BSc Food Technology with Bioprocessing with Industrial Training

Develop specialist scientific and technical skills, and explore the role of technology in the food industry, with our BSc Food Technology with Bioprocessing with Industrial Training degree.

This four-year degree will provide you with in-depth knowledge of raw materials and methods for producing safe and healthy food products, with a focus on food engineering. It includes an integrated year in industry, equipping you with valuable real-world experience to boost your employability.

Become a food technologist at the University of Reading

• Top ten UK university for Food Science (7th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024).
• 95% of our research impact is rated outstanding (Research Excellence Framework 2021, combining 4*, 3* and 2*submissions – Agriculture, Food and Veterinary Sciences).
• Our food science graduates have the second-highest median salary of such graduates six months after graduation (The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019, based on analysis of 2017 graduate salaries).
• In the National Student Survey 2023, 100% of our students agreed our teaching staff were good or very good at explaining things (100% of respondents studying in the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences).

You'll explore innovative food technology techniques, underpinned by the fundamental science of food and nutrition. Your studies will include:

• microbiology
• biochemistry
• food processing and engineering
• product development
• food quality and sensory science
• human physiology and nutrition.

At Reading, you’ll also develop key technical skills through laboratory-based practicals, sensory evaluation, and work in our pilot-scale food processing plant. On top of these campus-based learning opportunities, you will also develop valuable skills with an industrial training placement between your second and final year.

In your final year, you will undertake an exciting Product Development module. Given a brief by industry experts, you’ll work as a team to produce an original product, which you will showcase at an end-of-term trade show. This will provide you with valuable experience and key employability skills.

Professional accreditation

Our BSc Food Technology with Bioprocessing with Industrial Training course is accredited by the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST), the industry's leading professional body.

Accreditation provides an assurance that your degree meets the standards expected by the food industry, helping you to stand out in a competitive job market. You will also be recognised as a professional food technologist by the Institute of Food Science and Technology.

Industrial training

A key component of this degree is a year-long paid training placement, which occurs between your second and final year. Placements can help enhance your employability and build your network.

Previous students from the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences have undertaken placements with:

• Mars Food
• Graze
• Marks & Spencer
• Bakkavor.

Our dedicated placement coordinator will provide you with advice and support in finding your ideal placement. They will also advise you on CV writing and interview skills.

Learn more about professional placements with the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences.

Teaching and research facilities

• The University of Reading has one of the UK's largest Food and Nutritional Sciences departments, with extensive facilities that enable us to engage in diverse teaching and research.
• The Food Processing Centre is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the UK, with a floor space of 1100 square metres. The Centre contains processing equipment for food product development work, allowing you to simulate and recreate industry conditions.
• The Flavour Centre analyses the chemistry of flavour, which is crucial to developing successful new products.
• The Sensory Science Centre provides high-quality sensory evaluation data, offering valuable insight into how we perceive flavour, taste and texture in food.
• The Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition explores the relationship between diet and the risk of chronic disease.

Our research expertise feeds directly into the topics you will study throughout your degree, providing insight into changing trends and emerging technologies in the food sector.

• Read about Associate Professor Colette Fagan and the importance of the Food Processing Centre. Depending on the modules you choose, you will also have the opportunity to use our versatile facilities in your studies.
• Read about Liwen Zheng’s experience both as an undergraduate and a master’s degree student.