MSc Food Science and Biotechnology (With Advance Practice)

Course overview:

Food and drink manufacturing is vital to the UK economy. It is the single largest manufacturing sector in the UK, employing 15% of the entire manufacturing workforce. Food producers must address environmental concerns, social responsibility and economic viability when designing sustainable food processing techniques.

This innovative and topical programme is ideal for graduates new to this dynamic and exciting sector. It’s also particularly suitable if you’re seeking career enhancement by studying food science and biotechnology at master’s level. The programme will be of particular interest to graduates with an interest in developing knowledge and skills in subjects such as food biotechnology, food safety management and analytical techniques currently used in the food industry. It is also suitable if you already work in the industry and wish to develop your skills in these areas. We are highly praised for the links we maintain with local and national industries and businesses such as Marlow Foods (Quorn), SK Chilled Foods and Sainsbury’s. Our commitment to integrate with industry in the Tees Valley and beyond is reflected in our record of producing employment-ready problem solvers and innovators. The two-year master’s degree with advanced practice enhances your qualification by adding a vocational or research based internship to the one-year master’s programme. A vocational internship is a great way to gain work experience and give your CV a competitive edge. A research internship provides you with the opportunity to develop your analytical, team-working, research and academic skills by working alongside a research team in an academic setting. We guarantee a research internship, but cannot guarantee a vocational internship. We will, however, provide you with practical support and advice on how to find and secure your own vocational internship position should you prefer this type of internship.

How you are assessed

You are assessed on subject knowledge, independent thought and skills acquisition through formative and summative assessment.

Assessment may include:
• examinations
• oral presentations
• technical interviews
• technical reports
• laboratory reports
• literature surveys, evaluations and summaries
• dissertation or thesis (MSc only).

You are presented with an assessment schedule providing 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 entire manufacturing workforce. Food and drink manufacturing companies make up 7% of all manufacturing businesses, and they 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 food industry needs to recruit more than 49,000 new skilled professionals and managers by 2022 which is great news for the next generation of talent wanting to study toward a rewarding career in a dynamic and highly innovative sector (The National Skills Academy for Food & Drink).

Graduates can seek jobs in many areas in the food sector including:
• food analysis
• new product development
• quality management and food safety management
• food production management
• technical management.