Packaging Science Bachelor of Science Degree
Packaging Science
Bachelor of Science Degree
An innovative packaging science degree where you’ll design product packaging for food, cosmetics, electronics, retail, and consumer goods.
Overview for Packaging Science BS
- Two required blocks of co-op provide you with hands-on, full-time paid work experience in industry.
- A packaging career fair connects our packaging science majors with more than 25 employers in the packaging industry. Network with company representatives and interview directly for open co-op and permanent employment positions.
- Recent graduates are employed at American Packaging Corporation, Colgate-Palmolive, CooperVision, GlaxoSmithKline, Hasbro, Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, and more.
Product packaging is increasingly related to total marketing concepts. It has an even greater dependence on new developments in materials and processes as eco-friendly product packaging has emerged as a growing way for companies to reduce the environmental impacts and the ecological footprints of product packaging. As a result, the packaging industry requires professionals–packaging engineers, packaging designers, product developers, and more–with a strong background in engineering, design, and business to infuse the industry with creativity and innovation.
What is Packaging Science?
Packaging science is a dynamic major that integrates engineering, design, and business to develop and design product packaging for a range of consumer goods. Packaging engineers and packaging designers focus on understanding the packaging needs of a product and what it must accomplish. These needs can range from maintaining food freshness and safety, keeping products safe from damage during transportation, appealing to consumers at the point of purchase, communicating product information, sustaining transportation efficiency, complying with sustainable practices for post-use recycling and reuse, and more. It’s the role of packaging engineers and packaging designers to responsibility weigh these factors into the conceptualization, design, and development of product packaging.
RIT’s Packaging Science Degree
RIT’s packaging science degree is one of the most unique and well respected in the country. You’ll study course work in three key areas:
- Engineering: Physics, packaging materials and biopolymers, shock and vibration, packaging for pharmaceuticals and medical products.
- Design: Packaging design, protective packaging, product packaging, sustainable packaging.
- Business: Packaging for distribution, packaging and the supply chain, packaging regulations, marketing, operations, and communications.
The packaging science degree also includes extensive laboratory work. You’ll explore packaging solutions and tackle real-life problem-solving in hands-on lab assignments that take place in state-of-the-art facilities, including the Packaging Materials Lab, Packaging Science Dynamics Lab, and the American Packaging Corporation Center for Packaging Innovation.
Two blocks of required cooperative education experience in the packaging industry is also part of the curriculum. RIT’s packaging science degree is the only program in the country that requires its students to complete cooperative education.
Packaging Science Industry Advisory Board
The Industry Advisory Board contributes professional and technical expertise to the packaging science degree, which strengthens and develops the curriculum to reflect the dynamics and growth of the industry.
Combined Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degrees
Today’s careers require advanced degrees grounded in real-world experience. RIT’s Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees enable you to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in as little as five years of study, all while gaining the valuable hands-on experience that comes from co-ops, internships, research, study abroad, and more.
+1 MBA Early Acceptance Pathway: Successful RIT applicants who are offered admission into the BS degree in packaging science as an incoming first-year student may also be offered conditional early acceptance into the +1 MBA Early Acceptance Pathway. This option enables you to earn both your BS degree and an MBA in as little as five years of study. Learn how the +1 MBA Early Acceptance Pathway can help you add a competitive advantage to your studies.
+1 MBA: Students who enroll in a qualifying undergraduate degree have the opportunity to add an MBA to their bachelor’s degree after their first year of study, depending on their program. Learn how the +1 MBA can accelerate your learning and position you for success.
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Industries
Careers and Experiential Learning
Typical Job Titles
| Associate Specialist - Packaging Operations | Packaging Engineer |
| Packaging Designer | Package Developer |
| Product Engineer | Packaging Scientist |
| Package Engineering Technician | Packaging Sales |
| Structural Designer | Packaging and Display Sales |
| Packaging Development Engineer | Packaging Project Management Engineer |
| Sustainable Packaging Manager |
Salary and Career Information for Packaging Science BS
Cooperative Education
What’s different about an RIT education? It’s the career experience you gain by completing cooperative education and internships with top companies in every single industry. You’ll earn more than a degree. You’ll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart. It’s exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries.
Co-ops and internships take your knowledge and turn it into know-how. Your engineering co-ops will provide hands-on experience that enables you to apply your engineering knowledge in professional settings while you make valuable connections between classwork and real-world applications.
In the packaging science degree, you'll complete two required blocks of co-op. You'll gain extensive career experience through full-time, paid co-op positions in companies that design and develop packaging for cosmetics and health products, pharmaceuticals and medical products, food and beverages, tools and equipment for manufacturing, toys, and other consumer goods, and more. You’ll also develop your professional skills and broaden your industry contacts.
Companies that employ our packaging science students for co-ops include Colgate-Palmolive, CONMED, CooperVision, GlaxoSmithKline, Hammer Packaging, Hasbro, Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc., Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, Merck & Co., Inc., Milwaukee Tool, PepsiCo, Revlon, and Stanley Black & Decker, to name a few.
Jobs for Packaging Engineers and Packaging Designers
RIT’s packaging science degree prepares you for employment in areas such as package development, packaging design, sales, purchasing, structural design, production, research, and marketing. The major was developed as a result of a close and long-established relationship between the packaging industry and RIT. This multi-billion-dollar industry is experiencing dynamic growth and packaging engineers and packaging designers with wide-ranging skills and expertise are in demand.
Packaging Science Career Fair
RIT hosts a packaging science-specific career fair that connects packaging science majors with corporations, organizations, design firms, and more, who hire packaging professionals. During this day-long event, you’ll be able to network with company representatives and interview directly for open co-op and permanent employment positions.
Featured Work
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...
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...
Curriculum for Packaging Science BS
Packaging Science, BS degree, typical course sequence
| Course | Sem. Cr. Hrs. | |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | ||
| CHMG-123 | General Education – Elective: Chemistry of Materials The course will address three fundamental concepts of general chemistry by covering three aspects of all chemical reactions: kinetics, equilibrium and thermodynamics. Acid/base and oxidation/reductions will be discussed. The chemistry of metals, ceramics and synthetic polymers will be covered, including electrochemistry and a brief overview of organic chemistry. (Prerequisites: CHMG-121 or CHMG-131 or CHMG-141 or equivalent courses.) Lab 3 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
| CHMG-141 | General Education – Elective: General & Analytical Chemistry I This is a general chemistry course for students in the life and physical sciences. College chemistry is presented as a science based on empirical evidence that is placed into the context of conceptual, visual, and mathematical models. Students will learn the concepts, symbolism, and fundamental tools of chemistry necessary to carry on a discourse in the language of chemistry. Emphasis will be placed on the relationship between atomic structure, chemical bonds, and the transformation of these bonds through chemical reactions. The fundamentals of organic chemistry are introduced throughout the course to emphasize the connection between chemistry and the other sciences. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
3 |
| CHMG-145 | General Education – Elective: General & Analytical Chemistry I Lab The course combines hands-on laboratory exercises with workshop-style problem sessions to complement the CHMG-141 lecture material. The course emphasizes laboratory techniques and data analysis skills. Topics include: gravimetric, volumetric, thermal, titration and spectrophotometric analyses, and the use of these techniques to analyze chemical reactions. (Corequisite: CHMG-141 or CHMG-131 or equivalent course.) Lab 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
1 |
| MATH-171 | General Education – Mathematical Perspective A: Calculus A This is the first course in a three-course sequence (COS-MATH-171, -172, -173). This course includes a study of precalculus, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions, continuity, and differentiability. Limits of functions are used to study continuity and differentiability. The study of the derivative includes the definition, basic rules, and implicit differentiation. Applications of the derivative include optimization and related-rates problems. (Prerequisites: Completion of the math placement exam or C- or better in MATH-111 or C- or better in ((NMTH-260 or NMTH-272 or NMTH-275) and NMTH-220) or equivalent course.) Lecture 5 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
| MATH-172 | General Education – Mathematical Perspective B: Calculus B This is the second course in three-course sequence (COS-MATH-171, -172, -173). The course includes Riemann sums, the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, techniques of integration, and applications of the definite integral. The techniques of integration include substitution and integration by parts. The applications of the definite integral include areas between curves, and the calculation of volume. (Prerequisites: C- or better in MATH-171 or 1016-171T or 1016-281 or 1016-231 or equivalent course.) Lecture 5 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
| PACK-101 | Introduction to Packaging An in-depth overview of packaging. The course will include historical perspectives of packaging. Students will explore the functions of packaging and the materials, processes, and technology employed to protect goods during handling, shipment, and storage. A brief review of container types, package design and development, and research and testing are presented, along with information about economic importance, social implications, and packaging as a profession. Students will research historical, current, and future packages to gain better insight into the world of packaging. Lecture 1 (Fall, Spring). |
1 |
| PACK-151 | Packaging Design I The course develops knowledge of engineering design graphics and skills of package structure design. Topics covered are basics of engineering design graphics, technical sketch, project plan, design matrix and computer aided design (CAD). Emphasis is given to use SolidWorks - CAD software to design typical packaging structures. The 10-week design project focuses on developing a packaging structure from an idea to a 3D virtual prototype. Lec/Lab 3 (Fall). |
3 |
| PACK-152 | Packaging Design II The course develops knowledge and skills in applying two computer software packages for packaging design: Artios CAD and Adobe Illustrator. Topics covered are builder and rebuilder, solid modeling and drawing, animation, coloring, and painting. Emphasis is given to create a typical paperboard based carton with a proper structure and color usage. (Co-requisites: PACK-101 or equivalent course.) Lec/Lab 4 (Spring). |
3 |
General Education – First Year Writing: FYW (WI) |
3 | |
| YOPS-10 | RIT 365: RIT Connections RIT 365 students participate in experiential learning opportunities designed to launch them into their career at RIT, support them in making multiple and varied connections across the university, and immerse them in processes of competency development. Students will plan for and reflect on their first-year experiences, receive feedback, and develop a personal plan for future action in order to develop foundational self-awareness and recognize broad-based professional competencies. Lecture 1 (Fall, Spring). |
0 |
General Education – Artistic Perspective |
3 | |
General Education – Ethical Perspective |
3 | |
| Second Year | ||
| CHMG-201 | General Education – Elective: Introduction to Organic Polymer Technology The first part of the course covers the fundamentals of organic chemistry. The organization, nomenclature, structure, bonding and basic reactions of organic compounds will be discussed, in particular those concepts that are relevant to understand polymer chemistry. The second part of the course will introduce the nomenclature and classification of synthetic polymers. The reactions leading to the formation of relevant polymers, their chemical and physical behavior, and some of their many applications will be discussed. (Prerequisites: CHMG-121 or CHMG-131 or CHMG-141 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall). |
3 |
| PACK-95 | Career Seminar This course is an introduction to the cooperative educational placement process at RIT, the programs in the department and RIT resources. Topics include engineering technology vs. engineering, review of resources available at RIT, the co-operative education placement process, and the ethical expectations of employers for co-op students and RIT during a job search. Seminar 1 (Fall, Spring). |
0 |
| PACK-211 | Packaging Metals & Plastics The study of packaging materials from extraction through conversion and production, physical and chemical properties and uses. Emphasis is on plastics and metals used in packaging and other component materials. Recognized standard testing procedures are presented and students gain practical experience in the operation of various testing instruments, interpretation of results, and evaluation of properties and performance characteristics. (Co-requisites: PACK-101 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
| PACK-212 | Packaging Paper & Glass The manufacture, physical and chemical properties, and uses of common packaging materials. Emphasis is on paper, paperboard, wood, glass, and pressurized packaging systems used in packaging applications. Standard testing procedures will be presented as well as instruction on testing equipment operation, data interpretation, evaluation of properties, and performance. (Co-requisites: PACK-101 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
| PACK-311 | Containers I A detailed study of primary packages that includes the history, manufacturing processes, characteristics, and applications for containers in direct contact with the product. Structural design, chemical compatibility, and suitability of container for intended use are analyzed for basic container types. Students practice structural design and testing of prototype containers. Primary emphasis is on flexible paper, foil, plastic, and laminated materials and on selected processing techniques. Topics to include folding cartons, heat seal technology and test methodologies, permeability theory, modeling, and empirical testing. (Prerequisites: PACK-151 and PACK-211 and PACK-212 or equivalent courses.
Co-requisites: PACK-152 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
| PACK-312 | Containers II This course is a detailed study of primary packages. History, manufacturing processes characteristics, and applications for containers in direct contact with the product. Structural design, chemical compatibility, and suitability of container for intended use are analyzed for basic container types. Students practice structural design and testing of prototype containers. Primary emphasis is on rigid paperboard, glass, plastic, and metal containers. (Prerequisites: PACK-151 and PACK-211 and PACK-212 or equivalent courses.
Co-requisites: PACK-152 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
| PACK-499 | Co-op Work Experience Off-campus work in an approved salaried position with cooperating company. Department permission is required. (Third year status) (A minimum of 3rd year standing is required to enroll.) CO OP (Fall, Spring). |
0 |
| PHYS-111 | General Education – Natural Science Inquiry Perspective: College Physics I This is an introductory course in algebra-based physics focusing on mechanics
and waves. Topics include kinematics, planar motion, Newton’s laws,
gravitation; rotational kinematics and dynamics; work and energy; momentum
and impulse; conservation laws; simple harmonic motion; waves; data
presentation/analysis and error propagation. The course is taught using both
traditional lectures and a workshop format that integrates material traditionally
found in separate lecture, recitation, and laboratory settings. Lab 4 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
4 |
| STAT-145 | General Education – Elective: Introduction to Statistics I This course introduces statistical methods of extracting meaning from data, and basic inferential statistics. Topics covered include data and data integrity, exploratory data analysis, data visualization, numeric summary measures, the normal distribution, sampling distributions, confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing. The emphasis of the course is on statistical thinking rather than computation. Statistical software is used. (Prerequisite: MATH-101 or MATH-111 or NMTH-260 or NMTH-272 or NMTH-275 or a math placement exam score of at least 35.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
3 |
General Education – Environmental Elective† |
3 | |
General Education – Global Perspective |
3 | |
General Education – Social Perspective |
3 | |
| Third Year | ||
| MEDG-106 | General Education – Scientific Principles Perspective: Microbiology of Health And Disease An introductory course in microbiology including its history, significant contributions to medicine and history, as well as a survey of microbiological organisms as they relate to disease, industry and biotechnology. (any course in Biology) Lecture 3 (Spring). |
3 |
| MKTG-230 | Principles of Marketing An introduction to the field of marketing, stressing its role in the organization and society. Emphasis is on determining customer needs and wants and how the marketer can satisfy those needs through the controllable marketing variables of product, price, promotion and distribution. (This class is restricted to undergraduate students with at least 2nd year standing.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
3 |
| PACK-420 | Technical Communications (WI-PR) An introduction to the principles of effective written technical communication for professional environments. Topics include memos, business letters, summary activity reports, technical proposals, and research papers. (Pre-requisites: This course is restricted to PACK-BS or NMEP-BS students.
Co-requisites: First Year Writing (FYW).) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
| PACK-421 | Packaging for Distribution An exploration of different shipping, storage, and use environments common to various products and packages. Structural design of shipping containers for product physical protection and methods for testing and predicting package performance are studied. Package converting processes will be studied to reinforce the economics of efficient and sustainable package design. (Prerequisites: PACK-311 and PACK-312 or equivalent courses.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
| PACK-422 | Dynamics and Protective Packaging The course defines the factors involved in assessing the potential damage to packaged items resulting from impact and vibration forces in the handling, transport and storage environments. Students will be instructed in the use of basic shock and vibration test equipment, apply standard test protocols and develop specific testing protocols from measured field data. Based on data generated from testing activities, students will develop cushion designs to protect sensitive product components. (Prerequisites: PACK-421 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
| PACK-430 | Packaging Regulations This course begins with an overview of government laws and regulations applicable to the packaging industry. Students will then gain the hierarchical impact that regulations have on the global supply chain, quality systems, patent innovation, and workplace safety. (Prerequisites: (PACK-301 and PACK-302 ) or (PACK-311 and PACK-312) or equivalent courses.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
| PACK-499 | Co-op Work Experience Off-campus work in an approved salaried position with cooperating company. Department permission is required. (Third year status) (A minimum of 3rd year standing is required to enroll.) CO OP (Fall, Spring). |
0 |
| STAT-146 | General Education – Elective: Introduction to Statistics II This course is an elementary introduction to the topics of regression and analysis of variance. The statistical software package Minitab will be used to reinforce these techniques. The focus of this course is on business applications. This is a general introductory statistics course and is intended for a broad range of programs. (Prerequisites: STAT-145 or equivalent course.) Lecture 6 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
4 |
General Education – Immersion 1 |
3 | |
General Education – Elective |
3 | |
Open Elective |
3 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| PACK-470 | Food Packaging Study of food products, common methods of processing and preservation, impact on quality and nutritional value of the product, and the relationships with common packaging methods and distribution practices. Students required to deliver a project to support the objectives of this course. (Prerequisites: PACK-311 and PACK-312 or equivalent courses.) Lecture 3 (Fall). |
3 |
| PACK-481 | Packaging for Marketing and End Use The interrelationship between packaging and marketing, detailing how the retail consumer package can be used as a marketing tool. Concentrates on a systematic approach to developing an optimum package for a given product to meet the demands of the retail market and end user. Students gain practice in the development of a complete package system. (Prerequisites: PACK-421 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring). |
3 |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 |
|
| DECS-310 | Operations Management A survey of operations and supply chain management that relates to both service- and goods- producing organizations. Topics include operations and supply chain strategies; ethical behavior; forecasting; product and service design, including innovation and sustainability; capacity and inventory management; lean operations; managing projects; quality assurance; global supply chains; and the impacts of technology. (Prerequisites: STAT-145 or MATH-251 or equivalent courses.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
|
| PACK-471 | Packaging Supply Chain Market structures are analyzed in order to develop an understanding of how packaging relates to the general economy. Students will learn how market traded derivatives are utilized to protect against price volatility of packaging raw materials, utilization of Purchase Price Cost Analysis to predict packaging pricing and price movements. Packaging contract analysis and packaging pricing formula based pricing will be studied. Students are instructed in the use of basic pricing reference materials for research purposes. (Prerequisites: PACK-421 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Spring). |
|
| Choose one of the following: | 3 |
|
| MAAT-368 | Gravure and Flexography Students will explore gravure and flexography technologies, and learn to evaluate applicable designs. Extensive hands-on experience is included. Students will create pressure sensitive label designs, take command of a flexo press, and print labels. Lab 3 (Spring). |
|
| MAAT-541 | Digital Print Processes Students who take this course will understand how digital printing technologies work, what they are capable of doing, and how these technologies are used commercially. Students will analyze the factors driving the explosive growth of digital printing, including how the economics of digital and conventional printing compare. The concepts taught in the classroom are reinforced through hands-on labs and field trips to digital printers and equipment suppliers. This course is cross-listed with PPRT-641; students may receive credit for MAAT-541 or PPRT-641, not both. (Not if PPRT-641) Lab 3 (Fall). |
|
| MAAT-558 | Package Printing Students who take this course will understand how package-printing technologies work, and how they are used to print bags, labels, cartons, cans, boxes, and bottles. Students will apply a packaging printing workflow to produce labels and folding cartons of their own design. Finally, cost analyses of package printing using various technologies is discussed. This course is cross-listed with PPRT-688; students may receive credit for MAAT-558 or PPRT-688, not both. (Degree-seeking undergraduate students. Students may not take and receive credit for MAAT-558 and PPRT-688. If you have earned credit for MAAT-558 or you are currently enrolled in PPRT-688 you will not be permitted to enroll in MAAT-558.) Lab 3 (Spring). |
|
Packaging Electives |
6 | |
General Education – Immersion 2, 3 |
6 | |
Open Electives |
6 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 121 |
|
Please see General Education Curriculum (GE) for more information.
Please see Wellness Education Requirement for more information. Students completing bachelor's degrees are required to complete two different Wellness courses.
Students must complete two blocks of cooperative education in addition to course work.
† Students may choose one of the following environmental elective courses: Concepts of Environmental Science (ENVS-101), Environment and Society (STSO-220), or Environmental Policy (STSO-421).
Admissions and Financial Aid
This program is STEM designated when studying on campus and full time.
First-Year Admission
A strong performance in a college preparatory program is expected. This includes:
- 4 years of English
- 3 years of social studies and/or history
- 3 years of math is required and must include algebra, geometry, and algebra 2/trigonometry. Pre-calculus is preferred.
- 2-3 years of science. Chemistry or physics is required and biology is recommended.
- Technology electives are preferred.
Transfer Admission
Transfer course recommendations without associate degree
Courses in business, mathematics, science, liberal arts, statistics, or computer science
Appropriate associate degree programs for transfer
Business administration, marketing, management, graphic arts, engineering science, liberal arts with math/science
Financial Aid and Scholarships
100% of all incoming first-year and transfer students receive aid.
RIT’s personalized and comprehensive financial aid program includes scholarships, grants, loans, and campus employment programs. When all these are put to work, your actual cost may be much lower than the published estimated cost of attendance.
Learn more about financial aid and scholarships
Latest News
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December 2, 2022
![man and woman hugging, posing for a photo.]()
Dallas sushi chef learns how to sign menu for Deaf couple: ‘Nearly brought me to tears’
The Today Show features Melissa Keomoungkhoun ’15 (advertising and public relations), ’16 MS (hospitality tourism management) and Victor Montiel ’17 (packaging science) and their experience at the restaurant Tatsu Dallas.
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November 2, 2022
![Rebecca Oesterle, a 2009 graduate in the packaging science MS program.]()
RIT alumna inducted into Packaging and Processing Hall of Fame
This fall, Rebecca Oesterle ’09 MS (packaging science) was one of four industry leaders inducted into the Packaging and Processing Hall of Fame, for contributions to the industry and education over her 40 plus-year career at Energizer, and at Just Born Quality Confections.
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June 9, 2022
![student wearing a Boy Scout uniform with a sash and badges.]()
Montgomery teenager earns highest rank in both Girl and Boy Scouts
The Times Herald-Record features Lia Grammer, a second-year packaging science student.
