Program Presentation
One of the greatest achievements throughout the evolutionary history of human beings has been the transformation of raw food that nature provides, into healthy and safe foods that are palatable. They also possess nutritional properties that define and distinguish them other sources of food and help to maintain the body in a helathy condition.
Food must be understood not only as a tool to achieve proper nutrition but also to improve one's health. The close relationship between food, nutrition and health has been clearly reinforced by scientific advances in many fields, such as genomics, proteomics and the biotechnology of food; making it possible in the near future to custumize the nutritional and physiological behavior of different types of food for each individual based on their genetic background.
Who is the programme for?
The Master in Nutrition and Food Biotechnology is designed for official-degree university graduates in:
- Nutrition and Dietetics.
- Nutrition Technology.
- Chemistry.
- Biotechnology.
- Biologists specializing in Nutrition.
- Other official-degree university graduates who for professional reasons desire to specialize in Nutrition and Food Biotechnology.
Diploma
Successful completion of the Program will enable you to be awarded the degree in Master in Nutrition and Food Biotechnology.
After successfully completing the Program, the student will receive the degree as awarded by the University where they have enrolled.
Program Structure
The credit structure of the Master in Nutrition and Food Biotechnology program is shown in the following table. It should be noted that the duration is merely indicative, as the methodology followed integrates the knowledge and skills to be acquired in each part through integrative exercises of knowledge acquisition and internalization of project practices:
| Modules | CREDITSa |
|---|---|
| Core Module | 12 |
| Mandatory Module | 36 |
| Elective Modules | 24 |
| Final Project Module | 18 |
| TOTAL | 90 |
a. The equivalence in credits may vary according to the university where he/she has enrolled. One (1) ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credit is equivalent to 10 + 15 hours. If the student is enrolled in a university that does not belong to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), the relation between credits - hours may vary.
Duration
The Master in Nutrition and Food Biotechnology has 90 credits.
The duration of the Master in Nutrition and Food Biotechnology varies between 12 and 24 months, depending on the student's dedication. In this period of time, the student must have successfully passed all the evaluated activities and approved the Final Project.
Objectives
General Objective
- To provide advanced knowledge in the area of nutrition, including the latest scientific advances in genomics, proteomics, and biotechnology, and to develop critical reasoning to be able to distinguish between unscientific beliefs and empirical truths regarding nutrition.
Specific Objective
- To develop interdisciplinary programs of nutritional status assessment in both adults and the elderly.
- To learn about the latest advances in food technology and its importance in the quality of food.
- To become familiar with the main components of functional foods as well as their impact on health.
Career Opportunities
Some of the career opportunities for the Master in Nutrition and Food Biotechnology are:
- Professionals in Health Sciences who wish to specialize in an area in the field of nutrition and food biotechnology.
- Teaching in programs of formal and non-formal learning directed to health care personnel, consumer information centers, associations of chronically ill patients, school, civic centers, sports centers, etc.
- Manager or employees of catering companies to schools, catering, hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, the food industries, etc.
- Scientific Researcher on issues related to food biotechnology.
- Technician in a Research and Development department (R&D) of the food or pharmaceutical industry.
- Technician in a marketing department of the food or pharmaceutical industry.
- Technician in a quality management department of the food or pharmaceutical industry.
- Related job position in food companies with functional product lines or with specific nutritional characteristic.
Note: Professional practice is subject to each country’s legislations.
Study Plan
The Master’s Degree in Nutrition and Food Biotechnology is composed of the parts described below:
- 1st PART: CORE MODULES (150 HOURS)
The subjects of the Core Modules enable to settle the basis of biochemistry and bromatology, from its theoretical and conceptual foundations; and analyze the current food trends.
The subjects of this module are shown in the following table:
| 1st PART: CORE MODULES | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | SUBJECTS | CREDITS |
| 1 | Advances in Food and Nutrition | 5 |
| 2 | Nutritional Biochemistry | 3 |
| 3 | Foods | 5 |
| 4 | Food consumption trends | 2 |
| TOTAL | 15 | |
- 2nd PART: COMPULSORY MODULES (350 HOURS)
The subjects of the Compulsory Modules deepen into disciplines related to food biotechnology, omic sciencies, and food preservation, production and safety.
| 2st PART: COMPULSORY MODULES | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | SUBJECTS | CREDITS |
| 1 | Principles of Biotechnology, Genomics and Proteomics in Food and Nutrition | 5 |
| 2 | Nutrigenomics | 5 |
| 3 | Functional and Transgenic Foods | 5 |
| 4 | New technologies for Food Preservation | 5 |
| 5 | Risk Analysis in the Food Production | 5 |
| 6 | Food Safety: International Standards of Quality and Auditing | 5 |
| 7 | Scientific Research Methods | 5 |
| TOTAL | 35 | |
- 3rd PART: ELECTIVE MODULES (200 HOURS)
The Elective Modules promote the students’ specialization in the following thematic areas: Design of Healthy Foods, Food Microbiology or Nutrition.
The students must choose one of the following Elective Modules:
| ELECTIVE MODULE: DESIGN OF HEALTHY FOODS* | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | SUBJECTS | CREDITS |
| 1 | Design of New Products in the Agri-food Industry | 5 |
| 2 | Shelf-life of Foods | 5 |
| 3 | Diet, Health and Communication | 5 |
| 4 | Project Planning and Management | 5 |
| TOTAL | 20 | |
*Those students pursuing the Design of Healthy Foods elective subject must carry out lab virtual exercises (compulsory) in the Design of New Products in the Agri-food Industry and Shelf-life of Foods subjects.
| ELECTIVE MODULE: FOOD MICROBIOLOGY | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | SUBJECTS | CREDITS |
| 1 | Transmission of Pathogenic Microorganisms in Food | 5 |
| 2 | Detection Methods for Pathogenic Bacteria in Food | 5 |
| 3 | Control of Microorganisms in Foods | 5 |
| 4 | Processing of Fermented Foods | 5 |
| TOTAL | 20 | |
| ELECTIVE MODULE: NUTRITION | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | SUBJECTS | CREDITS |
| 1 | Nutrition and the Immune System | 5 |
| 2 | Inflammation and Nutrition | 5 |
| 3 | Child Nutrition and Fetal Origin of Diseases | 5 |
| 4 | Nutrition, Aging and Antiaging | 5 |
| TOTAL | 20 | |
- 4th PART: SUPERVISED FACE-TO-FACE INTERNSHIP (160 HOURS)
The Supervised Face-to-face Internship (SFI) are only compulsory if it is required by the University where the students are enrolled.
The students will develop professional tasks within the program framework in a real work context. The development of the SFI shall be in accordance with the SFI’s guidelines that the institution will provide to the student. The students will be responsible for looking for an internship’s institution, and it will be necessary the approval of the Academic Program’s direction.
| 4th PART: SUPERVISED FACE-TO-FACE INTERNSHIP | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | SUBJECTS | CREDITS |
| 1 | Supervised Face-to-Face Internship | 16 |
| TOTAL | 16 | |
- 5th PART: MASTER’S DEGREE FINAL PROJECT (150 HOURS)
The Final Project (FP) must be a professional research project. By following the FP Guidelines, the student must develop a proposal and/or an implementation of an intervention with the aim of responding to the detected needs in a given real professional context, related to the work environment to which the studied elective module is attached.
| 5th PART: MASTER’S DEGREE FINAL PROJECT | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | SUBJECTS | CREDITS |
| 1 | Final Project | 15 |
| TOTAL | 15 | |
Note: The content of the academic program may be subject to slight modifications, corresponding to updates or improvements.
Management
Academic Administration
- Dr. Maurizio Antonio Battino. Biochemist researcher and professor at the School of Specialization in Food Science. Professor at the Polytechnic University of Marche. Scientific Director in the European University of the Atlantic.
General Academic Coordination
- Dr. Irma Domínguez. Doctor in Education by the Iberoamerican International University. Professor of the European University of the Atlantic.
- Dr. (c) Anna Marín. Coordinator in the Health Area.
FUNIBER Training Scholarships
The Iberoamerican University Foundation (FUNIBER) allocates periodically an extraordinary economic item for FUNIBER Training Scholarships.
To apply, please fill out the information request form that appears in the web of FUNIBER or contact directly the Foundation’s headquarters in your country that will inform you if you need to provide some additional information.
Once the documentation is received, the Evaluation Committee will determine your application's eligibility for the FUNIBER Training Scholarship.