University of Lincoln

MSc Agri-food Technology with Professional Practice

How You Are Assessed

A variety of assessment methods are used during this course, including essays, examinations, oral presentations, and practicals. These assessments are designed to develop the skills that will be needed for a career in the sector.

The University of Lincoln's policy on assessment feedback aims to ensure that academics will return in-course assessments to students promptly - usually within 15 working days of the submission date.

Features

Students in this programme will have access to industry-relevant specialist technologies and new equipment at both the University’s National Centre for Food Manufacturing (NCFM) and Riseholme campus. Travel costs between campuses will be covered by the Lincoln Institute for Agri-food Technology.

The National Centre for Food Manufacturing, located in Holbeach, is committed to helping the sector innovate. It works with employers and partners towards this goal, aided by the University’s partnership with leading equipment suppliers, and specialist facilities, food factories, and cutting-edge automation.

Our employer and industry links provide an opportunity to network, which could lead to placement opportunities for students who choose to undertake the Professional Practice route.

Students on this course will have the opportunity to study at our Riseholme campus, situated just three miles north of Lincoln on a beautiful parkland campus.

Students may also have the chance to visit agri-food companies, helping them to understand the practical applications of their knowledge, and hear from a series of guest speakers on sustainability in the food industry and agri-robotics.

A Rural Setting

Situated just three miles north of Lincoln in a beautiful semi-rural setting, the University's Riseholme Park Campus is home to the Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology, offering short courses in agriculture and agronomy alongside postgraduate and research programmes.

The campus spans more than 200 hectares, incorporating woodlands, parkland, watercourses and grasslands. It features a working farm and a variety of heritage features, centred around the historic Grade II listed Riseholme Hall.

The University's National Centre for Food Manufacturing (NCFM) is based in Holbeach, in south Lincolnshire. This food manufacturing technology hub provides specialist facilities and industry-standard equipment, including analytical laboratories with a test kitchen and sensory testing suite, a technician training centre and processing facilities.

Accreditations and Memberships

This course is accredited by the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST). IFST is the UK’s leading professional body for food science and technology.

Research

The University of Lincoln has launched the world's first Centre for Doctoral Training in Agri-Food Robotics in collaboration with the University of Cambridge and the University of East Anglia. This new advanced training centre in agri-food robotics is creating the largest-ever cohort of Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) specialists for the global food and farming sectors, thanks to a multi-million-pound funding award from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Thorvald is one of a number of pioneering robots and the future of autonomous farming. The University of Lincoln, through the Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology, is building the digital “brains” to work on Thorvald’s steel–framed 200kg square chassis, capable of carrying a further 200kg payload.

Interviews

All applicants meeting the initial academic requirements for this course are required to undertake an interview with academic staff before a decision concerning the offer of a place can be made. It is expected that applicants will be able to demonstrate a keen interest in agriculture and all aspects of the farm-to-fork process. In order to make this process available to all applicants, we utilise Skype as the preferred medium for those applicants who are not able to travel to Lincoln prior to the start of the programme.

How You Study

This MSc is intentionally wide-ranging and is designed to prepare students for opportunities across the broad and fast-moving agri-food sector. The programme takes a holistic, all-encompassing, farm-to-fork approach, acknowledging the need to optimise performance and best assure/control the food products in the agri-food supply chain.

Programme Modules

• Advanced Food Manufacturing
• Agri-Robotics
• Digitisation in Agri-food Industry
• Food Safety and Technical Management
• Global Agri-food Supply Chain Systems
• New Product and Process Development
• Principles of Crop Science
• Research Methods
• Collaborative Research Project

Following the taught element of the programme, students will undertake a Collaborative Research Project, where they will have the opportunity to make contacts and apply their knowledge in a real-life setting with a six-month professional practice route.

Students are expected to pay for their own travel, accommodation, and general living expenses while undertaking this project. Students will be expected to identify and secure their own projects. Support is available to those who need it.

Contact and Independent Study

Weekly contact hours on this programme may vary depending on the individual modules and the stage of the study. The postgraduate-level study involves a significant proportion of independent study, exploring the material covered in lectures and seminars. As a general guide, for every hour spent in class, students are expected to spend at least two to three hours in an independent study. For more detailed information please contact the Programme Leader.

How You Study

This MSc is intentionally wide-ranging and is designed to prepare students for opportunities across the broad and fast-moving agri-food sector. The programe takes a holistic, all encompassing, farm-to-fork approach, acknowledging the need to optimise performance and best assure/control the food products in the agri-food supply chain.

programe Modules:

• Advanced Food Manufacturing
• Agri-Robotics
• Digitisation in Agri-food Industry
• Food Safety and Technical Management
• Global Agri-food Supply Chain Systems
• New Product and Process Development
• Principles of Crop Science
• Research Methods
• Collaborative Research Project

Following the taught element of the programe, students will undertake a Collaborative Research Project, where they will have the opportunity to make contacts and apply their knowledge in a real-life setting with a six-month professional practice route.

This programme is designed to prepare students for a career in one of the world’s largest industries, agri-food. Agriculture companies, food manufacturers, producers, and retailers are large employers, as are government departments that develop food policies.

Graduates may pursue careers in technical roles, marketing, distribution, plant supervision, and product development. They may also choose to form their own company, with the help of the University’s award-winning business support centre, Sparkhouse. Some may choose to pursue research and PhD pathways (particularly in the field of agri-robotics)