This is an industry-focused course which will inspire your passion for food science and technology. If you want a career where you can make a difference and meet the demands of the food industry of Food science and research, Food Quality and Safety and Operations Management this is the course for you.
The challenges facing food production today have never been greater; food security, sustainability, nutrition, and food waste mean the industry requires confident, innovative thinkers, able to respond to the challenges of these global food security and sustainability issues.
You will gain an in-depth knowledge of the food industry by studying core modules in food science, sustainability, research project design, new product development and much more.
The course has been carefully designed with input from industry to ensure that you understand the science behind food production, while developing the practical skills required to address productivity, profitability and growth.
Hear Programme Leader Dr Lisa Eden-Rump tell you about the variety of topics you will study, the equipment you will use in our brand-new food lab, and the career opportunities you could progress on to after you graduate with this three-year degree.
The course is delivered in the £7.4 million UCR Food Innovation Centre, an industry-leading academy with an international reputation in the food and drink sector.
The course provides an in-depth knowledge of the food industry with core modules in food science and research, food quality and safety, and operations management.
Learning is assessed by a combination of assignments, reports, practical assessments and examinations.
*students must choose two optional modules
Please note that your choice of optional module cannot be guaranteed. Sufficient numbers of students would need to opt for a module to make it viable.
Overall workload
Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, independent learning and assessment activity. The following information gives an indication of how much time you will need to allocate to different activities at each year of the course:
Year 1:
26% of your time is spent in timetabled teaching and learning activity
Teaching, Learning and Assessment: 306 hours
Independent Study: 894 hours
Year 2:
22% of your time is spent in timetabled teaching and learning activity
Teaching, Learning and Assessment: 268 hours
Placement: 100 hours
Independent Study: 832 hours
Year 3:
18% of your time is spent in timetabled teaching and learning activity
Teaching, Learning and Assessment: 210 hours
Independent Study: 990 hours
Assessment Methods
Assessments are designed to encourage competences, skills and knowledge valued in the workplace. They include a combination of coursework, and time constrained online assessments. Coursework may take many forms including essays, reports, laboratory reports, data processing, presentations, academic posters, dissertations, seminar discussions, critical reviews and portfolios of evidence. In the new product development module, you will demonstrate your ability to design and produce products. These assessments are designed to ensure you are building the skills and professionalism required for a successful career in the sector.
Feedback
Opportunities for verbal and written feedback will be provided throughout the programme. Feedback may be formal and informal in nature to support a student’s progress and achievement. This feedback will help students to monitor their progress and strive to improve where appropriate. Written feedback on graded work is often supplied via Turnitin or directly from the module tutor. The majority of assessment submissions are made via Turnitin and feedback for coursework is provided within twenty working days after the submission date.
Written feedback will be supported verbally should the student require clarification. Formative assessment feedback will be provided at the time of completion where possible, with more detailed summative feedback for reports.
To offer graduates a leading position in the jobs market, students are given the opportunity to enhance their career prospects by taking additional qualifications during their course of study. These could include a range of qualifications such as:
Students will be able to access course timetables for the academic year in September.
Timetables are subject to change, but full-time students can expect to spend 2-3 days per week on campus. Part-time students will only attend for summative assessments or required workshops.
Tuition Fees
As a student at UCR, you will have two main costs to meet; your tuition fees and living costs.
Our full-time tuition fees for UK and EU students, entering University, can be found on our student finance page. These fees are charged for each academic year of a course and are set by the college annually.
Tuition fees for international students can also be found on our student finance page.
Equipment Costs
Prices of equipment are subject to change dependent on retailer.
Full-time: Apply directly through UCAS
Part-time: Apply directly through Reaseheath
FST1
A minimum of 104 UCAS points
September 2025
Full-time: 3 years
Part-time: 6 years by blended learning
Here you will find useful information about the services and support available at University Centre Reaseheath. Click to expand each item:
University Centre Reaseheath is committed to providing additional financial support to those who need it. To find out about the bursary schemes available visit our additional financial support page.
For students to get the best out of their time at University Centre Reaseheath, we must both recognise that we owe obligations to each other. These obligations are set out in our UCR Student Contract. Before you accept an offer of a place at University Centre Reaseheath, it is important that you read these contract conditions. If you are going to be living in Halls of Residence, you will also need to read the Student Accommodation Licence Conditions. Both of these contracts can be found here.
Click here to view the University Centre Reaseheath Student Protection Plan.
All UCR students are given the opportunity to apply for residential accommodation. First year students are guaranteed accommodation and this offer is made to all applicants who live more than a reasonable daily travelling distance from Reaseheath (providing you have applied before the UCAS equal considerations deadline. For full details on our halls of residence visit our accommodation page.
We have a team of dedicated professionals on hand to offer you support. These include our Student Services Team, Inclusive Learning Team, Library and Learning Resources Team and the Reaseheath Careers Service. You can find more information on the support provided at Reaseheath on our support page.
University Centre Reaseheath is proud to welcome international students. For more information, please visit our international students page.
