Master in Food Engineering at University of Salerno
Two-year English-taught LM-22 master at the University of Salerno in Fisciano covering food process technology, packaging, plant design and modelling, with industrial training and a thesis.
Master
2 years
Salerno
English
University of Salerno
Food Engineering is a two-year, 120-credit master's degree (LM-22) taught in English by the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Salerno, Fisciano campus. Tuition follows UNISA contribution bands, and eligible students can apply for the ADISURC regional scholarship.
Entry requirements
Detailed entry requirements
Food Engineering’s 2026/27 regulations give an exact alternative-degree credit requirement, a narrow interview exemption and several documented English B2 routes. The newer regulation takes priority over shorter standing webpages that omit conditions. Sources were reviewed on 6 October 2026. [1-3]
Recognised degree and curricular routes
Applicants need a bachelor’s/three-year university diploma or a suitable recognised foreign equivalent. The normal curricular route is an Industrial Engineering degree in class L-9 or its corresponding former class. Other degrees must meet the current regulation’s alternative 125-credit requirement. Recognition of a foreign qualification and subject mapping are university decisions; the presence of food, biotechnology or chemistry in a degree title does not establish eligibility by itself. [1]
125-credit matrix for the alternative-degree route
- At least 45 CFU in foundation mathematics, physics and chemistry: MATH-01/A, -01/B, -02/A, -02/B, -03/A, -03/B, -04/A, -05/A and -06/A; PHYS-01/A, -02/A, -03/A, -05/A, -05/B, -06/A and -06/B; CHEM-01/A, -02/A, -03/A, -05/A and -06/A. [1]
- At least 80 CFU in the listed materials/process-engineering sectors: IMAT-01/A; ICHI-01/A, -01/B and -01/C; ICHI-02/A and -02/B. These process credits are additional to the 45 foundation credits. [1]
Foreign-credit conversion and missing prerequisites
For foreign records that do not use CFU/ECTS, the regulation provides conversion based on one CFU for ten hours of frontal teaching, or rescaling the programme’s units to 60 CFU per nominal full-time academic year. If both calculation methods are available, the lower resulting credit amount is used. Only passed university examinations count. We supply the official credit/hour structure and syllabi so that the committee can apply the rule correctly. [1]
Missing curricular credits must be earned before the personal-preparation assessment and enrolment. The programme does not permit registration with incoming academic deficits. The committee evaluates foreign subject equivalence; an applicant’s self-conversion does not bind the university. [1]
Oral assessment and the limited exemption
The preparation assessment is oral and covers physical/chemical thermodynamics and equilibria; mass, energy and momentum balances; heat and mass transfer and coefficients; unit operations and equipment/process reasoning, including pasteurisation, sterilisation, drying and distillation. The standing application page also asks candidates to discuss motivation and a project completed in previous studies. [1, 3]
Exemption is restricted to the specified chemical-engineering EUR-ACE-certified degree, with a final grade of at least 90/110, awarded no more than three academic years before the enrolment year. Foreign grading equivalence is assessed by the university. Holding any EUR-ACE degree does not automatically exempt an applicant. Curricular and language requirements continue to apply even when preparation assessment is waived. [1]
English B2 certificates, tests and prior-study route
The minimum is English B2. The regulation recognises the specified Ministry-approved certificates; CISIA TIP English at least 54/60; the stated TOLC English score at least 26/30; or university CLA assessment at least 60/100. Food Engineering’s threshold is 26/30, not the 28/30 used in other Salerno engineering regulations. [1]
The prior-study route requires both at least 6 CFU of English-language study and at least 12 CFU of educational activities taught and assessed in English during the first-cycle programme. An English-medium degree claim alone does not establish those two documentary conditions. Otherwise the regulation provides technical-language assessment in the prescribed oral/written interview. The university must accept the evidence or assessment route. [1]
Application file, workflow and deadline limitations
The standing Food Engineering procedure starts with Universitaly pre-enrolment for visa applicants. It lists passport, CV, English evidence, transcript and the prescreening form in Word and signed PDF formats. Documentary curriculum analysis is followed by the interview unless the current regulation’s exemption applies. The university communicates the pre-enrolment outcome through Universitaly, then the consulate handles the visa. [1, 3]
The forms page mentions 31 May “of each year”, but also retains scholarship and practical-cost notices from 2018-2021. This standing wording does not establish a newly published 2027/28 deadline or prove an application window is currently open. Its blanket EUR-ACE waiver is narrower in the current regulation and is corrected above. We work from the actual annual call and applicant-category deadline before submitting; scholarship selection, academic assessment and visa processing have separate conditions. No fixed universal minimum GPA or new 2027/28 calendar is confirmed in the current reviewed regulation. [1, 3]
Sources and verification
- University of Salerno, Food Engineering Teaching Regulations 2026/27, Article 3 and admission annex; publication date not stated; reviewed 6 October 2026.
- University of Salerno, Food Engineering Enrollment, standing programme guidance; publication date not stated; reviewed 6 October 2026.
- University of Salerno, Food Engineering Forms / How to Apply, standing webpage containing older dated notices; reviewed 6 October 2026.
About the programme
Food Engineering is a two-year master's degree (laurea magistrale, class LM-22) taught in English by the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Salerno, on the Fisciano campus. It builds on chemical and process engineering and applies it to the design and running of food processes and plants.
The course suits graduates in chemical engineering, food engineering or a scientific field with a solid base in mathematics, chemistry, thermodynamics, transport phenomena and unit operations. The department reviews every transcript and can ask for extra credits before enrolment.
What you will study
The 2026/27 study plan is worth 120 credits. The first year covers process engineering and food technology, and the second year moves to plant design, modelling and the thesis. Required course units include:
- Process Unit Operations
- Transport Phenomena in Food Processes
- Food Process Technology
- Food Packaging and Industrial Microbiology
- Waste Water Treatment in Process Industries
- Mathematical Modeling of Processes in Food Industries
- Biochemical and Food Plant Design
- Economic Evaluation of Industrial Business and Assets
Electives include Managing Innovation in the Food Industry, Advanced Technologies for Food Packaging and Food Product Design.
How the programme is taught
The second year includes 6 credits of laboratory or industrial training and a thesis project worth 17 credits, plus a short unit on entry into employment. The course site lists curricular internships, tutoring, placement services and a coordinator for student mobility.
Career paths
The study plan pairs process and plant design with packaging, microbiology and business evaluation, which matches technical roles in the food and process industries. Typical directions include:
- Food process design and production management
- Food plant design and engineering
- Packaging development
- Quality, safety and environmental management in process industries
- Research and development, or a PhD
Fees and scholarships
Tuition at UNISA depends on your contribution band. A non-EU student resident abroad is normally assigned to the third band, but citizens of low human development countries go straight to the first band, and a documented hardship case can also be moved there. Holders of an ISEE parificato follow the fee guide. ADISURC, the Campania DSU body, runs the yearly scholarship call.
How to apply from outside the EU
The academic file and signed prescreening form go through the applicable Universitaly procedure. Curricular analysis precedes the oral assessment. An EUR-ACE qualification alone does not grant exemption: the current regulation adds chemical-engineering, grade and award-recency conditions. We follow the actual annual notice for applicant-category deadlines and final foreign-degree recognition. [1, 3]
How ApplyAZ helps
ApplyAZ is an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities. We can include this programme in a shortlist of 20 to 30 English-taught programmes that fit your profile, so your plan never rests on a single application.
For eligible students who start with us, a named person owns each stage, from A to Z:
- We check your transcript against Salerno's entry rules for this programme.
- We write your CV and a tailored statement of purpose.
- We prepare and submit your Universitaly pre-enrolment, prescreening form and admission file.
- We help you declare your family income for reduced fees and file your ADISURC Campania scholarship application at the right time and in the right format.
- We prepare your visa file.
With operations in all 20 Italian regions, we follow each region's scholarship rules and deadlines as they change. The university decides admission, the region decides the scholarship and the consulate decides the visa, so no one can promise an outcome. You pay in milestones, and every service you pay for is either delivered or its fee is refunded (terms apply).
Programmes at Italian public universities can be tuition-free for eligible students. Check if you are eligible and book a one-to-one consultation session with one of our Italy experts, or see how ApplyAZ works.
Questions and answers
What is the alternative-degree credit requirement?
At least 125 CFU: 45 in the listed mathematics, physics and chemistry sectors and 80 in the specified materials and process-engineering sectors. The normal route is an L-9 Industrial Engineering degree, and other degrees must meet this rule. [1]
I have a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering or Food Technology. Can I apply?
Your degree is checked against the L-9 Industrial Engineering route or the alternative rule: at least 45 CFU in listed maths, physics and chemistry sectors and 80 in listed materials and process-engineering sectors. Food or chemistry in a degree title does not establish eligibility by itself, so we map your transcript first. [1]
Does every EUR-ACE graduate skip the interview?
No. The current exemption specifies a chemical-engineering EUR-ACE-certified degree, a final grade of at least 90/110 and an award no more than three academic years before enrolment. Curricular and language requirements still apply. [1]
Can I enrol with missing subject credits?
No. Missing curricular credits must be earned before the personal-preparation assessment and enrolment, and the programme does not permit registration with incoming academic deficits. [1]
What English level do I need? Do I need IELTS?
You need English at B2, shown by one of the specified Ministry-approved certificates, CISIA TIP English of at least 54/60, TOLC English of at least 26/30 or CLA assessment of at least 60/100. We check your certificate against the accepted list. [1]
Can English-taught study replace a certificate?
Only through the stated prior-study route, which needs both at least 6 credits of English-language study and at least 12 credits of activities taught and assessed in English in your bachelor's. An English-medium degree claim alone does not meet it. [1]
When is the deadline for non-EU students?
The standing forms page mentions 31 May of each year, but it also carries notices from 2018 to 2021, so it does not confirm a 2027/28 deadline. We work from the actual annual call for your applicant category. [3]
What should I prepare for the interview?
Thermodynamics and physical or chemical equilibria, mass, energy and momentum balances, heat and mass transfer, and process unit operations such as pasteurisation, sterilisation, drying and distillation. You also discuss your motivation and a project from your previous studies. [1][3]
Can someone handle my whole application to Food Engineering at Salerno?
Yes. ApplyAZ, an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities, checks your transcript against Salerno's rules for this programme, handles the application and Universitaly pre-enrolment, helps you file the ADISURC Campania scholarship application at the right time and in the right format, and prepares your visa file, for eligible students. Start by checking your eligibility.
I'm applying from India. What is the route into Food Engineering?
Your B.Tech or B.Sc. is checked against the L-9 Industrial Engineering route or the alternative rule of at least 125 CFU: 45 in listed maths, physics and chemistry sectors and 80 in listed materials and process-engineering sectors [1]. You need English at B2, through an accepted certificate, test score or the stated prior-study route [1]. The steps are Universitaly pre-enrolment, the curricular analysis and the oral interview [1][3]. Indian students apply for the type D study visa at the Italian embassy or consulate that covers their state, such as New Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru.
Is the route different from Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka?
No. The academic rules for Food Engineering are the same whatever your nationality. Applicants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka follow the same steps as India: Universitaly pre-enrolment, the curricular analysis and the oral interview, then a type D study visa from the Italian mission for their country of residence. Read our guide for students in Dhaka.
I live in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman or Bahrain. Where do I apply for the visa?
At the Italian embassy or consulate responsible for the country where you legally live, after Universitaly pre-enrolment. The academic rules for Food Engineering are the same whatever your nationality, and Gulf residents follow the same steps: Universitaly pre-enrolment, the curricular analysis and the oral interview. Read our guides for Dubai, Riyadh and Doha.
I studied or live in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. What is the route?
The academic rules for Food Engineering are the same whatever your nationality, and your degree is assessed like any other foreign qualification. Non-EU applicants who live abroad follow the same route: Universitaly pre-enrolment, the curricular analysis and the oral interview, then a type D study visa from the Italian mission for where they live. Read our guides for students in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
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