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Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Cattolica International

Sustainable food systems

European Double Degree Programme


 

Campus: Cremona, Italy (Semester 1 and 2) | Lyon, France (Semester 3) | Master's thesis: Cremona, Italy or Lyon, France (Semester 4)

School: Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences

Intake: September 2025

Edition: 6

Duration: 2 years

Language of instruction: English

Degree awarded: Laurea Magistrale in: Food processing, Innovation and Tradition (Issued by Università Cattolica) | Master of Science in Sustainable Food Systems (Issued by ISARA Lyon)

Total ECTS: 120

Sustainability is an important aspect for the food sector. There is a high demand for qualified professionals who are able to understand the topics of sustainability “from farm to fork” and how to integrate and implement sustainability in the food chain.

Upon completing the MSc Sustainable Food Systems programme, graduates will be able to:

  • Manage international teams in cross-cultural and multidisciplinary environments.
  • Understand the food chain industry "from farm to fork."
  • Identify and control factors impacting sustainability in food chain production.
  • Utilize technologies to plan, perform, and control sustainable food production and processing.
  • Evaluate and solve problems related to sustainable food production within a food company.
     

Each course syllabus is available here.
Select the academic year, campus and Faculty to view and download the file. 

Semester 1 Cremona, Italy Università Cattolica

  • Food microbiology for food production - 6 ECTS
  • Biochemistry of food - 4 ECTS
  • Food supply chain management - 5 ECTS
  • Economic impact of agricultural and food regulation - 5 ECTS
  • Food footprint: the environmental impact of the agro food chain - 5 ECTS
  • Introduction to sustainability of the food system - 5 ECTS
  • Seminar on theological issues (in S1 or S2)

Semester 2 Cremona, Italy Università Cattolica

  • Food technology and plants - 10 ECTS
  • Food quality assurance and international certifications - 5 ECTS
  • Digital data processing - 5 ECTS
  • Law and regulation in food value chains - 5 ECTS
  • Food risk analysis and management - 5 ECTS
     

Semester 3 Lyon, France ISARA

This is a comprehensive applied semester which aims to enable students to incorporate multidisciplinarity and soft skills. They will include group works in strong cooperation with partner industries.

The semester is made of three parts:

  • Entrepreneurship and sustainable development in food industries - 12 ECTS
  • Food processing and managerial innovation  - 12 ECTS
  • Core project  - 6 ECTS

Semester 4

The Master’s thesis will be discussed at ISARA. It is to be carried out under supervision of either ISARA or Università Cattolica and can also be conducted along an internship in a food organisation or food companies.

The thesis is composed of:

  • A written component (70% of the final grade)
  • An oral examination (Viva) of the duration of 1 hour (30% of the final grade)
With a strong basis in sustainable food production and an international profile, graduates of this programme enjoy a wide range of career opportunities globally, and are well placed to obtain managerial positions in SME’s in the food industry, in fields such as: 
  • Supply chain
  • Quality and safety
  • Production and processes
  • Sustainable development
  • Food system innovation
You are required to hold a Bachelor of food, agricultural or nutritional sciences or an equivalent degree with an EQF level 6 or and equivalent based on 180 ECTS

If you have an economic or social bachelor’s degree, you need to prove that you took 60 credits in courses dealing with the above sciences.

English language proficiency: you must prove a minimum level of B2 certified by an official test of English as a foreign language such as:

  • Paper-based TOEFL: minimum total score of 550
  • Internet-based TOEFL: minimum of 80
  • IELTS: minimum overall band score of 6.5
  • Cambridge English: minimum total score of 176
Please make sure to check the application procedure and the required documents at susfoods.eu.

Note that you will need to apply through ISARA’s website: susfoods.eu/apply/.

Applications opening: October 15th, 2024
Applications deadline: April 4th, 2025 (non-EU and EU students).