Master of Science in Life Sciences - Food and Beverage Innovation | ZHAW Life Sciences and Facility Management

Welcome to our cutting-edge Future of Food Campus, equipped with top-tier facilities. Our hands-on Master's program provides diverse research groups and engaging thesis topics, enabling you to create innovative solutions for the food sector. Enjoy exceptional guidance while implementing sustainable innovations. Integrating technology, nutrition, packaging, supply chain, business, strategy, and design, our program thoroughly prepares you for success in this vibrant industry.

Graduate portrait Master's programme in Food and Beverage Innovation (1:51 min.)

Study programme, course content

Admission, registration

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Why pursue a Master’s degree in Food and Beverage Innovation?

As a Master's graduate, you will have the skillset to analyse and evaluate product-specific and process-related relationships. You will understand the economic and political contexts relevant to your industry. You will be able to think outside the box, move beyond the constraints of disciplinary boundaries and develop innovative, integrative solutions.

This means that you will have excellent career opportunities in various sectors of the food industry, but equally at universities, authorities, and national and international organisations.

March 4

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"With my Master's studies, I wanted to gain in-depth knowledge in the fields of scientific work and business skills. Together with an industrial partner, I was able to work on a practical issue over a longer period."

Simon Hutter, SAP - Process Champion Product Development at Emmi Group
read more - in German(PDF 463,8 KB)

Connect theory with reality: On "Think Tank Day" you present your idea to experts from research and industry.

Your background

You are fascinated by topics such as: Food trends in general, alternative proteins, vegetable proteins, sustainable food packaging, biopackaging, intelligent packaging, snackification, clean eating, fermentation, food from by-products, food safety, food process development, consumer science, food sensory science, reduction of food waste, preventing food loss or food waste, nutritional behavior and needs, resource planning across the entire food supply chain, digitization in the food sector, or simply food and beverage innovation.

You hold a Bachelor's degree in: Food technology, food science, ecotrophology, beverage technology or similar (admission with other degrees may be granted at the program directors' discretion).

Career: Holding a Master's degree in Life Sciences in Food and Beverage Innovation will allow you to...

actively influence the future of the food industry.
develop sustainable products and processes across the entire food value chain and successfully position them on the market.
combine your knowledge of technology, nutrition, packaging, strategy and design to create successful innovative concepts while taking economic, societal, environmental, nutritional and public health issues into account.
demonstrate your creative problem-solving abilities and combine entrepreneurial and scientific thinking.
plan, implement, evaluate and present large-scale research and development projects.
combine science skills with socio-economic skills, and technical skills with social and personal skills to make your future career a lasting success.
perform the interesting and multi-faceted managerial tasks of today’s food industry, in areas such as product and process development, marketing, interface functions, government agencies and universities.

"The highlight of the programme for me was the innovation module, where each student was able to develop their own product idea from start to finish. We were supported by experts from the food industry. Today I work as a product developer and would never have thought I would get such a job offer right after my Master's degree."

Claudia Weber, Product Developer, Narhin AG
for video portrait (YouTube)

Graduate portraits

Here's what our graduates have to say about their studies (in German):

Good reasons for a Master’s study in Wädenswil

We offer a customisable Master's programme which you can complete in 3, 4, 5 or 6 semesters.
The program offers an attractive mix of research, science, practice and business modules.
You will have the opportunity to grow both as a professional and as a person, and to evolve into a sought-after specialist with leadership skills.
We offer exciting research projects for your Master's thesis.
You will be able to join a research group, where you can practice skills such as teamwork, critical thinking, and taking initiative.
You will benefit from small class sizes in the specialisation modules, which offer interactive learning activities that will allow you to take charge.
Our unique FBI mentoring programme.

Study programme and course content

Your studies include three areas of competence plus a Master's thesis, with a total of 90 credits (ETCS).

Based on your interests, before starting your studies you will work out your own personal learning objectives with your specialisation director and your supervisor. You will define the topic for your Master's thesis and design your own personal study path from the range of available modules.

Based on the topic of your Master's thesis, you will be assigned to a corresponding specialisation module that will fully prepare you for your Master's thesis. While working on your Master's thesis, you will be part of a research group that is working closely with our business partners or doing research at one of our institutes.

Online study planner: Your individual study plan.
Master's thesis specialised fields: Before starting your studies, you choose the field in which you want to write your research paper.
Annual planning / timetables: Important dates in the academic year.

"A desire to learn and an appetite for more will help you move forward. A Master's in our specialisation "Food and Beverage Innovation", will allow you to develop your skillset in a way that is tailored and beneficial to you."

Dr. Sandra Burri, programme director at the Institute for Food and Beverage Innovation

Your new skillset: You will be able to...

utilise your extensive scientific knowledge and practical experience and shape the success of products and process innovations in the food sector from idea to implementation.
develop and implement sustainable, creative solutions for new products and processes while taking every stage of the value-added chain as well as relevant eneconomic, social and public health issues into account
understand innovation as a process for developing sustainable products and processes.
manage innovation and devise strategic plans for products and concepts in the food industry.

Structure master study — A description of the Core Competences, Cluster-specific modules and Specialization Skills can be found in the study brochure pages 8/9.

The picture above shows the general structure of a full-time Master's programme. Students design their own study paths and choose their own focal points.

Together with your supervisor, you design your own individual study plan from the range of compulsory and elective modules. The selected modules are recorded in your individual study agreement (planning).

In addition, elective modules from the specialisations of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Chemistry for the Life Sciences or Applied Computational Life Sciences can also be taken.

Planning

To the module descriptions and your individual study agreement.

FBI-Mentoring Programme

During your studies, you will be guided and supported in a specific mentoring programme for the specialisation in Food and Beverage Innovation. You will be able to benefit from optional activities and participate in the mandatory "FBI snack".

Your mentor will remain a supportive contact person throughout your studies, and supervise your Master's thesis. This mentoring program allows you to focus on your goals and to share ideas.

FBI Mentoring-Programme

Researching for practice

During your studies, you will expand your personal skillset not only in terms of technical expertise and methodology, but also in terms of self-management. The practice-oriented focus of the Master's thesis encourages creative problem solving, a reevaluation of perspectives and a combination of entrepreneurial and scientific thinking.

The work in your research group will not only help you develop your initiative and critical thinking abilities, but also your teamwork and leadership skills. We promote inductive, inquiry-based learning in small classes with interactive learning activities such as group work and presentations.

Theses
Interesting research questions are created with partners from industry and retail. Our graduates have already developed interesting, relevant and viable answers and solutions in their work.