The shortage of highly qualified graduates with advanced training in food science is a pressing problem facing government agencies and the food industry. This has created a need to recruit and train food scientists at the graduate level. However, most graduate level programs are research-based and do not meet the needs of many students. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell Univ. has a Master of Professional Studies Program in Agriculture and Life Sciences (MPS-ALS), which is offered through the Field of Food Science and Technology (FFST), as an alternative to research-based masters and doctoral degrees. Although the MPS-ALS program began in the 1970s, the FFST did not take an active role in recruiting students or tracking alumni until 2000. From 2000 to 2013, a total of 56 students, representing an internationally and academically diverse student body, have received MPS-ALS degrees through the FFST. In May and August 2013, alumni were asked, via e-mail, to complete an online survey to assess the long-term impact of the MPS-ALS program on their career success. The results of the survey indicate that the MPS-ALS program at Cornell Univ. is a strong program that attracts excellent candidates from a variety of undergraduate fields. Program alumni have been very successful in obtaining full-time employment, graduate positions and internships, and are highly satisfied with the program. The MPS-ALS offered through the FFST at Cornell Univ. is a model for the development of course-based graduate programs that seek to increase the supply of and meet the demand for trained professionals in food science.