Università degli Studi di Parma

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Second cycle degree

Mechanical Engineering for Food Industry

COD. 5017
WEBSITE
A.Y. 2013/2014
CLASS:
LM-33 - Classe delle lauree magistrali in Ingegneria meccanica
Years of study: 2
Credits (CFU): 120
Mode of study: full-time
COURSE WITHOUT ADMISSION TEST

COURSE STRUCTURE DIAGRAM WITH CREDITS

CORSO GENERICO (curriculum)

Year of study: 1

Year of study: 2

Profile of the programme

The second cycle degree in Mechanical Engineering for Food Industry has the following specific objectives:
- providing a solid training in all the area pertaining to the design of food industry machinery, the design and management of food industry plants and the management of food production processes;
- a complementary emphasis on in-depth study of the analytical and simulation models supporting the design and management of food industry plants.
The first year programme of the second cycle degree focuses on subjects specific to the food industry, such as Food Hygiene, Agricultural Microbiology, Food science and technology, and Industrial mechanical plants. These studies aim to explore the knowledge about the food industry not covered by first cycle Engineering graduates, in preparation for the subjects with a more specialized and applied content in the following year.
The second year consists of a single programme of core and interrelated subjects dealing with the design, automation and production management, with the aim of studying in depth specific themes and providing graduates with the necessary training for their future careers or for further studies in a Doctorate or Master’s.
The Course is completed by Elective activities and Other activities, with the opportunity to do practical work in laboratories and an Internship in Companies in the food industry sector.
A substantial amount of time is given to the preparation of the second cycle Thesis, whose advanced technical and scientific content requires a considerable work commitment by the students.

Admission requirements

For admission to the Master’s Degree course in Mechanical Engineering for the Food Industry, students should have a university degree or diploma awarded following a three-year course, or another qualification taken abroad and recognized as equivalent.
Before enrolment, students’ possession of curricular requisites must be verified, along with the level of their personal preparation, according to the methods specified below, and comprehensively defined in the course’s academic regulations.

1) Curricular requisites
The curricular requisites necessary for enrolment regard the number of credits attained in groups of scientific subject sectors pertaining to the academic activities in the Class of Degrees in Industrial Engineering (Class L-9, Ministerial Decree 270/2004, and Class n° 10, Ministerial Decree 509/1999). The Academic Regulations for the course specify these groups, quantifying the respective credits. Any curricular corrections, in terms of the attainment of further university credits, must be performed before the assessment of individual preparation.

2) Assessment of the level of personal preparation
The assessment of personal preparation is always necessary, and is distinct from the possession of curricular requisites. Assessment of individual preparation can be considered satisfactory if the qualification required for access to the Master Degree course was attained with a mark not lower than a certain minimum mark as stated in the Course Regulations. If this is not the case, a student’s personal preparation is performed by means of methods described in the Academic Regulations, by a special Commission for individual interviews, the outcome of which is certified for successive enrolment.
Any necessary integration of personal preparation must be completed by the student before enrolment. The efficacy of this integration is assessed by means of progress tests regarding the subject matter specifically indicated by the aforementioned Commission, according to methods specified in the Academic Regulations. These tests do not confer credits that contribute to the attainment of the Master’s Degree.

Key learning outcomes

The Master’s Degree course in Mechanical Engineering for the Food Industry was designed with the objective of training professionals with a consolidated preparation in the sectors typical of food industry engineering, with specific training in the design of complex systems (using advanced techniques and systems), industrial production, and the management and processing of food products.
Master’s Degree graduates will be capable of understanding and applying, in positions of responsibility, the advanced design techniques for machinery and equipment of the food industry, using state-of-the-art methods and tools, and new materials and packaging systems. They will be able to create and manage food production and processing processes, to work on the control of automated manufacturing systems, certification of food safety and quality, in technical and marketing areas for the promotion of products and services, and in customer assistance.
The Master’s Degree course consists of a first year dedicated to scientific subject areas specific to the food industry, such as: Organic Chemistry, Agricultural Microbiology, Food Science and Technology, and Industrial Engineering Equipment. This makes it possible to develop foundation knowledge regarding the food industry which will not be familiar to graduates from the three-year degree course in Mechanical Engineering, so that students are better prepared to work on the more specialist and applied subject areas during the following year.
The second year is structured with a single syllabus, with subjects from course-specific and related areas. The courses regard design, automation and management for production, and they were designed in order to study specific themes, suitably training graduates for their future professional activity, or for furthering their academic training with Research Doctorates and Master’s Degrees.
The course is completed by Activities chosen by the student, and other activities, which include the possibility of working in laboratories for practical activities, and work experience sessions at companies in the area.
Considerable space is dedicated to the preparation of the Master’s Degree dissertation, in which students are expected to work with considerable commitment in order to prepare a paper of highly technical and scientific content.

Career opportunities

The principal career opportunities for Master’s Degree graduates in Mechanical Engineering for the Food Industry are in the areas of production innovation and development, the advanced design of machines and equipment for the food industry, planning and programming and the management of complex systems, whether as an independent consultant, within manufacturing companies, in the services industries or in public administration.
Master’s Degree graduates will find employment opportunities in engineering companies working in the food industry, food production companies, food safety authorities, plant manufacturers, automation and robotics companies, and in manufacturing companies in general for the production, installation, testing, maintenance and management of machinery, production lines and divisions.

Knowledge and understanding

Master’s Degree graduates in Mechanical Engineering for the Food Industry possess more extensive and detailed knowledge of the food industry, when compared to Mechanical Engineering Master’s Degree graduates. Their preparation enables them to perform analytical and constructional work on themes characteristic of the sector, studies for the application of their own ideas and original engineering solutions in industry and research. They are capable of developing more advanced and complex models in the field of food industry engineering, packaging materials, and systems of production and technology related to the food industry.
A capability of understanding topics with content at a higher level is achieved with the use of more sophisticated techniques and tools applied during project work, in laboratory activities, and in participation in work performed in cooperation with companies, for educational purposes.

Applying knowledge and understanding

The knowledge and skills acquired enable Master’s Degree graduates in Mechanical Engineering for the Food Industry to apply innovative methods for devising solutions to food industry engineering problems, which may require the use of non-traditional methods, possibly from outside their own field of specialization, utilizing numerical, simulation and experimental techniques, and also assessing the social, economic, safety and environmental implications of a project.

Making judgements

The course structure of the Master’s Degree course accompanies students as they develop an increasing level of independent evaluation in the development of projects, the compilation of reports, and the various applications available to: the identification of necessary data by means of bibliographical research, the use of data banks, the critical assessment of data to be used and the results obtained from computerized processing tools or from experimental investigations, the use of new technology, and the performance of laboratory analyses in the areas of microbiology or food industry technology, both independently and in a group context.
The examples provided help students become accustomed to formulating opinions or taking decisions responsibly, even when information is limited or incomplete, while also highlighting the importance of correct judgement in the interpretation of data and information, supplying the appropriate reasons for the choices and decisions made.

Learning skills

A Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering for the Food Industry gives students the opportunity to develop learning skills that will enable them to: independently read and understand scientific texts and papers at university level; apply in an industrial context specific techniques and work safety and microbiological concepts regarding food industry machinery and equipment; use software programmes and hardware systems for numerical and experimental studies; hold a position as director of a project; apply innovative technology; and assess changes in economic and manufacturing systems.
The academic teaching provided by the Master’s Degree course encourages the acquisition of the necessary skills for learning and adapting to various situations, because the teaching technique is based on methodologies requiring the analysis and solution of complex problems that differ from the mechanics of the food industry, the integration of different subject areas and the discussion of proposed solutions.
This approach was designed to encourage the development of learning skills so that students can go on to other studies after the Master’s Degree, both by means of independent study, and in post-graduate courses, in second-level University Master’s Degrees, and Research Doctorates.

Communication skills

Master’s Degree graduates in Mechanical Engineering for the Food Industry must be able to communicate effectively as the leader of a project or group operating in the food industry at various levels and work in wide national and international contexts.
Such communications skills are developed during the course by the illustration of the results obtained in the various projects developed, in laboratory activities and in the presentation of activities performed during work experience.
The assessment of communications skills acquired is performed both during exams and in the aptitude tests following practical activities performed in laboratories.
The assessment of the work for the Master’s Degree dissertation is when students will be particularly engaged in expressing their communications skills, and when the Master’s degree examination Commission can verify whether this objective has been attained.

Final examination, if any

The final examination for the conferment of the qualification of Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering for the Food Industry consists of a Master’s Degree dissertation, its illustration and discussion, on a subject that necessitates large-scale, challenging design work or research in the food sector, performed in the area of one of the subject areas or alternative academic areas in the course.
The work should demonstrate mastery of its subject matter, the ability to work independently, and good communications skills.