Even as a student, I had always liked to develop new products at home, and that led towards selecting this course. It involves Food Processing and Quality, Nutritional Biochemistry, Food Biochemistry, Advanced Microbiology, Microbiological Food Safety, Food Safety and Security and Food Innovation followed by research/project work, and is a one-year Master’s course with trimester. I chose New Zealand as there are plenty of opportunities to work once I have finished with the course especially in the dairy sector. Food innovation studies at Lincoln University have reached record levels of students studying classes in the Master of Science programme.
What you study
The programme builds on Lincoln’s strong reputation of Food Science research and is aimed at equipping graduates with the necessary skills to be successful in the workplace. It features $10,000 International taught Master Merit scholarship and students can start in Semester One (mid-February) or Semester Two (early July). My area of research is “Seasonal variation and composition of New Zealand milk.” In New Zealand, there are four different seasons and the composition of milk varies respectively. It is really a wonderful campus at Lincoln University as it is well known for its friendly environment and excellent lab facilities. There’s never a problem contacting my professors who are always accessible on mail.
However, studying in New Zealand is different from the Indian scenario. We have a lot of writing to do especially for our literature review or our review paper. I find this challenging as I had no previous experience and it was hard for me to cope with this study environment. Workshops and individual specialists in the Lincoln Library help us deal with all out problems making it easier for us.
For Indian students
Make the right decision in choosing your course by developing sound knowledge in the field of your choice. It is recommended that once you plan to study abroad, despite the location, browsing the place is important because once you are inside the country it’s a completely different scenario. Having prior information will help in initial stages of settling in the country.
Master of Science in Food Innovation
Intake: February or July
Length of study: 3 semesters, 12 months
Tuition fees: NZ$40,000
Academic entry requirement: Relevant bachelor’s degree with final year at B grade average
English requirement: IELTS 6.5 Academic (no band less than 6.0) or equivalent
Aid: International taught master merit scholarships NZ$10,000 available http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/International-Students/International-Scholarships/
Eligibility: B+ average or equivalent in the final year of bachelor degree.
Suganya Kamaraj, from Puducherry, is a student of Lincoln University’s Master of Science in Food Innovation programme.
