Master in Food Industry Engineering at University of Padua
English-taught master in Vicenza that trains engineers to design and manage safe food industry processes, covering unit operations, hygienic design, packaging materials, refrigeration, food logistics, automation and applied machine learning.
Master
2 years
Padua
English
University of Padua
Food Industry Engineering is a two-year, 120 ECTS master's degree (class LM-26-R) taught in English by the University of Padua at its Vicenza campus, focused on the safe design and management of food production. Non-EU students whose family lives abroad pay a fixed €2,990 a year (2026/27), and regional scholarship winners are exempt.
Entry requirements
- A bachelor's degree of at least three years (or equivalent), preferably in food, mechanical, management, chemical, energy, industrial or information engineering, or in food technology; other food-sector degrees covering food science and engineering are considered.
- An admission board assesses foreign qualifications individually, and your final grade must meet the country-based entry requirements the university publishes.
- English at B2 level of the CEFR, shown by a certificate on the university's accepted list unless an exemption applies.
- No entrance test: selection on GPA, transcript and CV.
- Entry qualification documents in English or Italian, or with official translations.
About the programme
Food Industry Engineering is a two-year, 120 ECTS master's degree in class LM-26-R (Safety Engineering), taught in English at the University of Padua's campus in Vicenza. It belongs to the School of Engineering, is run by the Department of Management and Engineering and has open admission subject to entry requirements.
The degree prepares engineers to conceive, plan, design and manage processes, systems and services in the food industry, with a strong emphasis on safety at every stage from raw materials to final packaging. It suits graduates in industrial, food or information engineering, or in food technology, who want to work on how food plants are designed, automated and kept hygienic.
What you will study
The study plan is built around six areas: food technology and microbiology, chemical and process engineering, automatic machine design, thermal management and energy sustainability, digital supply chains and quality, and risk assessment. Course units listed by the university include:
- Legislation, hygiene and applied microbiology for food safety (year 1)
- Unit operations in food industry (year 1)
- Hygienic design and steels, alloys and coatings for food industry (year 1)
- Materials for sustainable food packaging (year 1)
- Refrigeration and thermal processing technologies (year 1)
- Plant-safe design and food logistics (year 1)
- Automatic machines and robots for food industry (year 2)
- Safety management and risk management, and Applied machine learning (year 2)
How the programme is taught
Further units cover electronics for information processing, sustainable and traceable digital supply chains with statistical quality, electrification and efficiency in food processing, and energy conversion and storage systems. The degree ends with a significant design activity and a thesis that shows mastery of the subject, independent work and communication skills.
Students enrolled in the degree can apply for a T.I.M.E. (Top International Managers in Engineering) double degree with partner universities and polytechnics in Europe and Asia.
Career paths
Graduates work in Italy and abroad, in private companies and public bodies, in managerial roles dealing with automated integrated industrial processes, safety, quality monitoring systems and food hygiene. The department lists profiles such as:
- Designer of hygienic and safe food machines and plants
- Process innovation and plant operation specialist
- Food distribution and supply chain expert
- Safety manager in factories or in public administration, including head of prevention and protection services
- Freelance food safety consultant
Employers include food manufacturers, producers of food industry machinery and equipment, distribution companies, specialised consulting firms and public control bodies.
Fees and scholarships
Engineering degrees fall in fee Group B of the 2026/27 fee call. Non-EU students whose household lives outside Italy pay a fixed €2,990 a year, or €996.66 as citizens of a country on the ministry's list of particularly poor countries; an ISEE parificato changes only the regional tax. Winners of the Veneto regional scholarship, which the university runs, are exempt, meaning zero euro tuition for eligible students. Applicants living abroad are also considered for merit fee waivers. See the fees page.
How to apply from outside the EU
Admission is decided on your GPA, transcript and CV. Apply on apply.unipd.it with your transcript, degree certificate, CV, motivation letter and English certificate, and pay the €60 fee; no legalised documents are needed at this stage. For 2027/28, non-EU applicants living abroad can use Call One (15 September to 15 November 2026) or Call Two (1 December 2026 to 1 March 2027).
Once admitted, you pay a non-refundable €208 fee to accept your place, complete Universitaly pre-enrolment and apply for a type D study visa. By 31 August 2027 your degree and transcript must be legalised, apostilled or verified by CIMEA. Classes start on 1 October 2027.
How ApplyAZ helps
If this programme fits your goals, ApplyAZ can include it in a shortlist of 20 to 30 English-taught programmes at Italian public universities. We write your CV and a tailored statement of purpose, submit your applications and Universitaly pre-enrolment, file your DSU scholarship application and prepare your visa file, with a named person on each stage. The university decides admission, the region decides the scholarship and the consulate decides the visa. See how ApplyAZ works or check your eligibility.
Questions and answers
Where is the Master in Food Industry Engineering taught?
In Vicenza, by the University of Padua's Department of Management and Engineering. The whole degree is taught in English, and you need English at B2 level of the CEFR.
Which bachelor's degrees are accepted?
Preferably food, mechanical, management, chemical, energy, industrial or information engineering, or food technology. Other food-sector degrees that cover food science and engineering are also considered.
Is there an entrance test?
No. Applicants are selected on their GPA, transcript and CV, and the final grade must meet the country-based requirements the university publishes.
When can I apply for 2027/28?
Non-EU applicants living abroad can apply on apply.unipd.it from 15 September to 15 November 2026 or from 1 December 2026 to 1 March 2027. The fee is €60 and classes start on 1 October 2027.
How much does it cost?
For 2026/27, non-EU students with family abroad pay a fixed €2,990 a year, or €996.66 if they come from a country on the ministry's list of particularly poor countries. Veneto regional scholarship winners are exempt from the fee.
What jobs do graduates do?
They take managerial roles in food plant design, process safety, quality monitoring and food hygiene, at food manufacturers, machinery producers, distribution companies, consultancies and public control bodies.
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