Key facts

Course Dates
Three intakes per year
Type/Duration
Up to 5 years (3 years for those in receipt of a student loan)
Entry Requirements
Graduate level or relevant experience
Credits
180
Cost
£6300.00
IFST Membership
Your course enrolment also entitles you to one year of free membership to the IFST (Institute of Food, Science and Technology).
CQFW Level
7
Course Provider
Aberystwyth University
Provider Reference Number
J740D
Course Arrangements
Full joining instructions will be confirmed by the course provider.
Course Location
Aberystwyth University, Online
Cohort
AFTP Cohort
Course Logistics
Our distance learning modules are designed to be flexible so that you can fit studying around your work and other commitments. A typical master's participant is expected to study for 200 hours when taking a 20 credit module. As a rule of thumb you should anticipate spending approximately 2-3 hours a week on online lectures, presentations and podcasts, and the remaining time on readings and assignments; the more time and effort you can put in, the more you'll benefit from studying the module and the better your grades are likely to be.
Tutors

Steve Chapman

 

 

Course overview

The time is ripe to develop low carbon alternatives to petroleum-based products both in terms of what society wants and what economics demand. This makes it’s an exciting time to be part of the rapidly developing Biotech Industries. However, biorefining is a highly technical field and the successful growth of the industry is resulting in a lack of sufficient staff with the technical knowledge necessary to support its expansion.

Equip yourself with the knowledge and skills to be part of the new bio-economy. This MSc focuses on substituting plant material for mineral oil and you can choose from a range of modules which incorporate the latest thinking around this.

This training programme has been designed in consultation with existing UK industries to address this skills shortage. Since this programme is aimed at people who are already working, training is via distance learning.

Participants take at least 3 and up to 5 of the modules shown at the bottom of this page, plus Research Methods and a Work-based research project.  Up to 2 complementary modules may be taken from the following: Carbon Footprinting and LCA, Climate Change, Anaerobic Digestion, Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics 

This programme is delivered entirely on-line. Modules are accessible as CPD or as credit-bearing units towards a range of postgraduate qualifications.

Completing this course results in a postgraduate qualification. See Our Qualifications for more information.

Learning outcomes

The focus of this MSc is to increase understanding of the challenges facing the sector and awareness of current relevant research. To ensure academic coherence throughout the optional taught modules all work towards common learning outcomes, as follows:

  • The challenges facing land based agriculture to substitute for fossil carbon
  • Communicating scientific issues to both the scientific community and other stakeholders including policy makers and the public
  • An awareness of the social and societal issues associated with the application (and non-application) of different biotechnology options
  • Limiting impacts and integrating policy frameworks into development strategies
  • The nature of scientific investigation and the application of results into practice to foster greater sustainability and efficiency within industrial biotechnology
Additional Course Information

A flexible approach to postgraduate learning:

  • Take 5 years to complete as many or as few modules as you like
  • Choose modules to meet your needs
  • Carry out work-based research to benefit your business

    Course Structure

    Start Date:

    Start Date:

    Start Date:

    Start Date:

    Waste Stream Valorisation

    Waste Stream Valorisation
    Start Date: May 2019
    Location: Aberystwyth University, Online
    Credits: 20 credits

    Organic waste arising from many biotechnological industries can be processed to extract useful products or sources of energy. Much waste therefore has a value, determined by extraction costs and by the market value of its metabolites. 

    This module explores the potential to valorise a range of waste streams and will include case studies of exemplary waste streams as well as from participants’ own chosen areas of interest.  The methods, technologies and equipment used to separate and fractionate waste, both downstream and upstream, will be discussed, as will the biotechnologically important metabolites that we can expect to be in demand in the future.
    My AFTP training course has given me greater confidence day-to-day and more insight into the impact of new techniques and technologies.
    Andy Russell - Fresh Produce Technologist, Bakkavor

    Our AgriFood Courses

    Business and Transferable Skills
    Crops & Fresh Produce
    Environment & Sustainability
    Food & Nutrition
    Livestock & Forages

    News/Events

    AFTP wins branding recognition at Transform Awards Europe 2019
    New research to beat varroa threat to bee populations
    Morley Agricultural Foundation Partners with AFTP and the University of Nottingham for two-day Experimental Design and Statistics Workshop
    Dominica Cocoa Project Update
    AFTP Office To Close Over Christmas

    The AFTP

    AgriFood Training Partnership
    The University of Reading
    PO Box 226, Whiteknights
    Reading RG6 6AP
    T. +44 (0)330 333 4530

    Our partners

    Our funder