European Master Food Studies Programme
One Master, four countries
The EMFS programme is a 2-year MSc programme located in 4 different countries. You will gain scientific knowledge, research and communication skills and will gain experience in project management and teamwork.
Programme design
The programme exist of four main components:
Academic modules ⇒ lecture, labpracticals, study periods, seminars, language training and communication and social activities
Meeting companies ⇒ company visits, company presentations, meeting industral representatives
Combined Thesis project and Internship ⇒ guaranteed 9-month placement at the R&D laboratory of one the partner companies
Team Project ⇒ large integrated assignment that is developed by students in teams over the entire course of the programme. It starts with the 1-week Team Building module at Wageningen University in the Netherlands to improve communication skills, practice effective teamwork and become oriented with the programmes’ students and resources. Several workshops on Entrepreneurship are included as well.
First year
In the first year of the programme you will study at four partner universities located in the Netherlands, Ireland, France and Sweden. A period of apprioxmately 8 weeks per university where you will complete the academic modules of the programme.
Special Topics
Special Topic regarding Sustainable Food & Bioprocessing (online).
Second year
In the second year of the programme students work on the combined thesis project/internship in the R&D laboratory of one of the partner companies.
The placement in a partner company is guaranteed for each student. The main restriction is: ‘’not in student’s home country’’ to improve the adaptability and cross-cultural communication capabilities of students. Legal restrictions can also apply.
A team of two supervisors will guide and evaluate the student during the thesis project: one from the company and one academic supervisor from Wageningen University. The academic quality of the thesis is examined by a full professor from Wageningen University, who will act as examiner.
All courses can be found in the Study Handbook of Wageningen University. Course content may change – this information is intended to provide a sense of the material covered.
Team Project
The Team Project is one of the programme’s most substantial courses, consisting of 1-week Team Building, several workshops on Entrepreneurship plus initiation and execution of a project by the students themselves in two teams (each team consisting of ~10 students) over the entire 2-year programme. The topic is briefed every year by one of the industrial partners.
The Team Project includes brainstorming for ideas, selection of proposals, sourcing expertise and assistance, executing field work and the oral and written presentation of results; this all merely as an extracurricular assignment. To ensure that all targets of the project are met, students will be able to access expertise in the partner universities and companies. Progress meetings with the team project coaches provide guidance to students.
Aim
⇒ develop team work and project management skills
⇒ foster an entrepreneurial mind-set
Developing cross-cultural communication skills and the ability to work successfully in teams is a primary objective of the European Master in Food Studies programme. Careers in food industry often involve significant interaction with multidisciplinary groups, and this assignment is an excellent preparation for the type of project management responsibilities that graduates will encounter in their workplace later on.