Two-year Graduate Degree in Food Industry Management
The Master's Degree Course in Food Industry Management offers a managerial education specifically tailored to the food industry. It develops students' ability to analyze economic dynamics, such as consumption trends and access to strategic resources for food production. The course also enhances knowledge of qualitative and quantitative market analysis techniques and consumer behavior, especially in emerging segments that can predict future trends.
The course in Food Industry Management provides a core of economic and social analysis skills, supplemented by detailed knowledge of the technical-scientific aspects related to food and supported by a solid foundation on the cultural processes of food to train young professionals competitive for the international job market.
The students will have the opportunity to come into contact with the business world through field experiences and immersive advanced training - International study trip with a focus on digital innovation - developed together with the companies of the UNISG Network, in order to acquire a full education, with a focus on new food trends.
Regolamento_didattico_Corso di Laurea Magistrale in Food Industry Management_2024-2025
Propel Your Career: Skills and Opportunities
The graduates' profile is business-oriented and is enriched by disciplines related to gastronomic sciences such as aesthetics and ethics of food, ecology, sustainability, and sociology of food consumption.
Upon achieving a MSc degree in Food Industry Management, the students will be able to enter the job market in the following roles:
- Innovation Specialist. They have solid knowledge in product and production, they know the competitors and are able to analyze competitive dynamics. They can interpret the evolutionary trends in the markets, detecting the latent needs of consumers and emerging consumption trends.
- Market Analyst. They have solid knowledge in product and production, they know the competitors and their products and are capable of analyzing competitive dynamics in the market. They understand the cultural processes related to food consumption, of which they are able to evaluate the impact on consumer behavior.
- Product Manager. They have solid knowledge in product and production. They have specific skills regarding supply chains and raw materials. They know the competitors and their products. They are capable of managing the correct positioning of the offered products. They have advanced knowledge of the legal elements related to food production and distribution.
- Sales Manager. They have solid knowledge of the product and the market. They know the competitors and their products. They are capable of managing product positioning and can can handle promotional leverage.
- Business Developer. They have a solid understanding of products and markets, they can interpret evolutionary trends in the markets. They are familiar with communication tools, particularly digital ones.
Read some Gastronomes’ stories >
Discover the fields in which Gastronomes work >
Learning Goals
The Master's Degree aims to impart advanced knowledge that enables participants to develop a unique and distinctive skill set in:
- Economic Scenario Analysis: This involves the analysis of dynamics related to economic development, particularly in relation to consumption trends and access to strategic resources for food production.
- Advanced Market and Consumer Analysis: This encompasses knowledge of qualitative and quantitative market analysis techniques and consumer behavior, with a particular focus on emerging segments capable of intercepting future trends.
- Products and Production: This includes understanding of raw materials and food transformation processes, with special reference to emerging trends and their potential industrial impacts. It also involves knowledge of local agri-food production and its relationship with environmental and cultural aspects.
- Food Aesthetics and Communication: This involves distinctive knowledge in the philosophy and aesthetics of food. It also includes the ability to develop original communication content to be conveyed through traditional and digital channels.
- Strategic Marketing: This involves expertise in areas of product development and a deep understanding of physical and online distribution channels. It also includes skills in communication management, with an emphasis on innovative forms of digital communication.
- Advanced Food Law: This includes legal knowledge pertaining to the protection of intellectual property, regulations affecting the production and marketing of food, and issues of food sovereignty and sustainability.
The primary skills acquired for the job market:
| Features of the Master's Degree in Food Industry Management | Distinctive features of UNISG's in-depth expertise in the food sector |
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Study Plan
The first semester is dedicated to acquiring advanced skills for the analysis of the economic scenario and food markets. Students receive advanced training in data analysis.
In the second semester, students get exposed to a range of disciplines related to gastronomy sciences: food aesthetics, ecology, sustainability of food systems, and sociology of food consumption. They also receive advanced training on products and productions, with a focus on new trends in innovation.
In the third semester, students refine their preparation: they follow a course on the systemic approach to the circular economy and an advanced course of strategic marketing for the food industry. Then, they can customize their training by choosing 2 elective courses, from the 4 proposed.
Elective courses bring an innovative approach based on the laboratory model, where students experience highly participatory teaching and deal with applied projects. Elective topics cover food anthropology, sustainable entrepreneurship, innovation and new media.
Study Trip: five days to discover excellent Italian production companies, under the supervision of UNISG tutors. Opportunity to get to know and experience first-hand international leaders in the food sector
Field Experience: Innovation Project with UNISG Network companies. Innovation project conducted during the semester on behalf of one of the companies in the UNISG network under the supervision of a UNISG teacher
International study trip with an immersive training in digital innovation. International study trip to a European destination of primary importance for the food industry, integrated with an intensive course organized in collaboration with Talent Garden, the digital transformation specialist
Internship: Students in the second year of the MSc in Food Industry Management, who are regularly enrolled full-time, are allowed to compete for the assignment of Erasmus + Traineeship grants to carry out internships at companies, training and research centers present in one of the countries participating in the Erasmus+ Traineeship (outgoing).
The curriculum:
First Year
1st Semester. Advanced analytical tools
- Economic Scenario Analysis - 6 ECTS
- Food Industry Strategic Management - 8 ECTS
- Food for Thought: Taste, Culture and Communication - 8 ECTS
- Data Analysis for Strategic Decision - ECTS
2nd Semester. Product, Production & Sustainability
- Ecology, Sustainability and Food Systems - 6 ECTS
- Future foods and ingredients - 8 ECTS
- Sociology of food consumers - 8 ECTS
- Advanced Food and Trade Law - 8 ECTS
Study trip to discover the food industry
Field Experience: Innovation Project with UNISG Network companies - 6 ECTS
Second Year
1st Semester. Marketing, Distribution & Digital Innovation
- Strategic Marketing for Food Industry - 6 ECTS
- Circular Economy for Food - 6 ECTS
- Elective 1 - 6 ECTS
- Elective 2 - 6 ECTS
International study trip with an immersive training in digital innovation - 6 ECTS
2nd Semester
- Internship - 10 ECTS
- Final thesis - 10 ECTS
TOTAL (entire program) - 120 ECTS
Elective
- Media Lab - 6 ECTS
- Food Innovation Lab - 6 ECTS
- Start-up & Entrepreneurship Lab - 6 ECTS
- Wine Innovation Lab - 6 ECTS
Read more about the study plan >
Convenor: Prof. Carmine Garzia
Maximum number of students per year: 40
Attendance: mandatory except for part-time students
Language: English
Admissions
First round: March 12, 2024
Second round: May 21, 2024
Third round: July 23, 2024
Start date: September 16, 2024
UNISG Study Trips are a unique opportunity for our students to investigate the complexity of current food systems in the world by integrating theoretical concepts from the classroom with direct and practical experience in the field.
One of UNISG’s aims during the study trips is to maintain a dialogue with key actors of the agri-food market, from small-scale producers, to large companies, to government and private institutions which have a strong presence in the areas we visit, allowing our students to benefit from existing networks and to initiate new ones.
By the end of this course of study, our students will develop the skills of critical observation and analysis that will serve them in their own future endeavours as promoters, innovators, and leaders in the increasingly interconnected and globalized food market.
The organization of and planning of the didactic content and travel logistics is managed by the staff of the Tutor Office, who also accompany the students during the trip.
In addittion to the Study Trips, during the previous editions of the Graduate degree, students had the chace to visit different Companies of the Agri-Food industry, such as: Baladin, Domori, Azienda Vinicola Scarpa, Guido Castagna Cioccolato, Consorzio Alta, Langa/Fontanafredda, Coripet, Cean, Raspini, Distilleria Sibona, Eurostampa.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have developed new strategies that allow us to adjust our study trip offer according to present and potential future measures, always staying true to our experiential study approach.
The annual fees for the Academic Year 2023/25 is € 14.000.
Further information about annual fees and payment >
Financial Aid & Scholarships >
*Fee details for part-time students are available on the dedicated page >
The Graduate Degree inFood Industry Management is open to:
- Candidates in possession of, or in the process of obtaining a three-year undergraduate degree from one of the Italian universities indicated in the “Required Academic Qualifications for Access to the Graduate Degree” Upon graduation, such candidates must submit a self-certification of their undergraduate degree.
- Candidates in possession of, or in the process of obtaining a three-year undergraduate degree from a non-Italian university accredited in an EU member country or equivalent, and compatible with one of the three-year undergraduate degrees indicated in the attached document “Required Academic Qualifications for Access to the Graduate Degree”, valid for admission to an Italian university.Upon graduation, such candidates must submit a Diploma Supplement issued by the institution that conferred the undergraduate degree by the start of lessons and activities.
- Candidates in possession of, or in the process of obtaining a three-year undergraduate degree from a non-Italian university accredited in a non-EU or equivalent country, and compatible with one of the three-year undergraduate degrees indicated in the attached document “Required Academic Qualifications for Access to the Graduate Degree”, valid for admission to an Italian university.
Further Information about Requirements & Admissions >
Further Information about Admissions as part-time students >
The Career Center supports UNISG students during the delicate transition into the professional world.
While the students are here in Pollenzo, the Career Center provides constant support to develop their own unique career design through the "Cultivating your Career" program, which consists of collective workshops and individual coaching sessions.
Through the Career Fair and the Career Center website, the office helps students in gaining a better understanding of different professional sectors to start or continue their career.
Upon graduation, the Office continues monitoring the Alumni career, fostering a strong and active professional network that puts together new and experienced gastronomes worldwide.
Further information: segreteria@unisg.it