MSc Food Processing Engineering

Course overview:

This is an ideal launchpad for graduates seeking careers in the thriving food and drink industry – an industry which is facing particularly acute skills shortages with excellent employability prospects for suitably skilled graduates.

The food and drink sector is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK delivering 18% of the UK's total output by value. Tasked by government and the Food and Drink Federation with achieving 20% growth in productivity by 2020, the industry is developing innovative solutions to increase productivity, reduce waste and energy usage, and introduce more efficient manufacturing to reduce costs and drive competitive advantage. Offering both full-time and part-time study modes, this course is accessible to recent graduates and to those in employment wishing to qualify to MSc level. The blended learning methodologies used in delivering the course means that employers seeking to upskill and retain their best employees can do so with minimum time off work.

Teesside University is highly praised for its links with local and national industries and businesses such as Marlow Foods (Quorn), SK Chilled Foods and Sainsbury’s. The University is committed to integrating with industry in the Tees Valley and has a record of producing employment-ready problem solvers and innovators. This postgraduate programme embeds key transferable skills, visits to industry and talks from industrial speakers relevant to the food and drink industries. You may also be interested in our MSc Food Science and Biotechnology.

How you are assessed:

Your assessments test subject knowledge, independent thought and skills. They are robust, equitable and manageable and incorporate formative and summative assessments. These particular assessments have been selected to match the learning outcomes. These are:

• exams
• oral presentations
• technical interviews
• technical reports
• laboratory reports
• literature surveys, evaluations and summaries
• dissertation or thesis

You are presented with an assessment schedule with details of the submission deadlines for summative assessments.

Career opportunities

Food and drink manufacturing is vital to the UK economy. It is the single largest manufacturing sector in the UK, employing 15% of the manufacturing workforce. Food and drink manufacturing businesses make up 7% of all manufacturing businesses and buy two thirds of all the UK's agricultural produce. The industry generates 18% of total manufacturing turnover.

To meet the demands of this dynamic sector, the industry needs to recruit more than 49,000 new skilled professionals and managers by 2022. This is great news for graduates wanting to study toward a rewarding career in a dynamic and highly innovative sector - home to some of the UK's best known brands (National Skills Academy for Food & Drink).

Graduate careers in the food sector, include:

• food processing engineering
• new product development
• quality management and food safety management
• food production management
• technical management.