Packaging Science

Overview

RIT’s packaging science program, established in 1972, is one of the most unique and respected in the country. One of only a handful in the nation to offer the program, the discipline provides students exposure to laboratory experience and real-life problem solving. Embedded into the program is the required full-time co-op with a company, and RIT is the only institute in the country that requires all packaging science students to experience this opportunity. This allows students to develop their professional skills, expand their real-world experience, and, most importantly, broaden their industry contacts. RIT's relationship with industry leaders and the skills students obtain in development, sales, and purchasing results in professional careers within this multi-billion dollar industry. This relationship, along with the faculty being packaging professionals, ensures that students acquire the most current technological knowledge base.

200⁺

Real industry student projects each year

8⁺

Possible focus areas: sustainable packaging, packaging design, biopolymers, shock and vibration, pharmaceutical, medical products, and food packaging

International Safe Transit Association Certified Packaging Dynamics and Research Lab

Latest News

December 14, 2021

Can't Open That Package? Why Companies Make Container Mistakes

The Wall Street Journal talks to Daniel Johnson, chair of the Department of Packaging Science, about the challenges to switching to innovative packaging solutions.
December 7, 2021

Student designer represents RIT on three packaging competition winning teams in four years

Kelly Fellner is still packing heat. The packaging science major has been on three winning RIT student teams in the past four years at the annual Paperboard Packaging Design Challenge. In 2018, she was part of the Packing Heat team that took first place for its subscription box filled with fiery sauces and treats.
November 30, 2021

Packaging science student is first female Eagle Scout in Finger Lakes region

Rebecca Bober, a third-year packaging science major from Bloomfield, N.Y., recently earned Eagle Scout rank with Boy Scouts of America, becoming the first female Eagle Scout in the Finger Lakes region.

More Department News

Featured Work

Cylindrical white box with cutout in middle to display item siminlar to Fitbit watch

Excellence in Design

RIT student team

Four of eight student design teams from RIT that were entered in the national Paperboard Packaging Alliance competition were awarded top placements for excellence in design. The Misfit Burst took...

Half-gallon container of orange juice next to glass 3/4 full of juice

Collaborative design

Karen Proctor

Karen Proctor, professor of packaging science, worked with faculty from graphic design and industrial design to provide students with a unique opportunity for collaborative design. Through these three...

Faculty

Staff

Undergraduate Programs

With a faculty committed to excellence, our undergraduate program provides a significant theoretical background coupled with extensive design and project experiences throughout the curriculum. Cooperative educational work is the hallmark of an RIT education, and the packaging science undergraduate program includes at least two of these experiences combined with faculty research opportunities.

Mathematics and the physical sciences are introduced in a just-in-time fashion while technical courses are incorporated every semester. Students are introduced to the multidimensional packaging field each semester. Progressing through the curriculum, projects become larger and design experiences more intense. By the final year of the program, students participate in realistic project-based design challenges as they ready themselves to be self-sufficient in the workplace.

Packaging Science BS

An innovative packaging science degree where you’ll design product packaging for food, cosmetics, electronics, retail, and consumer goods.

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Graduate Programs

The Master of Science degree in packaging science is designed to educate packaging professionals to become experts in the packaging development process. Students learn how to select raw materials, design, and create packaging to withstand environmental hazards during transportation, and to create aesthetically pleasing packages to pique consumer interest. Through a combination of theoretical and application-focused learning experiences, students gain comprehensive knowledge related to packaging design, package testing, product marketing, project management, and quality control.

Packaging Science MS

The master's in packaging science enables you to create visually stunning, environmentally friendly packaging that’s functional and durable enough to be aesthetically pleasing and sustainable for the environmental while also withstanding the stresses of distribution and transportation.

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Minors and Immersions

Flexible Packaging Minor

The flexible packaging minor addresses flexible containment systems, one of the fastest growing segments of the packaging materials industry. The manufacturing and use of flexible containment systems requires specific expertise and knowledge of appropriate technology for implementation. Flexible pouches and containment systems are considered more sustainable for replacing glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, and metal cans. They use materials more efficiently and reduce the weight and costs associated with physical distribution activities.

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Packaging Science Minor

The packaging science minor offers courses covering a broad range of packaging activities, including development/design, testing, marketing, and production. Related legal, economic, and environmental/sustainability concerns are also addressed. Students from majors such as engineering, engineering technology, multidisciplinary studies, management, marketing, international business, industrial design, and print media could all benefit from the packaging science minor.

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