Master’s Degree in Food Sciences for Innovation and Authenticity

The programme offers comprehensive training in food science, with particular attention to innovation and product authenticity. The content includes food technology, engineering, microbiology, chemistry and sustainability, and ranges from research and development to food processing, from quality control to automation technologies and the guarantee of product authenticity. Students acquire skills useful along the entire agri-food chain, from production to storage and distribution. The study of food is approached from complementary perspectives, from chemistry to microbiology, from process engineering to nutrition, so as to understand how processing, preservation and packaging affect the safety, quality and authenticity of the product.

Teaching is organised over two years, with a flexible structure. In the first year the Food Technology and Food Microbiology modules are common to all students; from the second year teaching becomes specific according to the profile chosen from five options: Applied Engineering and Genetics, Food Quality and Management, Nutrition Sciences, Food Chemistry, delivered in partnership with University College Cork in Ireland, and Food Packaging, in partnership with the Technical University of Munich in Germany. Students can spend up to two semesters at the European partner institutions. The programme takes place in Bolzano, full time and in English, with a significant share of international faculty, about 35%. Training internships abroad and at international companies are provided, while the research thesis is supervised jointly by the university and industry, thanks to partnerships with major players in the sector such as Barilla, Assolatte, Loacker, Dr. Schär, Despar, Forst, Zuegg and PDO consortia. The variety of the five profiles makes it possible to build a tailor-made path, while mobility at partner universities and contact with local companies offer concrete learning opportunities in the laboratory and in production plants.

The aim is to prepare professionals able to work in the various areas of food science, in roles ranging from research and development to product design, from quality control to business consulting and management roles. The programme is suited to graduates in scientific, technological or agri-food fields who wish to specialise in a sector where innovation, safety and the protection of authenticity are essential competitive factors. The possibility of building a personalised path and of collaborating with European companies and universities supports a qualified entry into the world of work and, for those who wish, into research. The skills developed meet the needs of a sector that must combine technological innovation, regulatory compliance, environmental sustainability and the promotion of typical products, in increasingly global markets that are attentive to transparency.