Now, in terms of its programs, research, and outreach, it's considered one of the largest educational dairy programs in the world (estimated to be the fifth biggest in the U.S.).

And with 100 years of history, OSU's dairy program has established connections and partnerships with prominent companies in dairy manufacturing.

In fact, OSU alumni hold leadership positions in dairy companies nationally.

Dairy Manufacturing Essentials Certificate

The Essential Dairy Foods Manufacturing Certificate consists
of 12 essential modules plus 1 elective in a specialized focus.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the program, you will:

Know the basics of chemistry and microbiology, which will help you understand the why and how of manufacturing.
Recognize factors that affect quality and consistency (both positively and negatively).
Understand the function of key dairy unit operations, how they apply to a variety of products and why it matters.

Advanced Certificate in Dairy Manufacturing

The Advanced Certificate in Dairy Foods Manufacturing builds on the Essential Certificate and includes all 23 modules. If you've taken any modules previously, they will apply towards the full certificate.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the program, you will:

Have a basic understanding of the processes for a range of dairy products, how they differ and how they’re same and how that links to quality and consistency.
Describe characteristics of good and poor quality raw milk and understand factors that affect milk quality.
Understand the function of key dairy unit operations, how they apply to a variety of products and why it matters.

"One of the challenges we consistently hear about from cheesemakers of all sizes is the difficulty finding and engaging qualified and enthusiastic employees.

OSU’s Dairy Manufacturing PACE program provides an efficient and customizable platform for onboarding new staff, training up existing employees to handle additional responsibilities, or attracting people with transferable skills to the cheese industry.

We are excited to see how this potentially game-changing new program will take our industry to the next level."

~ Katie Bray, Executive Director Oregon Cheese Guild

Micro Certificates

We offer short ("micro") certificates for the following specialty areas. These may be completed independently or in conjunction with an Essential or Advanced Certificate program.

Qualified Individual Micro Certificate. Modules 8 & 10. GMPs and Food Safety Systems and Culture. These modules are needed by all plant personnel and can be repeated annually to meet FSMA refresher training requirements for Food Hygiene and Food Safety. The certificate would be perfect for new hires and annual refresher training for all plant workers.

DAIRY QUALITY MICRO CERTIFICATE

This micro certificate includes course introduction, Dairy Chemistry, Dairy Microbiology, Pasteurization technologies, Sanitation, Supply Chain Management and Quality Systems.

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DAIRY FOOD SAFETY MICRO CERTIFICATE

This micro certificate includes course/dairy introduction, GMPs Food Safety Systems, and Culture, Regulatory Environment for Dairy, and Supply Chain Management.

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FERMENTED DAIRY PRODUCTS MICRO CERTIFICATE

This micro certificate includes course introduction, Dairy Chemistry, Dairy Microbiology, Pasteurization technologies, Sanitation, Fundamentals of Cheese Making, Specialty Cheeses, and Cultured Dairy Products.

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DRIED DAIRY PRODUCTS MICRO CERTIFICATE

This micro certificate includes course introduction, Dairy Chemistry, Dairy Microbiology, Pasteurization technologies, Sanitation, Membrane Technologies, Evaporation and Drying, Milk Powders and Whey Powders.

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