Master in Global Food Law: Sustainability Challenges and Innovation at University of Parma

About the programme

Global Food Law: Sustainability Challenges and Innovation is a two-year laurea magistrale in class LM/SC-GIUR (legal sciences), worth 120 ECTS and taught in English by the Department of Law, Politics and International Studies of the University of Parma. It is part of the department's Food For Future project, for which it was named a Department of Excellence for 2023 to 2027.

The course trains future officials, civil servants and legal advisers who specialise in the food sector, in government, international organisations and private companies. It suits graduates in law, political science, economics or the social sciences who want to work on food regulation, sustainability and innovation.

What you will study

The first year lays the legal foundations; the second adds employment and criminal law and two electives from one of two tracks, Innovation in the Agri-Food Sector or Sustainability and Food Systems. Units in the 2026/27 plan include:

• Italian and comparative constitutional law on food insecurity (12 ECTS)
• Food law and EU agricultural policy (6 ECTS)
• EU law for food safety, sustainability and climate change (6 ECTS)
• Food business operators and private law: liability, contracts, competition (6 ECTS)
• Global trade law and food design, including intellectual property rights (12 ECTS)
• Food employment law (6 ECTS) and food and criminal justice (12 ECTS)
• Electives such as novel food law, risk assessment and the role of EFSA, climate change and taxation, and food advertising and labelling regulation

How the programme is taught

The first year is taught in person and the second year in blended mode; attendance is not compulsory. The course includes visits to and internships at food companies, and an interdisciplinary approach that brings in nutrition, economics and sociology alongside law. International students can take a 3-credit Italian language unit in place of visits and seminars. The degree closes with a 21-credit dissertation, and Erasmus+ traineeships are available in Italy and abroad.

Career paths

The department prepares legal officers and legal advisers in food law, sustainable development and innovation for public administration, for-profit and non-profit organisations, and the liberal professions. Example roles include:

• Management and control specialist in public administration
• Management, development and control specialist in private companies
• Legal expert in food companies
• Legal expert in public bodies

Fees and scholarships

The University of Parma sets the same fee rules for this degree as for its other courses. In 2026/27 students paid €156 at enrolment and a personalised contribution between zero and about €2,000 a year, according to family finances, merit and years enrolled. ER.GO processes fee reductions for students with foreign income and runs the Emilia-Romagna scholarship call, so the course can be tuition-free for eligible students.

How to apply from outside the EU

Graduates in law, political science, economics, social sciences or social work receive preferential access, and you can apply without legalised documents: official transcripts in English or Italian are enough at this stage. Upload them on apply.unipr.it with your passport, CV, motivation letter and English certificate, and pay the €30 one-time fee.

In 2026/27 the non-EU window ran from 15 January to 6 April 2026. Accepted students pre-enrol, complete Universitaly pre-enrolment, get a type D study visa and enrol in Parma with original documents and a declaration of value or CIMEA statement.

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.