Online

Master's Course Advanced Food Microbiology - Tools for Safety Management

If you're a professional in the food industry seeking to expand your expertise in the ecology and physiology of food and gastro-intestinal-tract microbes, this online course is tailor-made for you.

Throughout this course, we will delve into the impact of viruses, bacteria, and fungi on food quality and safety. Designed to fit your schedule; this four-week part-time course allows you to balance your studies with work and advance your career.

Organised by Wageningen Academy
Date

Mon 28 October 2024

Duration 4 weeks (20 hours per week).
Price EUR 1,230.00

Please note that the dates for the academic year of 2024-2025 are yet to be confirmed, so they might still change.

Registration deadline: 14 October 2024

Exam date: 21 November 2024

Why follow this course?

Gain a comprehensive understanding of the concepts and terminology of food microbiology underlying food quality management and food production safety issues. We will explore the use and limitations of risk assessment, quantitative microbiology, risk analysis, and food safety objectives (FSOs). Additionally, you will learn about hygienic production practices, microbiological sampling plans, and the statistical principles that underlie microbial analysis of foods.

Programme & topics

The master's course consists of online knowledge clips, textual explanations and animations, including exercises with feedback. Furthermore, it includes activities to learn to apply the microbial principles and approaches in practice and a lab simulation case on food preservation, including report writing. All information will be provided on Brightspace.

What you'll learn

  • Assess the importance of hygiene and hygienic design in relation to public health, to product quality and to cost effectiveness.
  • Classify food processes based on hygienic requirements.
  • Discuss surface contamination and the impact of dispersed biofilm cells and spores on recontamination of foods in production environments.
  • Understand the statistical principles underlying microbiological analysis of foods.
  • Differentiate microbiological criteria and select suitable sampling plans to optimise food quality and safety.
  • Get an understanding of the possibilities and limitations of novel approaches including FSOs, quantitative microbiology, and risk analysis for the production of safe foods.

Capstone project

After completion of two or more courses, there is a unique opportunity to apply what you have learned. You can start a capstone project in consultation with a Wageningen expert in the field. It is a tailor-made project where you will write a short paper about your results and conclusions. During this work, you will be coached by an expert. Price: €1,230,-.

Examination

Participation in the remote proctored exam is optional. If you decide not to participate in the exam, you do not qualify for a certificate and/or Micro-credentials. The certificate is included in the course price. The date of examination is 21/11/2024 (21 november 2024).

Practical information

Level of knowledge

To be able to participate in the course, you are expected to have at least a BSc level of education in Food Science and Technology or a related field, such as Chemical Engineering or Biotechnology.

English proficiency

The language of instruction of this course is in English. Admission to the course requires a level of English as defined at the website for Dutch nationals, EU nationals or nationals outside EU/EFTA respectively.  

Micro-credentials and Edubadge

Upon successful completion, a digital Micro-credentials scertificate (EduBadge) with 3 study credits (ECTS) is issued.

The EduBadge certifies the learning outcomes of short-term learning experiences, marking the quality of a course. More information can be found here.

Combining courses

When you want to learn more about food safety and quality, other courses are interesting for you too! You can deepen your knowledge in a specific career field, without following a complete master's programme. You can register for any combination, but these are our suggestions:

All online master's courses food technology