This course engages with issues at the very forefront of modern food production. You‘ll explore the origins of biotechnology, the legislation and social issues related to biotechnology in food, the immune system and role of antibodies.
You’ll have chance to challenge the myths associated with food allergies and the risks, causes and solutions. You’ll learn the science behind every ingredient that goes into a product.
The core sciences of chemistry and biochemistry underpin the course, alongside the processing of food. You’ll also study some elements of microbiology and nutrition. You’ll learn to apply fundamental scientific concepts to understand and manipulate the complex characteristics of foods and to integrate this scientific knowledge with an understanding of food technology.
The course is strongly linked to our research groups, meaning you’ll be taught by staff who are actively engaged in world-class research and cutting-edge professional practice.
Through this programme you'll develop the ability to critically assess the complex factors that influence the range, quality and acceptability of foods produced in an industrialised society.
You'll apply scientific knowledge from your bachelor degree and extend it to areas outside your first degree discipline. You'll gain a broad knowledge of food science with the necessary related understanding of chemistry, biochemistry, physics, mathematics and biology. You'll also learn to integrate your scientific knowledge with an understanding of food technology and will develop your own interests and skills through specialised options and projects, influenced by current research thinking in the field.
The programme provides an understanding of the methodology of research investigations by experimental project, and helps you develop the personal skills you'll need to communicate effectively in future professional activities.
Compulsory modules
Teaching is by lectures, practical classes, tutorials, seminars and supervised research projects. We make extensive use of IT, and a wide range of materials is available to enable you to study at your own pace and in your own time to enhance and extend the material you’ll learn formally.
Assessment is by a range of methods, including formal examination, in-class tests, laboratory practical reports, example sheets, problem solving, project work and verbal presentations.
The pass mark for each module is 50%. All marks from all modules (passed and failed) are included in the final classification mark, which must be at least a 50% average to pass.
Postgraduates from the School go into careers in research, in the food industry, into regulatory and public bodies across the world, backed by the confidence and skills gained from studying at one of the leading schools of food science and nutrition internationally.
Our graduates are in big demand and food companies come to Leeds to recruit the best talent. Some of our past graduates hold key positions in the food industry and government agencies.
There are many opportunities open to you within the food industry, from jobs in nutrition and new product development to roles in the supply chain, purchasing, logistics and distribution. You may decide to become a development scientist, working on new foodstuffs and producing food which is safe and nutritious with a consistent flavour, colour and texture. There are roles within this area in industry, but also within government and local authority food inspection departments. Other job roles include industrial buyer, retail buyer, production manager or quality assurance manager.
Read more about typical career paths:
Further study
A Masters in food science will also serve you well in progression to research-led projects. Many of our students go on to undertake PhD research here at the University of Leeds in one of the School’s research groups. Read about postgraduate research in the School of Food Science and Nutrition.
The School of Food Science and Nutrition has its own dedicated Employability Enhancement Officer who can offer quality advice and support with regards to careers, CV and cover letter writing, job applications etc. The Employability Enhancement Officer promotes a range of opportunities available to students to ensure they maximise their capabilities through a process of personal development and career planning.
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
With the advancement of food technology, food manufacture has allowed for enhanced food quality, improved food safety and increasingly competitive options for consumers. Developments in food production have also given way to consideration of the impact on food safety.
This Masters will provide you with a broad knowledge of food science focusing on chemistry and biochemistry, whilst giving you the necessary background understanding of physics, mathematics, and biology to excel in this field. You’ll develop the ability to apply fundamental scientific concepts to understand and manipulate the complex characteristics of foods. The programme will also allow you to challenge current issues in food production and issues arising from food safety.
Throughout the programme you’ll analyse and critically appraise complex factors, including sociological and ethical issues that influence the range, quality and acceptability of foods produced in an industrialised society.
Through a combination of practical laboratory classes and lectures underpinning scientific theory and knowledge, you’ll gain the ability to integrate scientific knowledge with an understanding of food technology.
In the final months of your programme you’ll have the opportunity to focus your studies in areas of particular interest to you through your research project, which will be influenced by current research thinking in the field. The research project will also help you develop the personal skills you'll need to communicate effectively in future professional activities such as presentations.
Compulsory modules
For more information on typical modules, read Food Science MSc in the course catalogue
Teaching is by lectures, practical classes, tutorials, seminars and supervised research projects. Extensive use is made of IT and a wide range of materials is available to enable you to study at your own pace and in your own time, to enhance and extend the material taught formally.
Assessment is by course work and written exams which take place at the end of the semester in which the module is taught.
Postgraduates from the School go into careers in research, in the food industry, into regulatory and public bodies across the world, backed by the confidence and skills gained from studying at one of the leading schools of food science and nutrition internationally.
Our graduates are in big demand and food companies come to Leeds to recruit the best talent. Some of our past graduates hold key positions in the food industry and government agencies.
There are many opportunities open to you within the food industry, from jobs in nutrition and new product development to roles in the supply chain, purchasing, logistics and distribution. You may decide to become a development scientist, working on new foodstuffs and producing food which is safe and nutritious with a consistent flavour, colour and texture. There are roles within this area in industry, but also within government and local authority food inspection departments. Other job roles include industrial buyer, retail buyer, production manager or quality assurance manager.
Read more about typical career paths:
Further study
A Masters in food science will also serve you well in progression to research-led projects. Many of our students go on to undertake PhD research here at the University of Leeds in one of the School’s research groups. Read about postgraduate research in the School of Food Science and Nutrition.
The School of Food Science and Nutrition has its own dedicated Employability Enhancement Officer who can offer quality advice and support with regards to careers, CV and cover letter writing, job applications etc. The Employability Enhancement Officer promotes a range of opportunities available to students to ensure they maximise their capabilities through a process of personal development and career planning.
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
This programme will teach you how to apply project management, industrial experimental design, sensory and quality design techniques to food product development - from concept to product launch.
You’ll develop in-depth specialist knowledge of scientific techniques and practical skills in the assessment and control of food quality, food safety, product design and new product development. In addition to industrial monitoring of quality, you will also study industry standard techniques and international standards in quality and safety management, as well as the impact of EU law and legislation on food products.
Throughout the programme you will develop an understanding of the underpinning scientific techniques in chemistry, biochemistry, physics, mathematics and biology relevant in applications of food science and the food industry.
You’ll examine different aspects of the product development process from product conception through to product launch. Through the process you’ll apply principles of project management, industrial experimental design, quality design techniques and sensory science in developing new food products and production processes that integrate consumer needs and expectations ,while at the same time conforming to food legislation, food quality and safety requirements.
The study of the principles of quality assurance, management and improvement and its application through design, measurement and monitoring will also be examined, covering aspects such as quality auditing, quality control and HACCP, predictive modelling and experimental design.
Compulsory modules
Teaching is by lectures, practical classes, tutorials, seminars and supervised research projects. Extensive use is made of IT and a wide range of materials is available to enable you to study at your own pace and in your own time, to enhance and extend the material taught formally.
Assessment is by course work and written exams which take place at the end of the semester in which the module is taught.
Postgraduates from the School go into careers in research, in the food industry, into regulatory and public bodies across the world, backed by the confidence and skills gained from studying at one of the leading schools of food science and nutrition internationally.
Our graduates are in big demand and food companies come to Leeds to recruit the best talent. Some of our past graduates hold key positions in the food industry and government agencies.
There are many opportunities open to you within the food industry, from jobs in nutrition and new product development to roles in the supply chain, purchasing, logistics and distribution. You may decide to become a development scientist, working on new foodstuffs and producing food which is safe and nutritious with a consistent flavour, colour and texture. There are roles within this area in industry, but also within government and local authority food inspection departments. Other job roles include industrial buyer, retail buyer, production manager or quality assurance manager.
Read more about typical career paths:
Further study
A Masters in food science will also serve you well in progression to research-led projects. Many of our students go on to undertake PhD research here at the University of Leeds in one of the School’s research groups.
Read about postgraduate research in the School of Food Science and Nutrition.
The School of Food Science and Nutrition has its own dedicated Employability Enhancement Officer who can offer quality advice and support with regards to careers, CV and cover letter writing, job applications etc. The Employability Enhancement Officer promotes a range of opportunities available to students to ensure they maximise their capabilities through a process of personal development and career planning.
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website
This course gives you the skills you need to start a career as a food processing engineer. This is a role much in demand in the food and drink industry, the largest manufacturing sector in the UK.
You learn practical techniques and work with food manufacturers on real projects that prepare you for your career. You also visit factories including • AB World Foods • Burtons Biscuits • KP Snacks • Premier Foods • Thornton's.
The course is designed to be flexible to help you study around your other commitments.
What you study
During the course you gain an overview of engineering principles and key sector issues, giving you a range of knowledge across the food sector. Your learning is based around examples and assessments relevant to the food processing industry.
You undertake a group project to develop a new food product and its processing. This involves working with students from different courses, giving you experience in a multi-disciplinary food processing environment. You explore ethics, sustainability, health and safety and intellectual property rights, as well as business and marketing strategies related to the food industry.
You also study material flow characteristics, which is a core discipline in food processing. Using food materials to illustrate key characteristics, you learn techniques to analyse the rheology and flow of food products through food processing equipment, including understanding the thixotropic behaviour of tomato ketchup.
You then choose two further optional modules, allowing you to focus on your key areas of interest.
The course also gives you the opportunity to take modules on • food • food safety • the management of food production • food processing • food manufacturing techniques • engineering processes.
Level one modules
Level two core modules
Level two optional modules
Choose two from
The course leads to career opportunities in the food and drink sector, where there is a high demand for scientific and technically qualified individuals. Example roles and potential salaries include • engineering manager (£55,000) • maintenance manager (£40,000) • production area controller (£28,000) • project engineer (£40,000) • site engineering manager (£55,000).
The National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering has extensive contacts with national and multi-national food and drink companies including • Nestle • PepsiCo • Mondelez • Greencore • Premier Foods • Kellogg’s • William Jackson Food Group. The Centre support students to progress to roles with companies in this significant industrial sector.
Chemists have always been in demand worldwide with pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, fine chemicals, and within research laboratories across the globe. The programme at Aberdeen is accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Aberdeen is noted for Nobel prizes within Chemistry which include the invention of modern chromatography (Synge 1952) and the discovery of a new element - protactinium (Soddy 1921). Teaching at Aberdeen is informed by world class research within food security. Class sizes are kept small to enable you to have strong teaching interaction and support in your studies. You will be taught by many staff in the environment group (TESLA) https://www.abdn.ac.uk/ncs/departments/chemistry/trace-element-speciation-laboratory-111.php and (MBC) https://www.abdn.ac.uk/ncs/departments/chemistry/marine-biodiscovery-centre-112.php
The programme focuses on specialised modern analytical methodology. The range of industries or institutes where these skills are asked for includes the pharmaceutical industry, environmental institutions, research institutes and also the oil & gas industry. There are many new innovations which require chemists with advanced skills to analyse and test new methods of providing health via IOT devices, smart phones and small sensors deployed throughout the body to quickly provide analysis and customised recommendations.
Semester 1
Advanced Analytical Methodologies A and B
Practical Exercise and Professional Skills in Analytical Chemistry
Semester 2
Research Techniques and Professional Skills and Problem Solving Theory and Practice
Research Project in Analytical Chemistry
Semester 3
Research Project in Analytical Chemistry
Find out more detail by visiting the programme web page
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/degree-programmes/3/analytical-chemistry/
Find out about fees:
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/international/tuition-fees-and-living-costs-287.php
*Please be advised that some programmes have different tuition fees from those listed above and that some programmes also have additional costs.
View all funding options on our funding database via the programme page
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/finance-funding-1599.php
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/funding/
Find out more about:
Find out more about living in Aberdeen:
https://abdn.ac.uk/study/student-life
Living costs
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/international/finance.php
