Course overview
This course will equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to apply project management, industrial experimental design, sensory and quality design techniques to the food product development process - from initial concept through to product launch.
You'll develop advanced specialist expertise of scientific techniques and practical skills in the assessment and control of food quality, food safety, product design, new product development and innovation, including emerging areas such as alternative proteins.
Alongside learning how industry monitors and maintains product quality, you will also gain a thorough understanding of standard industrial techniques, international quality and safety management standards, and the impact of current legislation on food manufacturing and product development.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Take a food product from idea to launch using industry‑standard quality engineering design tools
- Design and test products to ensure quality, safety and consumer appeal
- Build hands‑on skills in food quality, food safety and new product development
- Explore innovation and emerging areas like alternative proteins
- Understand how industry standards and food laws shape food manufacturing.
Why study at Leeds
- Study a research-led MSc that develops advanced expertise in food quality, safety, product design and innovation, including emerging areas such as alternative proteins.
- Learn how to take a product from concept to launch, applying industry-standard quality engineering, sensory science and experimental design techniques.
- Learn from world-leading academics and researchers whose expertise spans biotechnology, sustainability, AI, nanotechnology, plant-based food systems, alternative proteins and functional biopolymers.
- Access specialist facilities and advanced analytical equipment, including sensory testing, electron microscopy, rheometers and chromatography systems.
- Gain real-world experience through an immersive, group-based product development project, working collaboratively to solve industry-relevant challenges.
- Develop high-level practical, technical and transferable skills through problem-based learning, laboratory work and real-world assessments aligned with industry needs.
- Gain consultancy experience through a two-week online Global Industry Programme, building professional skills and industry connections.
- Access comprehensive careers and employability support from day one, including a dedicated careers centre, employability officer and networking opportunities with recruiting employers.
Join our online taster course
This three-week course gives you the opportunity to understand global food security issues and learn about research designed to tackle food safety and nutrition challenges.
Learn more about our Food Safety and Nutrition: A Global Approach to Public Health online course.
Explore Leeds
Discover our campus, facilities and accommodation with our 360 virtual experience platform.
With immersive 360 experiences, image galleries, virtual tours, videos and day-in-the-life content, you can take a personalised, interactive tour of campus and explore the University's academic, social and residential environments from anywhere in the world.
You can get a feel for what it's really like to live, learn and belong at the University of Leeds – all from the comfort of home.
Accreditation
This degree is accredited by the Institute of Food Science and Technology.
Accreditation is the assurance that a university course meets the quality standards established by the profession for which it prepares its students.
Course details and modules
Throughout the course, you’ll develop an understanding of the underpinning scientific techniques in chemistry, biochemistry, physics, mathematics and biology relevant to applications of food science and the food industry.
You’ll examine different aspects of the product development process from product conception through to product launch. Throughout the process, you’ll apply principles of product concept design, industrial experimental design, quality design techniques, and sensory science to develop new food products and production processes that integrate consumer needs and expectations while conforming to food legislation, food quality and safety requirements.
The study of the principles of quality assurance, management and improvement, and their application through design, measurement and monitoring will also be examined, covering aspects such as quality control, HACCP, experimental design and statistical analysis.
The course will provide you with a learning environment that immerses you in real-world situations in food product development, through group-based learning activities that require you to use your knowledge and skills attained through multidisciplinary learning modules across various scientific fields.
Course structure
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.
Compulsory modules
Food Safety and Regulatory Practice (15 credits)
Advance your understanding of microbiological and chemical food safety issues, including risk assessments, minimising and regulating the risks according to the government legislation in the food industry, allergen management and labelling. You’ll also be introduced to the different aspects of quality management, quality assurance, traceability and quality control.
Chemistry and Biochemistry Applied to Food Industry (15 credits)
Build an understanding of the biochemical constituents of food and the biochemical reactions and processes happening in food on a molecular level to understand the functionality of nutrients.
Food Processing (15 credits)
This module will cover food processing, including the significance of raw materials and equipment towards sustainable food production, including product packaging. You'll look at the unit operations in industrial food processing systems and discuss how to identify critical food safety parameters and processing conditions for food. You'll also evaluate the physical, chemical and biochemical changes in food, resulting from different processing methods. Within its scope, this module will include complex scientific calculations for the food industrial manufacturing processes.
Food Analysis and Industry Problem Solving (15 credits)
You’ll discuss the overall composition of food, with regard to its principal and trace components, additives and contaminants with reference to real food industry problems that need solving. You’ll explore the need for chemical analysis in food production and build an understanding of the application of spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques. The module will also include laboratory practicals to demonstrate applied knowledge.
Advanced Food Quality Assurance and Food Safety (15 credits)
This module will cover advanced aspects of quality management, quality assurance and quality control and food safety. You'll learn risk assessment methods and mitigation approaches in compliance with international regulatory standards. You will implement a quality management and assurance system using industry software. You'll also conduct quality control checks against a set specification criteria.
Sensory Science (15 credits)
This module will provide an overview of sensory discrimination, descriptive and affective testing methods. A focus on practical approaches towards controlling variability in sensory measurement will be further examined with case studies. A key objective of this module is to apply your knowledge of the principles of sensory measurement, understanding the importance of controlling the variability and differences in sensory perception between panel assessors and the appropriate use of testing methods in solving typical examples of problems and issues faced in quality control and product development.
Research and Professional Skills (15 credits)
This key module will introduce you to a diversity of academic and professional skills and competencies that will help you succeed throughout your degree – and beyond. You'll learn how to critically read scientific and non-scientific sources of information and how to communicate scientific aspects relating to your discipline to various audiences, using different tools, e.g., academic writing and digital platforms. You'll explore the application of study skills, such as Academic Integrity, Ethics, and Library Skills. By engaging in practicals, you'll build your laboratory skills specific to your specialisation, as well as more generic skills such as good laboratory practices and laboratory safety. This module will also introduce you to the requisite professional competencies and how you can build these throughout your programme.
Advanced NPD project (75 credits)
Following on from gaining key skills and knowledge required for working in the food industry in the first semester, you’ll have the chance to put theory into practice with a group product development project. This will be your opportunity to build on the skills and knowledge you’ve learnt throughout the course and investigate an exciting real-world problem, mirroring the type of work you’ll be conducting in your professional career.
This module will examine the different stages of the food product development process and their application in the design of new food products. You'll look at all aspects from sourcing ingredients/raw materials, product formulation and processing, ingredient interactions in foods, packaging, sensory evaluation, design of nutritional labels (including food claims) and marketing. Key to this module is working with your peers from within and beyond the School to develop and deliver a new food product in a real-world environment, similar to what could be encountered in the Food Industry.
Learning and teaching
The course covers many scientific areas such as food processing, product design, biochemistry, food analysis, sensory science, new product development, food quality and safety, food legislation and sustainability. Your learning will therefore cover different aspects of food production in innovative ways, all of which support the development of your knowledge, skills and confidence.
You'll explore these subject areas with academics, researchers and experienced scientists who work in the food industry. Teaching staff at the School of Food Science and Nutrition include lecturers and professors who are all experienced at producing globally recognised, cutting-edge research across a range of different areas of food science and biotechnology.
You’ll also be assigned an academic personal tutor to guide you through your studies and help you progress throughout your degree.
You'll benefit from a wide range of active learning activities and innovative teaching methods, including lectures, workshops, small group tutorials, problem-based learning, practical lab work, seminars and supervised research projects.
Your learning will be undertaken alongside peers and other students from within the School of Food Science and Nutrition and potentially other students within the University of Leeds. As such, you'll learn about different aspects of food science and nutrition in innovative ways, all of which will support the development of your knowledge, skills and confidence.
Independent study is also an important part of this course and will develop your research and analytical skills to think and work independently.
Skills development
Our problem-based learning approach, laboratory classes and project-based work allow you to gain first-hand experience investigating and applying material from your lectures and tutorials to real-life work situations. This ensures that, as a student, you’re actively engaged in teaching and learning and working collaboratively with your course mates to build a sense of community where you feel valued.
This approach will also equip you with high-level thinking and in-depth knowledge along with the key practical, technical skills and transferable skills and competencies that will help you secure a graduate job.
Specialist facilities
You’ll also have access to specialist facilities that’ll prepare you for working in the field. Our excellent teaching and laboratory facilities include electron microscopy facilities, texture analysers, rheometers, tribometers, spectrophotometers, spinning disc reactor and HPLC and GC analytical equipment.
We also have strong links with the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology and the Global Food and Environment Institute, both of which are equipped with a range of facilities.
Programme team
The teaching team is made up of academics and researchers from within the School of Food Science and Nutrition who work across the School’s interdisciplinary research groups to address global challenges in the fields of Food Science and Nutrition.
Expertise includes food microstructure and digestion, encapsulation and emulsification, tribology, sensory science, digital sensing and AI, functional biopolymers for health, nanotechnology, liquid crystals and lipid self-assembly, design of biopolymers, fragments, and conjugates, biofilms and microbiology, alternative proteins, plant-based diets and food systems sustainability.
On this course, you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Assessment
A variety of traditional and authentic formative and summative assessment approaches are used to support your learning and progression through the course, measure your attainment of the learning outcomes and develop your skills.
Our assessments are designed to reflect real-world needs and challenges encountered in the workplace, while accommodating the various learning styles and embedding equitable and inclusive practices to ensure a supportive and fair assessment framework is presented. As such, assessments range in format and may include, for example, report writing, a mini critical review, and oral and visual presentations. In so doing, skills attained would include, for example, communication, problem solving, critical thinking, and team working, in addition to the core technical skills specific to your degree.
Throughout the course, the formative feedback you'll receive will provide an opportunity to think critically, reflect on and improve your performance, as you progress and learn.
Applying
Entry requirements
A bachelor degree with a 2:2 (hons) in a pure or applied science subject.
You should have studied some chemistry along with a food-related module such as food processing, food engineering, food science or food technology.
If you do not meet all of the listed requirements, we still encourage you to apply. We take a flexible approach to admissions and will consider your application if you can demonstrate relevant experience, such as professional or work experience, volunteering or additional qualifications.
International
We accept a range of international qualifications. For more information, please contact the Admission Team.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in all components. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.
Improve your English
International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Science (6 weeks) and Language for Science: General Science (10 weeks).
We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional and our 10 week online pre-sessional.
You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.
How to apply
Please visit our How to Apply page for full details of the application process and the supporting documents required as part of your application.
We encourage all applicants to apply as early as possible.
Application deadlines
- International applicants: Friday 30 July 2027
- UK applicants: Friday 10 September 2027
To apply, click the button below to access the University’s online application system.
International applicants can find further information on visas, immigration requirements and student support on our International students pages. We recommend applying as early as possible to allow sufficient time for visa processing before your programme starts.
If you're still unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.
Admissions policy
University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2027
This course is taught by
School of Food Science and Nutrition
Contact us
School of Food Science and Nutrition Admissions Team
Email: mscenquiry@food.leeds.ac.uk
Fees
UK: £14,700 (Total)
International: £34,300 (Total)
Read more about paying fees and charges.
For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.
Additional cost information
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page.
Scholarships and financial support
If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Learn more about Masters funding.
Scholarships are also available to help fund your Masters. Find out more and check your eligibility below:
Career opportunities
The food industry is one of the largest in the world, with a vast amount of career opportunities available to qualified specialists in the field.
From enhancing food quality and improving food safety, to developing brand new products that’ll take the market by storm - global companies in the industry need the skill set you’ll learn on this MSc to ensure they have quality products that adhere to regulations and stay ahead of the competition.
The programme also provides a strong foundation for further academic study, giving you the skills and confidence to progress to PhD-level research.
Our graduates have progressed into a wide range of roles across the food sector. Here are some examples of the jobs and organisations they now work in.
- Innovation Technologist, Kerry Foods
- NPD Technologist, Scheff Foods Ltd
- R&D Food Technologist, Shanghai 21Cake Food Co
- NPD & Quality Control Executive, ID Fresh Food (India)
- Quality Control Analyst, Mundipharma Pte Ltd
- QA Technician, Newsholmes Food
- Sampling Officer, Food Experts S.L.
- Quality Assurance Support, Wharfe Bank Brewery
- Food Technologist, CK Food Processing Ltd
- Lab Technician, Arla Foods
Read our alumni profiles to find out where some of our graduates are working today.
Top 10 most targeted for 10+ years
by the UK's leading employers
Careers support
At Leeds, we help you to prepare for your future from day one.
Our Careers Service has the global expertise and sector-spanning industry partnerships that, combined, go wel beyond simply helping you get a job. They provide you with the resources you need to upskill and achieve the future you aspire towards – even in the face of lightning-paced change.
- Dedicated Employability Team – meet with our qualified careers consultants and specialist employability and placements officers, on hand to help you choose the right path and develop the skills to get there. They can support with CV and cover letter writing, LinkedIn profile building, mock interviews and navigating AI: get confident with tailored advice and techniques.
- Employability and networking events – get involved in a full range of events, including careers fairs and specialist industry talks with employers who are actively recruiting. You’ll also benefit from mentoring and a supportive careers community, helping you make connections, build your network, and shape your journey as a future professional.
- Skills training – we embed transferable skills training in all our programmes to support your transition to the workplace. Gain expertise employers value, such as communication, problem-solving and research and data analysis.
- MyCareer system – access a dedicated portal where you can book careers appointments, view helpful resources and browse vacancies and events. Access digital tools, including LinkedIn support, video interview preparation, plus global job market and visa guidance. We also offer pre‑arrival support to help you prepare for career planning in the UK and make the most of your time with us.
- Exclusive opportunities – bring your enterprise to market with our award-winning business advice service, Spark. Apply for vacancies only available to our students. And hone your skills further with Leeds University Union, home to volunteering opportunities and over 300 clubs and societies.
Explore more about your employability opportunities at the University of Leeds.
Work placements and industry experience
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As a Masters student at Leeds, you’ll have the unique opportunity to gain real-world industry experience with our Global Industry Programme.
You’ll develop key professional skills and gain invaluable insight into working in your chosen field, helping to solve a real business problem from a live company brief.
This experience will enhance your CV, helping you stand out in the competitive graduate jobs market and improving your chances of securing the career you want.
Benefits of the Global Industry Programme:
- Fully online and designed to fit around your studies.
- Opportunities to make professional networks in areas such as digital marketing, business growth, sustainability and funding strategy.
- Gain valuable insight and build consultancy experience with a UK or international organisation, working on a time limited brief.
- Work as part of a team across disciplines to tackle real business needs.
- Advance your experience and hands-on skills by putting the course teachings into practice.
- Improve your employability prospects.
- Make new friends, build confidence and consider your future plans.