Food Engineering

Food engineering is the discipline that keeps the world fed safely and efficiently. Food engineers design, operate, and optimise the processing systems and production environments in which food is made at industrial scale, applying principles from chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, microbiology, and food science to ensure that products are safe, nutritious, consistent, and produced as efficiently as possible. The food and drink industry is one of the largest manufacturing sectors in the UK, and the demand for well-trained engineers who understand its specific requirements is consistent and growing.

At the University of Lincoln, this part-time programme is tailored to the needs of individuals who are already working in, or embarking on, careers in food and drink organisations. It can be undertaken as part of a Degree or Higher Apprenticeship, which means it is designed to fit alongside employment rather than replace it. This makes it particularly well suited to people who are developing their careers in the sector and want to formalise and deepen their technical knowledge while continuing to gain practical experience.

The programme covers infrastructure, asset care, production management, and process development, addressing the full range of engineering responsibilities that food engineers carry in practice.

You will develop understanding of food processing operations such as heat treatment, separation, mixing, and packaging, as well as the engineering principles of equipment design, maintenance, process control, and hygienic design. You will also engage with food safety legislation and the quality management systems that govern food production environments.

Graduates from food engineering programmes progress into roles as production engineers, process engineers, technical managers, quality assurance engineers, and project engineers in food and drink manufacturing. The Higher Apprenticeship route in particular provides a clear pathway from technician-level roles to graduate-level engineering positions within the sector. Chartership through the Institution of Mechanical Engineers or Institution of Chemical Engineers is a professional development goal for many graduates.