Students studying at Writtle University College will have access to the Postharvest Unit which undertakes research and trials in conjunction with commercial companies.
This provides the opportunity to study a range of crops and investigate at an advanced level the techniques used for postharvest handling and the underlying mechanisms which determine and limit these techniques.
Students will also examine crop growing using resources at the University and through visits to growers, so they develop an understanding of the supply chain from the field through to sale. Together with visiting speakers from industry, this develops students' awareness of the latest trends and research in industry. The teaching staff have developed close links with industry on a worldwide basis and research and consultancy work is used to underpin the curriculum.
On successful completion of the course graduates possess the knowledge and skills to gain employment with major wholesale, retail and import/export organisations where produce quality is paramount, and where supply objectives are on a global scale.
There are also opportunities to undertake further research.
The Graduate Institute of International Development, Agriculture and Economics (GIIDAE) is now offering £125,000 worth of scholarship funding for 2018-19 academic year. Find out more here.
Sample modules:
Please note that all modules are subject to change. Please see our modules disclaimer for more information.
Our programmes are excellent preparation for careers in international and rural development, agricultural economics, and marketing within the food chain and policy. Some 96% of our graduates are in work or further study six months after graduating.
Engagement with a wide variety of visiting speakers and field trips provides many opportunities for networking. In addition, competitive internships and placements, and research dissertations are an opportunity to showcase your skills, undertake overseas field research or link with organisations in the development sector. For examples of organisations our graduates go on to, please visit: http://www.reading.ac.uk/giidae" target="_blank">http://www.reading.ac.uk/giidae
Sample modules:
Please note that all modules are subject to change. Please see our modules disclaimer for more information.
The safety, quality and nutritional properties of the food reaching consumers depends upon an understanding of science and technology.
You will gain the knowledge required to embark on a career within a range of organisations, including multinational food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, major retail chains and smaller companies supplying niche markets. Alternatively, you could go on to study for a PhD.
Recent examples of jobs obtained by our graduates have included: Process Technologist with Pepsico International, Quality Executive with Agro Tech Foods, New Product Developer with Bakkavor, Food Technologist with Tesco and Research and Development Technologist with Kerry Ingredients and Flavours.
This programme prepares candidates for entry into the malting, brewing or distilling industries, or to conduct research. It covers a broad range of subjects, from brewing science and chemical engineering, to business studies and production management.
The quickly developing craft industry, both in brewing and distilling, requires graduates with knowledge of modern instrumentation and this programme will ensure you build the skills and know-how required to perform successfully in the industry.
Our series of ‘Fit for work’ events held on campus include seminars, talks, networking and recruitment exercises and involve a range of industry professionals from graduates with their own companies, to representatives from the major breweries and distilling companies.
Our Food Chain Systems MSc has been developed as a result of extensive industry-led research. The course examines the whole of the food chain from pre-harvest to market with the overall aim of enhancing the quality and safety of food.
The course is suitable for new graduates from a science or technology background who are interested in a career within the food industry. The course is also ideal for professionals already working in the industry who would like to train to further their careers. Available on a full and part-time basis the course offers flexibility and support for those who wish to train whilst remaining in employment.
Food Chain Systems MSc is part of the Agriculture and Food Programme. It provides a critical appreciation of the issues concerned with the production and supply of safe food in the modern world. Through the integration of scientific, technological and managerial factors students will learn how to use food resources more efficiently to achieve higher quality and safer food production as well as successfully understand and manage food supply chains.
The holistic approach of the MSc will provide you with a detailed understanding of the whole of the food chain system including:
Increasing consumer awareness and demand regarding food quality, nutrition and safety issues, coupled with intensifying competition within the rapidly changing food industry, has created a demand for individuals who are able to drive success in the management of key food chains in a modern global economic market.
Our Food Chain Systems MSc has been developed as a result of extensive industry-led research. It represents a unique offering within the UK and Europe in that it examines the whole of the food chain from pre-harvest to market through the integration of science, technology and management.
The holistic approach of the MSc responds to the increasingly integrated food supply chain ('farm to fork') and will equip you with the relevant knowledge, skills and practical experience needed to pursue a wide variety of career opportunities in today's food industry.
Our MSc in Food Chain Systems benefits from input from an industry advisory panel with representatives from commercial organisations and non-commercial organisations, who help to ensure the course maintains its real-world relevance to the marketplace and industry focus. This involvement by industry makes successful students highly sought after in the employment market.
This course is accredited by Institution of Agricultural Engineers and Institute of Food Science and Technology.
The formal taught component of this course comprises eight compulsory modules. Each module is two weeks in duration, consisting of one week of lectures, practical work, site visits and one week for private study. Part-time students attend the first week of each module but may continue with coursework assignments at a suitable time and location. This element constitutes 40% of the overall mark.
Group project
Group projects provide students with an understanding of working on real challenges in the work place along with skills in team working, managing resources and developing reporting and presentation skills. Many of the projects are supported by external organisations and the experience gained is highly valued by both students and prospective employers. For part-time students a dissertation usually replaces the group project.
This element constitutes 20% of the overall mark.
Individual project
The four-month individual research project can be carried out within industry or academia and for part-time candidates it can be undertaken in your place of work. This key part of the course allows you to apply the research skills acquired during the taught phase of the course to a practical problem in health science and acts as an opportunity for you to meet potential future employers.
This element constitutes 40% of the overall mark.
Assessment
Taught Modules 40%, Group Project 20%, Individual Research Project 40%
Upon successful completion of the course, graduates will be able to pursue or enhance careers in a variety of key areas such as:
Employers will exist in a variety of food-related sectors including:
Cranfield graduates are very successful in achieving relevant work. Some 93% are in relevant employment or further study six months after graduation. For professionals already in industry, Cranfield qualifications enhance their careers, benefiting both the candidate and their employer.
The Graduate Institute of International Development, Agriculture and Economics (GIIDAE) is now offering £125,000 worth of scholarship funding for 2018-19 academic year. Find out more here.
This programme will prepare you for doctoral studies in agricultural and food economics and marketing. It provides rigorous training in research methods to prepare students for research careers in academia or in non-academic organisations. It combines training in the skills of applied economics and marketing – including quantitative and qualitative research techniques – with an opportunity to apply them to a diverse range of contemporary farm, food and rural issues in both developed and developing country contexts.
This master's programme will:
For details of the core modules and structure of the degree, please download the programme specification. Please note, the program specification is subject to change. If you have any questions about changes, please contact us.
For a list of optional modules that may be available to you, please visit our module descriptions page.
For a list of all of our degrees, and information about study within the Graduation Institute of International Development, Agriculture and Economics, please see our brochure.
Sample modules:
Please note that all modules are subject to change. Please see our modules disclaimer for more information.
Our programmes are excellent preparation for careers in international and rural development, agricultural economics, and marketing within the food chain and policy. Some 96% of our graduates are in work or further study six months after graduating.
Engagement with a wide variety of visiting speakers and field trips provides many opportunities for networking. In addition, competitive internships and placements, and research dissertations are an opportunity to showcase your skills, undertake overseas field research or link with organisations in the development sector. For examples of organisations our graduates go on to, please visit: http://www.reading.ac.uk/giidae" target="_blank">http://www.reading.ac.uk/giidae
In this century, food security and the need to develop sustainable agriculture will become dominant issues affecting the whole world. The global population is projected to increase dramatically from 7 to 9 billion in the next 30 years, causing an unprecedented demand for food and increased pressure on land. The aim of this Food Security Degree is to provide you with knowledge and skills relating to the broad topic of food security, incorporating socio-economic, animal and crop aspects.
We welcome students from diverse educational backgrounds and we anticipate that many will be unfamiliar with all the topics in this programme. We have therefore designed the programme so that it provides you with both a broad understanding of the major issues in food security and the opportunity to selectively focus on aspects of particular interest.
The programme is made up of courses totalling 180 credits. The programme starts with three compulsory courses (totalling 60 credits) that introduce fundamental issues in food security. You then choose from a range of optional courses (usually 10-credit) that expand on key topics, including production of food from animal sources and crop improvement. Some courses provide practical skills and there is an opportunity to learn about commercial issues relating to food production. Finally, you will undertake a 60-credit investigative project, which will allow you to focus on a selected topic.
The programme comprises the following courses:
*Most of the optional courses are 10 credit courses
Most courses are taught through lectures and tutorials, in which there will be discussion of key concepts, and training in the critical appraisal of published information. In addition, some courses include guest lectures and site visits. The course on Technology Transfer and Commercialisation of Bioscience Research will include workshop sessions. Two courses provide training in laboratory skills: Molecular Lab Skills and Plant Genetic Engineering. The project will involve an independent investigation of a selected topic in food security under supervision from an expert in the field.
Food security is a major challenge of this century and hence there will be opportunities to develop careers in several areas. Career prospects include working in Agri-industry, research institutes, government advisory, international advisory, media and research positions.
The breadth of knowledge, understanding and skills you will acquire in this Masters programme will help you obtain employment or undertake research in the food security sector.
The international food supply industry requires high calibre graduates with an understanding of how food can be preserved throughout the distribution chain to ensure the supply of safe, wholesome food. Research has identified that food business priorities focus on increasing marketing, developing new products and investing in new machinery. This course prepares you for a career within the food sector, specialising in food product development, food consumer marketing or retailing roles.
The course is designed to ensure you graduate ready to help food businesses develop. As the food industry grows worldwide, so does the need for staff who demonstrate functional knowledge and skills in combination with managerial and leadership capability. Food organisations need well qualified managers to develop, commercialise and deliver their products to the marketplace efficiently and effectively. This course gives you the skills and experience to meet this need.
You build your knowledge of food processing and safety, product development, marketing and the food chain. You also have opportunities to develop managerial skills, practical skills and behaviour change theories relevant to the food sector.
The work-related learning module gives you a valuable insight into the roles of process or product development technologists, or product account technologists, and the importance of continuing professional development. It also allows you to practically apply the skills you learn during the course.
The placement is an additional opportunity for you to develop your practical skills, either in the UK or abroad. You are supported in securing a placement through a series of employability workshops offered by specialist academic staff. There is also a dedicated postgraduate placement team who manage placement opportunities.
The course is designed around the principles of
Postgraduate certificate modules
Postgraduate diploma modules
MSc modules
Assessments include
This course gives you the specialist skills and knowledge to develop career opportunities in • food product and process development • food consumer and market research • food merchandising and marketing • consumer insight • food safety and quality management • food innovation.
You can also continue with further study by completing a PhD or Doctorate in Business Administration.
The MSc in Advanced Food Safety is tailored towards students who aim to, or currently work within the agri-food industry and related sectors, offering a unique qualification in the fields of food safety and security.
The Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS), is one of the University’s four Global Research Institutes, which is leading the world in addressing one of the greatest challenges – how to ensure the safety of our food.
The world’s food supply is reducing. Its production is under increasing pressure, and so safety issues are more likely to arise.
The programme focus will be on new and emerging issues within the field, concentrating on developments in analytical approaches to monitor and regulate food safety, authenticity and security.
For further information email [email protected] or send us a message on WhatsApp
WORLD CLASS FACILITIES
INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED EXPERTS
STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Introduction
You will learn about emerging issues within the field of food safety, and focus on analytical approaches to monitor and regulate food safety, authenticity and security.
You will study core topics in the field:
MODULE TOPICS
You’ll be assessed by continuous assessment and examination in the following areas:
FACILITIES
As you might expect for this ever-changing field of research, you’ll use both traditional equipment and the latest bioanalytical technology used within the field of food security and food safety.
These include:
For further information email [email protected] or send us a message on WhatsApp
It is increasingly recognised that reductionist approaches to tackling food-related issues are ineffective and that a more comprehensive, holistic approach is required if we are to better understand the many ways that food affects and shapes our lives, and effectively address the many injustices and inequalities that are manifest in the current food system.
The MSc Gastronomy provides an opportunity to study food in a more complete sense. The course, the first and only one of its kind in the UK, acknowledges the complex nature of food and takes an interdisciplinary approach to shed light upon the often unseen links between food culture and communications, science and systems, production and politics and more.
The course takes an experiential approach, with field trips to a diverse range of food related businesses and organisations - from food banks to Michelin starred restaurants, large-scale agri-businesses to food processors. Through input from a wide range of specialist and expert speakers, students gain exposure to the diverse dynamics that affect how we produce, consume, represent and understand food.
Scotland is most often the showcase for this, however the concepts covered are transferable to other countries. Whether you’re looking to enhance your career in the food industry, interested in cultivating a broader understanding of food, or are looking for a new direction, please contact us. We’re more than happy to discuss the course with you and help you discover if our unique brand of gastronomy is for you.
Modules will involve elements of inquiry (problem) based learning, report writing, visual presentations, essays and viva voce interviews. Learning therefore will be diverse and teaching will happen anywhere that there is a relationship to food and drink or ancillary industries. This may be in the University, on the streets of Edinburgh, the hills of the Scottish Borders or in a Michelin starred restaurant. The course will therefore embed research-led learning, by requiring students to examine information from a diverse range of sources including academic books/journals, online blogs/ wiki’s relating to food and drink agendas, and primary and secondary data. The importance of working closely with industry colleagues cannot be underestimated.
Opportunities to interact with for example, farmers, North Sea fishermen, and cooks and producers at all levels will enhance the learning experience. Class sizes are normally around 15-20 students. This ensures that students receive fantastic support from tutors and benefit from sharing experiences with classmates.
Each module consists of 60 hours of teaching time over a 10-week period. There are two core modules planned for each semester, plus a research module that spans the first two semesters. You will be required to carry out independent work and also complete a dissertation.
This course has been developed in collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders involved in the food and drink industries.
30 credits: Food & Drink: The Relationship to People and Food/ Science of Food/ The System: From Field to Market/ Food Communications
15 credits: Research Methods
If studying for an MSc, you will also complete a dissertation (60 credits).
Graduates will place themselves in the enviable position of having had exposure to a range of industry experiences and contemporary food issues that will enable them to make interventions and transformations in a wide variety of areas. These may range from education or community work, to advocacy and policy work within the non-profit sector.
There are several routes to entry.
- Applicants may have a first degree in an associated subject, for example, a BA (Hons) in Hospitality, Culinary
Arts, or Nutrition.
- An honours degree (or equivalent) in a different discipline but where the applicant has a demonstrable passion for food and drink.
- An applicant may potentially be a mature student who has spent a considerable period of time in industry and wishes to formalise their education.
All shortlisted candidates will be interviewed as part of the application process
International: Where your honours degree has not been studied in English, you will be required to provide evidence of English language competence at no less than IELTS 6.5 with no individual component score below 5.5
-This is the first MSc in Gastronomy in the UK.
-The course has 15 funded places available for potential students resident in Scotland and the EU.
