The Master of Food and Packaging Innovation is an advanced interdisciplinary degree that combines food science, entrepreneurship and innovation in product and packaging design.

You'll have the opportunity to gain industry experience through an internship with a dynamic business in the food sector to build your network and accelerate your career.

Study the world’s only masters degree in food and packaging innovation at Australia’s number 1 university¹, and set yourself up for a career in leadership in a vital and growing sector.

LEARN INDUSTRY-RELEVANT SKILLS

This unique course was developed in collaboration with the food and packaging industries to fill a need for food and food packaging product developers in Australia.

Scientists at the University of Melbourne are working to develop new food products and design innovative packaging to improve food quality and sustainability. Throughout your degree, you’ll be exposed to the latest research in food and packaging while hearing from industry experts via guest lectures.

Develop advanced knowledge

The core suite of subjects in the Master of Food and Packaging Innovation is designed to help you build the knowledge and skills required to develop and market new food products and innovative and sustainable packaging designs.

You’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of food science, critical thinking, innovation, leadership and packaging, and discover advanced research and its practical application in commercial settings.

Choose from a wide range of elective subjects and focus on key aspects of food science, such as meat products and dairy, or key aspects of food industry, such as science commercialisation and value chain analysis.

Get hands-on experience

You can choose to undertake an internship as part of the Master of Food and Packaging Innovation. This unique placement opportunity provides access to some of Australia’s most well-known brands and state-of-the-art facilities, as well as providing opportunities for mentoring and network-building. You could intern at a leading food and packaging company such as Mondelēz International, Food Innovation Australia or Simplot.

Enter an exciting and creative field

The Master of Food and Packaging Innovation prepares you for a range of interesting and creative careers. You could:

• Develop new food products
• Design innovative food packaging to improve food quality and sustainability
• Formulate strategies to market new products based on your scientific knowledge and business acumen.

You will analyse innovative food product and packaging designs from concept to delivery. This will allow you to develop the skills needed to create innovative food products that address key issues such as:

• Transportability
• Durability
• Tamper proofing and perishability issues
• Environmental, economic, social and ethical issues.

¹Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022

ADVANCED TRAINING FOR INDUSTRY SUCCESS

The University of Melbourne provides advanced training for the next generation of food and packaging innovators. You’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of food processing, product innovation, entrepreneurship and packaging, preparing you to meet industry challenges and excel in your field.

DESIGN YOUR OWN DEGREE

The Master of Food and Packaging Innovation is a flexible degree that will prepare you for a range of careers based on your interests and prior studies and experience.

After taking core subjects in the areas of food processing, food safety, packaging and design, consumer behaviour, entrepreneurship and value creation, you will be able to choose from a wide variety of electives from across multiple disciplines to tailor the course to suit your interests.

You can select food science subjects to help you develop new products, marketing subjects to help you analyse how new products will find success or management subjects to prepare yourself to lead dynamic teams in the food industry.

GET AHEAD WITH AN INTERNSHIP OR RESEARCH PROJECT

Internships can provide you with a great opportunity to gain professional experience and build your networks to accelerate your career. Our students have completed internships with high-profile companies like Mondelēz International, George Weston Foods, Nestlé, Peters Ice Cream, Food Innovation Australia and Simplot.

Alternatively, you can complete a research project, which will help to develop your research skills and enable you to study a specific topic of interest at an advanced level.

COURSE STRUCTURE

You can see the course structure and details of the individual core and elective subjects available for study in the course handbook.

This flexible degree opens a variety of creative careers in the food industry at local, regional and global levels.

You could work with food sensory (tasting) panels to understand how to develop healthy and appealing products, create biodegradable packaging that also extends shelf life or take part in the development of new foods.

Potential careers include:

• Food product development technologist: Develop innovative new food products and ways to present them
• Packaging technologist: Identify new, unique and sustainable packaging for food that appeals to customers
• Consumer insights specialist: Research consumer behaviour to identify product improvements or develop innovative food product ideas to meet consumer demands
• Food industry marketer: Combine your knowledge of food, consumer preferences and marketing to develop new opportunities for food businesses.

You could also follow a research pathway by completing a PhD.

In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed: An undergraduate degree with at least H3 (65%) weighted average, or equivalent

IELTS (academic English Only): 6.5 (no band less than 6.0)
TOEFL Internet-based test: 79 + ; Writing 21; Speaking 18; Reading 13; Listening 13;
Pearson Test of English Academic: 58 + no communicative skill below 50
Cambridge English: Advanced/ Certificate of Advanced English (CAE): 176 + no skill below 169.