Food Science with Industrial Training
Food science is the application of biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering to the study of food: its composition, structure, processing, safety, sensory properties, and nutritional value. It is a discipline of practical importance, addressing how food can be produced and preserved safely for millions of people, how its nutritional content can be optimised, and how new products can be developed to meet changing consumer needs. Industrial training is built into this four-year programme at the University of Reading, reflecting the discipline's fundamentally applied character.
Reading has one of the UK's most distinguished food science departments, with deep research connections to the food industry and a curriculum that reflects the real challenges food scientists face in professional practice. You will study food chemistry, food microbiology, nutrition, food processing and engineering, sensory science, food law and regulation, and quality assurance and management. The industrial training year places you in a food company, ingredient manufacturer, or research organisation, giving you direct professional experience of the environments in which food scientists work.
This experience is highly valued by employers and helps ensure that your academic learning is grounded in the realities of professional food science.
Food science graduates pursue careers in product development, quality assurance and safety, manufacturing management, regulatory affairs, ingredient supply, and research and development across the food and drink industry. Employers include major food manufacturers, supermarkets, ingredient companies, contract research organisations, and government agencies such as the Food Standards Agency. The combination of scientific knowledge and professional experience the programme provides is precisely what the industry looks for in graduate recruits.
Postgraduate study in food science, nutrition, or biotechnology is an option for those who want to specialise further or move into academic research.