The ultimate guide to food engineering courses for processing, manufacturing, chemistry and more

Students who study food engineering courses will be able to obtain essential knowledge of engineering and apply this to the food industry.
By combining basic engineering principles of fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and mass transfer, alongside great maths and science skills, graduates will be ready for an exciting and successful career within the ever-evolving global food industry.
From applications of engineering principles to the storage of food, its processing and distribution, and bio-products, food engineering courses provide a sound education in engineering, as well as fundamental training in chemistry and food science.
Topics you can expect to cover include:
- Robotics and automation
- Food quality assurance
- Food safety management and the law
- Advanced food chemistry
- Food marketing
- Microbiology
What can you expect from food engineering courses?
Aimed at students looking to build careers within the fast-paced food industry, more specifically within food engineering and the creation of industry processes, food engineering courses are the ideal way of obtaining the critical skills and knowledge required for success.
These courses also include the development of managerial skills, essential engineering skills, knowledge of robotics, and the most up-to-date systems in use within the food industry today.
The following courses also involve a wide range of assessment methods to determine your final grade. These include written reports, presentations, team-based projects, exams, and dissertations.
Food Engineering BEng
Food engineers offer efficient and effective performance throughout the food industry, including within production processes and systems. This food engineering course is highly tailored to the needs of those looking for careers within the food and beverage industry after graduating.
From infrastructure and asset care to production management and process development, this course provides the essential practical and theoretical knowledge required for a successful food engineering career.
Core modules include:
- CAD and technical drawing
- Electrical and electronic technology
- Engineering mechanics
- Food components and materials for food engineers
- Food quality assurance, HACCP and hygiene
- Health and safety, energy and the environment
- Mathematical skills for engineers
- Applied thermofluids
- Food factory design
- Food packaging systems and machinery
- Food process engineering
- Industrial continuous improvement
- Mechatronics systems
- Engineering management and lean manufacturing practices
- Food engineering project
- Food production, processes and technologies
- Robotics and automation
Food and Drink Advanced Engineering BEng
This food engineering course is designed to give graduates the essential contemporary knowledge and understanding of food engineering and the practical skills required to develop a successful career as a food engineer. Skills, behaviours, and specialist knowledge will also be developed for mechanical, automation and production engineering.
Comprising diverse roles across the food and drink industry, food engineers will be able to apply their highly specialised skill set to a range of areas, including asset care, management, and process development. They will also be able to apply these skills within their own company, or form close relationships with external equipment and ingredient suppliers.
Core modules include:
- Nature of Food
- Electronic Control Systems
- Engineering Design
- Applied Mechanical Science – Materials Under Load
- Hygiene and Food Safety
- Thermal-fluid Engineering in Food Production
- Materials for the Food Industry
- Mechatronics Design and Control
- Food Product Manufacture
- Competitive Food Production Management
- Strategic Management
- Reliability Engineering
Food Science and Technology BSc (Hons)
As the global population is ever-increasing, the role of food technologists becomes more challenging. The development of innovative applications for agricultural technology, biological technology, and how raw food materials are processed needs to be further developed. The link between food, nutrition, and overall health also needs to be researched and understood more than ever with the world’s growing health requirements.
This food engineering course enables students to focus on a number of key discipline-based topics which involve food science, food manufacturing, food sustainability, and more. Additionally, modules such as food product development and food safety management prepare graduates for swift entry into the food industry.
Core modules include:
- Anatomy and physiology
- Biochemistry and chemical science
- Cell biology
- Food science and nutrition
- Food sustainability
- Nutrition and health
- Bioreactors and fermentation
- Food manufacturing and processing
- Food perception and product design
- Food safety and microbiology
- Food science and chemistry
- Food technology
- Advanced food manufacturing
- Advanced food science and nutrition
- Food product development
- Food safety management and law
Food Processing Engineering MSc
The food and drink manufacturing industry is one of the largest sectors in the UK, and this food engineering course equips students with the knowledge required for exciting, thriving, and innovative careers within the ever-evolving food and beverage industry.
This food engineering course enables students to fully understand this industry, all while developing innovative solutions to increase sustainability and productivity and introducing efficient manufacturing to reduce costs and maintain a competitive advantage.
Core modules include:
- Advanced practice in health and life sciences
- Food chemistry composition and analysis
- Food manufacturing engineering
- Food product design and manufacturing process development
- Food safety engineering and management
Agricultural, Food and Environmental Engineering MSc
This food engineering course enhances students’ learning with innovative teaching methods to create the opportunity to respond to global issues from the point of view of agricultural and food processing industries.
This course also provides a response to the current systemic and global challenges created by ecological and social transition within society and in companies. The course is designed to help graduates to leave the course with the developed skills and knowledge required to find solutions adapted to a global population.
Core modules include:
- Study of living systems
- Food systems and quality
- Entrepreneurship and innovation
- Information systems and digital transformation
- International trade and business administration
Biosystems and Food Engineering MSc
This Master’s food engineering course enables graduates from both engineering and mathematical-based backgrounds to specialise within the application of engineering science and design to biological systems.
Students of this course will study subjects like food process engineering, sustainable energy development, and environmental protection methods.
Biosystems engineers are at the front of the search for solutions to problems across the globe.
This career specialisation can lead graduates of this food engineering course to access a diverse range of employment opportunities within companies focusing on processing food and biological materials. This also extends to companies that conduct environmental protection, waste recycling, sustainable energy research, and the development of green tech.
Core modules include:
- Bioprocess engineering principles
- Water and wastewater engineering
- Food process engineering
- Waste-to-energy processes and technologies
- Food refrigeration engineering
Food Safety and Quality Engineering, MSc
This Master’s level food engineering course has been specially designed to build up undergraduate knowledge of the food science and engineering field. This knowledge will be applied through practical applications and innovative research in order to develop the latest in cutting-edge food engineering technological breakthroughs.
The field of food science is massively diverse, and this program reflects that perfectly with an emphasis on a variety of studies. From raw material qualifying and processing technology to quality analysis and quality assurance techniques – all designed to give graduates state-of-the-art knowledge to benefit the food and drinks industry in a range of engineering and dietetics roles.
Core modules include:
- Theory of measurement and experimental designs
- Expectations to foodstuffs, consumer protection
- Separation technique
- Quality and safety in food technologies (HACCP in practice)
- Food marketing
- Basics of food microbiology
- Management and communication