Master Programme in Italian food and wine, University of Padova, Italy (2015-2016)

Starting in the 2015-2016 academic year, the University of Padova will inaugurate a new second cycle degree (MSc) entitled "Italian Food and Wine" to be taught in English.

The "Italian Food and Wine" MSc degree will focus on the understanding, management, promotion and protection of high-value food products including wine. The internationally-recognised Italian food production system will be analysed as a model for defining and characterising the individual elements that contribute to the unique value of food products that are inextricably linked to place (terroir) through historic, social and cultural ties. These elements also include more recent developments in technology, nutrition, food safety, diet and health, and sensory science that are at the heart of a growing international demand for terroir-related high-value foods. The specific learning outcome for graduates of this programme will be a deep understanding of the multi-faceted characteristics that distinguish these foods from others in the marketplace and that can be exploited in products' valorisation and consumer information strategies. The ultimate objective of this multi-disciplinary program is to train professionals who are well-versed in the complex system of producing high-value foods and wines whose quality is profoundly linked to time and place.

This programme is open to Italian and foreign students interested in learning and implementing effective value-added practices for the production of high-quality food products both in the EU and in international markets. Teaching will include lectures, laboratory and field activities, practical exercises, and seminars by outside experts that feature a rich variety of relevant case studies. Opportunities for intensive tutoring and for master thesis-related internships of at least six months duration will be available with outstanding companies in this sector of the food industry or with other relevant organisations in the private or public sphere.

A successful applicant for admission to the MSc must hold a Bachelor's (first cycle or equivalent) qualification that guarantees:
- adequate knowledge in the fields of mathematics, statistics, chemistry;
- essential skills on food technology, oenology, food and wine quality evaluation, agro-food economics
- existing skill in investigating research techniques as well as the ability to apply research findings to real problems.

An above-the-median level BSc graduation mark is also required and the applicant whose first language is not English must provide a minimum B2 level-English - according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Admission to the course is subjected to a preliminary assessment of the Master teaching committee that verifies the knowledge and skills required as a condition of access through an on-line interview. The Master teaching committee takes account of the skills acquired in the subject areas similar to the ones in the table above. When it is not possible evaluate the equivalence of the first cycle degree classification and identify the skills in the different subject areas the committee considers the admission on the basis of the candidate's study curriculum.
Finally, the degree teaching committee draws up ranking list of qualified students for non-European Union students to be used when the qualified applicants are more than the available positions.

Further details:
http://www.unipd.it