Master’s in Food Quality Management

During the first year of the programme, students follow 60 ECTS of courses. These courses are divided into the 6 periods that make up an academic year at Wageningen University. Typically, during periods 1, 2, 5 and 6 students follow two courses (one course in the morning and one in the afternoon) and six weeks of classes are followed by a week of self study that culminates in an exam week. Meanwhile, periods 3 and 4 last for 4 weeks and only allow for one full day course, the exam takes place in the 4th week. 

The second year is divided into a thesis (36 ECTS) and an internship (24 ECTS). The topics of the thesis and internship are required to be within the scope of the specialization. A thesis is carried out at Wageningen University. The internship is a unique learning opportunity, where you can apply your academic skills in a professional environment, it always takes place outside of Wageningen University and can be in any country, at a university, a company or an institute. The internship is not necessarily related to the thesis. 

Within this master's programme, you can choose one of the specialisations below to meet your personal interests. Each of them trains you to become an expert in that field. Within your specialisation, you choose at which research group you would like to write your thesis. The two major parts of your specialisation are the (thesis-preparing) courses and a major thesis. You can extend your specialisation with an internship or a research practice. For a more detailed information on the programme structure per specialisation, visit the MSc Food Quality Management Study Handbook page.  

• Quality Control and Assurance
  The specialisation Quality Control and Assurance (A) educates students in complex problem-solving by the techno-managerial approach, food safety knowledge, quality and safety standards, fraud and authenticity, and food law.
• Quality and Food Logistics
  The specialisation Quality and Food Logistics (B) allows students to investigate, analyse and improve food supply chain management based on surveys, case studies, conceptual frameworks and decision support models (such as simulation and optimisation). This specialisation provides the knowledge for understanding how complex food supply chains work, with emphasis on product quality, sustainability and technology.
• User-oriented Food Quality
  The specialisation User-oriented Food Quality (C) studies food quality from the consumer’s perspective. Different systems exist to check and control food quality in the production chain. After the point of sale, however, the consumer is in charge. Consumer practices in combination with use of available appliances determine food quality at the moment of consumption.
• Quality Management and Entrepreneurship
  The specialisation Quality Management and Entrepreneurship (D) gives insight into developing business in that complex and dynamic environment and taking into account the several and sometimes conflicting demands (on quality, safety, environment-sustainability) posed by consumers, companies (e.g. retailers, producers), governmental agencies and/or NGO’s. 

The programme includes different ways of learning:

• Lectures – Learn from experts as they explain the course material in class.
• Tutorials – Work on assignments individually or in small groups.
• Labs – Apply economic and statistical models, mainly in computer labs.
• Problem-Based Learning (PBL) – Solve real-life case studies together with your group and a supervisor.
• Self-study – Make time to dive deeper into the material, both during scheduled hours and on your own.

At Wageningen, you are never on your own. With more lecturers, study advisors and student counsellors than most other Dutch universities, you will always find someone ready to help. This guidance keeps you on track, lowers the risk of dropping out, and makes your study experience more personal, motivating and enjoyable.

• Master's in Food Safety
  Food safety and quality learning are naturally interlinked. Food safety is part of quality control systems. However, in the master's Food Safety students gain a deeper understanding of microbiology, toxicology, risk analysis and food safety management or focus wholly on food legislation. In Food Quality Management, there is a much broader focus on quality and less emphasis on food safety. If you are interested in both programmes, specialization A (Quality Control and Assurance) is the specialization that is most similar to the Master Food Safety.
• Master's in Food Technology
  This study programme focuses more on food production thereby inherently entailing elements of quality which makes it similar to the master's Food Quality Management. Food Technology though focuses more on the product and less on the management side than Food Quality Management.
• Master's in Management, Economics and Consumer Studies
  This study programme is very management-focused, which makes it similar to Food Quality Management. Students can also specialize in management studies within Food Quality Management and the other way around, but the focus in Management and Economics is more on general management. If you are interested in MFQ with as much management as possible, specialization D (Quality Management and Entrepreneurship) is the best choice. If you want to specialize in the consumer side of quality management, specialization C (User-Oriented Food Quality) might be interesting!

Check more information on Studiekeuze123.nl. 

This list will show you some examples of career opportunities and jobs of the Food Quality Management programme from our graduates:

• Global Support of Operations Quality
• Quality Assurance Officer
• Quality Control Laboratory Manager
• Product Manager Children Nutrition
• Director of Food and Support Services
• Senior Regulatory Specialist
• Post-doctoral Researcher in the Microbiology Field 

Student Career Services facilitates WUR students towards the labour market. If you need help in your orientation towards your future career. 

Purpose and reason for the admission requirements  

The admission requirements for Food Quality Management are defined in such a way that the students should be able to successfully complete at least one of the specialisations of the master's programme Food Quality Management within two years. In order to comply this interdisciplinary programme, the student needs to have sufficient academic knowledge and skills in either life or social sciences related to food and nutrition. This is to ensure that the student has got a solid basis for the more advanced studies and integration in the master's programme.  

The used criterion for admission is

a WUR BSc degree in Food Technology, Nutrition and Health, Management and Consumer Studies, or equivalent.  

The norm for this equivalence is

An assessment of the student's expertise in either of the following two complete categories:  

• Category 1. Life Sciences  
  • Food Sciences (food engineering, food chemistry, food microbiology, food quality and safety, gastronomy, and/or dairy science)  
  • Nutrition (dietetics)  
  • Pharmacy  
  • Veterinary sciences  
• Category 2. Social Sciences  
  • Economics (business economics, consumer behaviour) applied to food  
  • Management Studies (supply chain management, operations research, logistics)  

Not all topics mentioned need to be mastered at the same level; they will be weighed by the Admission Board per individual application.

Method of assessment whether this norm is met  

• Transcript of records displaying the content of previous course subjects and project work;  
• Curriculum vitae displaying relevant work, internship and/or project experience on an academic level in a relevant field if applicable.  

Scores attributed by the Admission Board 

Admitted / not admitted / admitted under condition obtaining the BSc or MSc degree / not admitted with offer of pre-master 

Admissible study programmes 

Graduates from study programmes that may meet the knowledge requirements for Food Quality Management are for example: Dairy Science & Technology, Dietetics, Food & Business, Food Engineering, Food Quality & Safety, Food Science (& Technology), Gastonomical Sciences, Logistics Management, Management Studies, Nutrition, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Sciences. 

All relevant information about the admission process can be found here. In case of questions or doubts please contact a study advisor using the contact button on this page or email food.science@wur.nl.

You can apply for this Master's here.

It’s not possible to apply for a pre-master, it may only be offered to you by the admission board when you apply for the MFQ programme. The pre-master is only offered in case the applicant meets the general requirements and lacks specific knowledge in on of the mentioned areas, but never to compensate for the GPA requirement (7/10 or equivalent). 

The Admission Board may allow and/or suggest compensation of knowledge gaps by:  

• a GPA≥7.0* for the previous education for small discrepancies as new knowledge is sufficiently easily acquired;  
• a GPA≥7.0* and an individual pre-master's programme for larger discrepancies that can be compensated in ≤30 ECTS and one year of study.  

*Check the Application & Admission page for the International credentials evaluation guide for international equivalencies to a Dutch GPA>7.0. This guide includes compensating factors for a slightly lower GPA the Admission Board may include in their judgement.  

Programmes with knowledge gaps

Study programmes whose students often have to follow additional courses during the previous study programme or a pre-master to fulfil the knowledge requirements are for example: Animal Sciences, Biotechnology, Chemical Engineering, Culinary Sciences, Economy, Environmental Health, Food Design, Horticulture, Hotel Management, Laboratory Sciences, Microbiology, Plant Sciences, Post-Harvest Technology, and Public Health.  

Students from the BSc 'Voedingsmiddelentechnologie' of the HAS University of Applied Sciences may be directly admissible. The terms of their admissibility is presented during the annual on-site information session.

Contact us to discuss the possibilities of a pre-master or how to mitigate knowledge gaps if you are still in the process of obtaining your degree.  

Find out more about enrolment and fees of a pre-master's programme. 

There are costs involved in studying. Curious about the expected amounts? All information about the costs of this programme can be found on this page. 

Student life is about more than lectures and exams. From finding a room to joining fun social events, visiting cozy pubs, and becoming part of a student association, there’s plenty to enjoy. Wageningen also offers festivals and unique sports clubs, so there’s always something happening, both on and off campus. All information about student life in Wageningen can be found on this page.