The Master Degree (MSc) in Food Safety and Food Risk Management is an inter-university degree course coordinated by the University of Parma in agreement with:
the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Piacenza
the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia,
Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna
University of Ferrara.
It is taught entirely in English and is adressed to Italian and foreign students interested in food safety assessment and related risk management.
The course is structured for representing a continuation of the studies for graduates with university degrees in Food Science and Technology, Agricultural and Forestry Sciences and Technologies and Zootechnical Sciences and Animal Production Technologies, but may also be of interest to graduates in other scientific and technological disciplines in the fields of Biotechnology, Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Gastronomy, if having an adequate curriculum.
The main objective of the MSC in Food Safety and Food Risk Management is to provide students with advanced knowledge, skills and competences related to food safety assessment and management, that will allow them to operate in the public and private agri-food sector in leading positions that need independent and autonomous decisional abilities.
The formation of the MSC in Food Safety and Food Risk Management is aimed to provide the students, at the end of the course, the following knowledge and skills:
- a solid basic cultural and scientific background and a good command of the scientific method;
- the ability to optimize processes and methodologies, and manage research and industrial development projects in the agro-food sector;
- the ability to assess and manage various aspects of food safety, also in compliance with the regulations on operator safety and environmental protection;
- an adequate knowledge and the professional skills to carry out complex coordination and guidance activities related to the agro-food sector;
- a high technical skills for assessing food safety and hygiene control also with the use of innovative methodologies;
- a professional knowledge and skills in risk management during food processing;
- advanced skills in risk management and mitigation along the entire agro-food production chain;
- good attitudes to communication, multidisciplinary teamwork and judgment skills both on the technical and on the human and ethical level.
For the above objectives, the MSc in Food Safety and Food Risk Management course provides the acquisition of in-depth knowledge on specific technical aspects of the food sector and of the evaluation and management of food safety, both generic and specialized.
This knowledge will also be acquired through:
- activities and practical exercises dedicated to data acquisition and processing methods;
- activities aimed at deepening knowledge on innovative technologies;
- in relation to specific objectives, activities such as internships in companies, public administration structures and laboratories, as well as study periods in other Italian and European universities, also in the framework of international agreements.
The curricula (specialisations) provided in the course will be differentiated in order to better pursue some specific objectives, particularly in some disciplinary sectors or professional activities.
In particular, the course includes a first common year (based at the University of Parma) and a subsequent differentiation, in the second year, in three curricula (specialisations) dedicated respectively to:
1) mitigation / reduction of food risk through predictive methods and control of emerging risks, and minimization of contamination problems along the supply chain and the food production process (at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Piacenza in collaboration with the University of Parma);
2) risk management in production and processing companies, with particular reference to innovative methods and processes and safety assessment of end products (at Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna);
3) agro-food safety in primary production, with particular reference to the crop production sector (at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia).
To promote an internationalization-oriented teaching environment, mobility programs are promoted.
