Food Technology

The food manufacturing and processing industry is one of the largest industrial sectors in Germany and is more diverse than almost any other sector. With a degree in Food Technology, you will be responsible for meeting the constantly increasing demands for healthy and functional nutrition and for producing high-quality food. Always looking for new innovative products, you can give free rein to your creativity.

Everything you need for this, you will learn at TUM. Our Bachelor's program combines an essential scientific education with engineering expertise and modern, practical opportunities for furthering your talents.

In Germany there are currently about 570,000 people employed in the food industry. In addition to traditional food manufacturers, these include the beverage industry and cooperating sectors such as spice or additive suppliers.

As a graduate of the Bachelor's program in Food Technology, your broad-based education prepares you for a wide range of roles in the industry. Possible fields of activity for you include product and process development, plant design and construction, quality assurance, logistics, packaging technology, purchasing as well as research and development at universities or in private companies.

In addition to a direct career start, many graduates also choose the option of continuing their Bachelor's degree with a consecutive Master's degree. One possibility is the Master's program in Food Technology, which is also offered by the TUM School of Life Sciences.

In the first two semesters of your studies, the focus is on the fundamentals of natural sciences and engineering. In addition to mathematics, physics, and cell biology, the subjects you take include an introduction to biotechnology and food technology. Accordingly, you will be guided step by step from the basics to specialization.

From the third semester onwards, you will deepen your knowledge of engineering sciences and food technology. You will deal with technical mechanics, mechanical engineering, equipment engineering and food technology as well as with fields such as biochemistry, microbiology and food chemistry. In various laboratory internships, you can put your acquired knowledge into practice. During your six-week internship, you will be immersed in various fields of activity in the industry and will be able to gain valuable initial practical experience.

Elective modules taken during your studies enable you to pursue your interests and build the basis for your future dream job. In the sixth semester, you will deal with an academic topic of your choice and write your Bachelor's thesis.

Interested? Take a look at the curriculum for more details.

As a graduate of the Food Technology study program, you will be able to apply the knowledge you acquired in the various areas of the course in a solution-oriented manner.

You will be familiar with the biological-chemical properties of food and its ingredients; you will know the technical process requirements and be able to produce them according to hygienic and legal regulations. You can design and implement production plants, know all process steps of food production, and can adapt them. Moreover, you can examine food chemically, microbiologically, technically and through sensory testing, and evaluate the economic efficiency of processes. All this knowledge allows you to develop innovative products and enrich the food industry with new ideas.

Besides, you will be able to conduct laboratory work in line with safety regulations, carry out scientific research, and develop multidisciplinary solutions to problems with a team. In combination with your first work experience from the internships, you will be perfectly prepared for professional life or the advanced master's degree course.

All students have to pay a semester fee for the student union (Studierendenwerk).

++ NEW ++ International students from third countries, i.e. countries that do not belong to the European Economic Area, will be charged tuition fees as of winter semester 2024/25.
All information on fee levels, waivers and scholarship programs can be found on the website on tuition fees for international students.

During the application period you can easily apply for a place in the winter semester via the application portal TUMonline. You simply upload your documents for admission to the Food Technology study program directly on the portal.

Prerequisite for admission is the general qualification for university entrance or a comparable qualification. There are no other admission restrictions; the course of study is admission-free.

When you receive your admission, you will have to submit a few certified hard copies for the enrollment.

A pre-study internship before the start of the course is not required for admission. For the successful completion of your studies, however, you must complete 6 weeks of internships.

• Curriculum
  The degree chart gives you an overview and recommendation, which modules you should take in which semester according to academic and examination regulations (FPSO).
  • Curriculum (from start of degree program WS 23/24)
  • Curriculum (from start of degree program WS 21/22)
     
• Timetable (TUM ID required for login):
  This timetable is intended to give you an overview of the planned compulsory and elective modules of a semester. It is for orientation purposes only and will not be updated during the semester! 
  
  Via TUMonline you can have a timetable created for each semester according to FSPO.
  
  You can also create your own individual timetable, which can contain not only the dates of the selected courses, but also your personal appointments.
  
  First steps with TUMonline

• General Academic and Examination Regulations at TUM (APSO)
• Academic and Examination Regulations (FPSO)

• Examination dates & registration via TUMonline

  In TUMonline you can register for the module examinations that accompany your studies. 

  Important: You can only take most of the exams if you have actively registered yourself via TUMonline within the registration period. The registration and deregistration period will be displayed at the exam date.

  Please note! In the basic and orientation exams (GOP) in the 1st and 2nd bachelor semester you will automatically be registered for all examinations during the respective semester, i.e. independent registration is not necessary in the 1st academic year.

• Further examination matters
  • Academic progress check
  • Examinations
  • Recognitions
  • Theses
• Board of Examination
  The board of examination is a committee consisting of university professors and lecturers of the degree program. The chairperson of the board of examination of your degree program is Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heiko Briesen. Applications to the board of examination are received by the secretary and submitted to the board of examination for decision. You can reach the secretary by sending an email to examination.co(at)ls.tum.de.