MSc Food Management

At the heart of the MSc programme is the dissertation. Largely completed after the taught module programme has ended, this part of the programme gives you the chance to look in detail at a topic that interests you. You will conduct a small piece of research under the supervision of our experienced academics, which will provide an intellectual challenge. The skills needed for successful research will be of benefit to any career.

To be awarded the MSc in Food Management from the University of Surrey, you need to achieve 180 credits in total, of which 120 credits will come from modules taught in semester time (from September to June) and the other 60 credits from your dissertation.

You can be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Food Management by completing 120 taught credits. Similarly, a Postgraduate Certificate can be obtained with 60 credits.

This programme is part of our modular postgraduate structure in which there are seven compulsory 15-credit modules. You then choose one optional module for the other 15 credits giving you the opportunity to specialise in the areas in which you are most interested.

Dr Margaret Lumbers and Dr Anita Eves are active researchers in the area of consumer behaviour as applied to food. They have conducted studies for the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the EU, as well as industry. Their topics have included the nutrition education of catering students, ways to improve hygiene education in schools, food in later life (an EU-funded study involving eight countries), and EUROFIR (an EU-funded project aiming to develop a unified food composition database).

Dr Lumbers and Dr Eves are founder members of the University’s Food, Consumer Behaviour and Health Research Centre. The Centre brings together complementary research skills from the Surrey Business School, the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences and the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences. It provides an integrated approach to questions of key importance to research funders, industry, the public and government.

A significant proportion of students have come to study MSc Food Management from jobs in the food industry; some from major food companies, including airline caterers, others from small or medium-sized businesses. These businesses have covered a range of product types, including bakery, meat and fast food.

This provides an excellent opportunity for shared learning between you and other students. You will benefit from hearing visiting speakers from major food companies and policy enforcement agencies, and have the opportunity to spend time with environmental health officers as they go about their inspections.

Many of our students have an international background and are able to make excellent networks whilst studying, as well as gaining a global perspective on food management issues.

The food industry is a major income generator all over the world. It is not surprising, therefore, that many people find themselves responsible for roles in food management. Some of these managers have a food-related background but do not possess general management skills, whilst others have a management background but lack the specific skills that are required to be an effective manager in the food industry.

Our programme offers you both advanced management and discipline-specific skills, aiming to strengthen your ability to analyse the short, medium and long-term impacts of management decisions on aspects of food businesses. You will develop your understanding of the complex interactions involving different technical, social and financial challenges. It provides you with a sound management education whilst developing the skills to ensure the safety, acceptability and nutritional adequacy of the food supply.

Guest speakers from industry and other organisations, along with site visits, form an important part of your studies.

The programme aims to provide a high-quality, vocational education which is intellectually rigorous and up-to-date, as well as relevant to the needs of existing and future managers, executives and other professionals in the food industry.

Specifically, the programme aims to offer you the following benefits:

• In-depth understanding and knowledge of food management, recognising the interdisciplinary nature of the subject
• Management and decision-making skills founded on an understanding of the interacting factors involved in the food industry
• Skills to understand and critically evaluate a wide range of management and problem-solving techniques applicable in all sectors and industries
• The ability to conduct research and produce a high-quality dissertation
• Transferable skills in communication, presentation, computing, planning, organisation, problem-solving, critical reasoning and teamwork, all vital to success in any organisation

The Surrey experience does not end with your degree. You will have developed friends and contacts in many different countries and industries. Many Surrey graduates are now captains of industry and can be found in every part of the world and in all sectors of the economy. This network is likely to last a lifetime and support your career development over a sustained period.

You will also be eligible to become a member of the alumni organisation SIGNET (the Surrey International Graduate Network). SIGNET members remain actively in touch with each other via the quarterly newsletter, the membership list and social events organised by the committee.

The University of Surrey has achieved high ratings in The Times employment league table for several years.

Surrey graduates are among the most employable of any UK university. No other university can match our consistently high performance in the job league tables. Almost all our postgraduates find work or are undertaking further study within six months of finishing their degrees.

Our MSc Food Management graduates have gone on to careers in a number of sectors including retail, airline catering, food-related consultancy, academic research posts and product development in the food industry, and some have achieved very senior positions. In addition, a number of students have gone on to complete PhDs both at Surrey and elsewhere.