MSc in Food Science and Innovation

How do you assess microbial contaminants in ready meals? How can we influence the taste and texture of foods to make them more desirable? How can we use new technologies to make safe, sustainable foods?

Overview

Through this course, you’ll explore 21st-century food manufacturing and develop your understanding of how the biochemical properties of food components influence how foods taste and feel, and how they impact nutrition and health.

You’ll explore sensory evaluation, food law and how global trends in trade, regulation and policy influence the sustainability and wider impact of the food chain. You’ll also consider topics such as modern production and analytical technologies, functional foods and labelling legislation, and how to ensure that foods are nutritious and safe to eat.

Technical skills are vital to the food industry and they’re an important part of this course. In our dedicated food technology and biochemistry laboratories, you’ll have practical sessions in areas of food production, evaluating the sensory properties of foods, microbiology, and the chemical and physical analysis of foods.

You’ll also complete a food development project where you’ll create your own innovative foods, working on everything from marketing and sensory analysis to legal requirements – and you’ll create your product too.

Past projects include beer made from waste patisserie products, functional yoghurts for elderly consumers, and sustainable vegan ice cream made with tiger nuts.

This course is also available to study part-time online.

length

• Full-time: 1 year
• Part-time: 2 years

Features and Benefits

• Technical skills - You’ll learn skills in food production, sensory analysis, microbiology and biochemistry.
• Industry-standard facilities - You’ll use our on-campus food manufacturing facilities, which includes a 10-booth sensory taste panel suite, development kitchens, and food biochemistry and physiology laboratories.
• Food safety - You’ll carry out all aspects of food safety testing (including food microbiology, shelf-life studies, mycology, RT-PCR, microscopy, and species identification) in our on-campus food safety laboratory.
• Professional development - You can access student membership of the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST).

Career Prospects

Many of our graduates begin their careers in new product development.

You could work in a variety of roles across the food and nutrition industry though, in areas such as quality and food safety, food manufacturing, food marketing and technical management.

Some of the roles you could pursue include food production manager, food technologist, consumer care manager, technical manager, food buyer, and legal compliance officer.

Entry Requirements

Typically, you will have a minimum 2:2 undergraduate honours degree, or an international equivalent, in an appropriate science or engineering related subject. Good honours candidates from other subjects may still be eligible if they can demonstrate significant proven professional experience in a relevant field.

Overseas applicants will require IELTS with an overall score of 6.5 with no less than 5.5 in any category, or an equivalent accepted English qualification.

Please note: to apply for this course, you only need to provide one reference.

Excellence Scholarship

We offer an Excellence Scholarship of £2000 to UK students on this course who have achieved a 2:1 degree classification or higher.

Course Details

Our course aims to prepare you to work in the food industry, in roles that require expertise in food technology and product development.

You’ll have days with a mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions (such as product development in our food technology laboratories) so that you develop technical skills as well as academic knowledge of food science.

Through taught classes, you’ll explore topics from food law to flavour development, from sustainability to food processing and preservation.

You’ll consider the impact of health practitioners and consumers on product innovation, the effects of macronutrients and micronutrients on the human body, and how these can influence food product formulation.

And, you’ll learn about the impact of bacteria and fungi in food, carrying out microbiology practicals in our laboratories. This helps you to develop the skills you’ll need to study the utility and safety of microbes in foods.

In other seminar sessions, you’ll learn how to promote food safety through quality management systems, including Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). This is so that you understand how to meet the legal responsibilities of food business operation, as well as the quality requirements of your customers.

To assess your technical skills and scientific knowledge, you’ll complete a variety of assessments. These will depend upon the units you study but some of your tasks might be to produce laboratory reports on the chemical profile of foods and their fitness for human consumption, write a paper on the social, economic and political factors influencing the food industry, or the design of a food production factory and a food safety system.

Year 1

Over the duration of your course, you'll cover the following core units:

• Fundamental Nutrition
• Molecular Nutrition and Biochemistry
• Food Microbiology
• Food Processing
• Food Safety and Quality Management
• Food Composition and Analysis
• Innovation in NPD
• Future Food Sustainability
• Dissertation with Research Methods

Assessment Weightings and Contact Hours

10 credits equate to 100 hours of study, which is a combination of lectures, seminars and practical sessions, and independent study. A Masters qualification typically comprises of 180 credits, a PGDip 120 credits, a PGCert 60 credits and an MFA 300 credits. The exact composition of your study time and assessments for the course will vary according to your option choices and style of learning, but it could be:

Study

• Full-time: 30% lectures, seminars or similar; 0% placement; 70% independent study
• Part-time: 30% lectures, seminars or similar; 0% placement; 70% independent study

Assessment

• Full-time: 100% coursework; 0% practical; 0% examination
• Part-time: 100% coursework; 0% practical; 0% examination

Department of Health Professions

Our Department of Health Professions teaches subjects including physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, and nutritional sciences.

The department is committed to ensuring its courses stay relevant and up-to-date with current professional practice, by maintaining links with colleagues in clinical practice and research.

Fees

UK and EU Students

• UK and EU students: Full-time fee: £8,500 per year. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of your course providing you complete it in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).
• UK and EU students: Part-time fee: £1417 per 30 credits studied per year. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of your course providing you complete it in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).
• UK and EU students: Distance learning fee: £833 per 15 credits studied per year. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of your course providing you complete it in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).

Non-EU and Channel Island Students

• Non-EU international and Channel Island students: Full-time fee: £15,500 per year. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of your course providing you complete it in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).
• Non-EU international and Channel Island students: Part-time fee: £2584 per 30 credits studied per year. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of your course providing you complete it in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).
• Non-EU international and Channel Island students: Distance learning fee: £833 per 15 credits studied per year. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of your course providing you complete it in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).

Additional Information

A Masters qualification typically comprises 180 credits, a PGDip 120 credits, a PGCert 60 credits, and an MFA 300 credits. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of study provided the course is completed in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).

Part-time students may take a maximum of 90 credits each academic year.

Additional Costs

All of the books required for the course are available from the library. The University also has PC labs and a laptop loan service. However, many students choose to buy some of the core textbooks for the course and/or a laptop. Students may also need to print their assignments and other documents. Campus printing costs start from 5 pence per page. Estimated costs are £300 for a laptop, up to £100 for books and printing. Total optional cost: £400.