AN OVERVIEW
The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Packaging provides a broad education 
with specialized training in one of the areas of study listed below.
Advanced studies are conducted in the following areas, among others:
§ Product and/or package damage in the physical
distribution environment.
§ Barrier characteristics of packaging systems and materials.
§ Quality preservation and storage stability of packaged products.
§ Mechanical properties of packaging materials and systems.
§ Distribution packaging.
§ Packaging systems development and optimization.
§ Medical/pharmaceutical packaging.
§ Human factors in packaging.
§ Packaging in business and marketing.
§ Recycling.
§ Environmental impacts of packaging.
§ Automatic identification.
Ph.D. CURRICULUM
The Ph.D. curriculum is highly individualized. All students are required to complete the following:
PKG 985 Analytical Solutions to Packaging Design (3 credits)
PKG 992 Packaging Seminar (2 credits)
PKG 999 Doctoral Dissertation Research (1-24 credits)
Additional course requirements will be determined by the student's guidance committee.
ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS
Ph.D. Program
§ M.S. degree with thesis in packaging or a related science or engineering area
§ Grade point average of at least 3.40 (4 point scale) in M.S. program
§ Submission of GRE scores
§ Three letters of recommendation
§ Supplemental Application Form. Click HERE for form.
§ Recommendation for Admission Form. Click HERE for form.
International students whose native language is not English must also submit test scores demonstrating adequate knowledge of the English language. (see page 12 of the Graduate Student Handbook; see link below)
BEGINNING YOUR STUDIES:
Students may begin their graduate programs either in the fall semester (late August) or the spring semester (January).
For full consideration for financial aid, PhD students should apply before January and MS students before March for admission for fall semester. Admission for summer semester (May) is recommended only for students who must enroll in intensive English classes.
IMPORTANT LINKS:
The Graduate Student Handbook provides detailed information regarding the M.S. programs on-campus and on-line. Click HERE for a copy.
Courses Descriptions: Click HERE for course descriptions. Ph.D. courses are 900 level classes.
Applying to Graduate School: Click HERE for application information and forms.
Tuition Fees & Housing Cost Calculator: Click HERE
For More Information Contact:
Dr. Susan Selke
Graduate Adviser
The School of Packaging
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1223
Phone (517) 353-3869
Fax (517) 353-8999
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