Food Industry Engineer

GENERAL PRESENTATION

The purpose of ENSAIA’s Food Industry Engineer program is to teach students to become high level specialists in the sciences and technologies used in the sectors of food, cosmetics, pharmacy or nutri-health and involved in the different levels of production of products destined for consumption: innovation, marketing, production, risk management and quality, ecodesign, etc.

ENSAIA’s Engineering Degree in Food Science is awarded after 3 years, or 6 semesters, which are organized around 2 programs: an initial program (S5 - S8) and a specialization program (S9 – S10), which is introduced by a semester of pre-specialization (S8).

An international program is offered during the specialization year. A gap year is also possible between 2nd and 3rd year.

This engineering curriculum also includes 3 internships, a total of 40 weeks, of which one is a mandatory 3-month work placement abroad after S8 as well as a 6-month end-of-studies placement to finish the program.   

Throughout the program, great emphasis is placed on projects, individual initiative and contact with professionals in the field (operations projects, visiting companies and domains, participating in professional trade fairs, etc.).


S5, S6, S7 PROGRAMS: General program 

  • Biochemistry, Microbiology, Biotechnologies, Nutrition
  • Food Sciences, Food Engineering
  • Process Engineering, Biological Engineering
  • Automation, Control
  • Mathematical tools and engineering methods
  • Economy, Marketing, Management
  • Languages 
  • Professional and experimental projects

The first semester (S5) of the program is in common with the Agronomy program. A 4-week work placement at the end of Semester 6 finishes the first year.

S8 programs: pre-specialization and international experience

During the 2nd semester of the 2nd year (S8), the initial program is completed with specific pre-specialization studies, which are a prelude to the final year of specialization. ENSAIA offers 12 specializations, of which 9 are accessible through the Food Industry program:

  • Food Formulation 
  • Dairy Products Quality
  • Packaging 
  • Biotechnologies
  • Industrial Development 
  • Supply Chain Management and Logistics
  • Environmental Sciences and Engineering
  • Environmenta Sciences and Technologies
  • Innovation & Entrepreneurship

The semester also includes a 13-week work placement, which must be carried out in a foreign country.

S9-S10 programs: specialization

The objective of the 3rd year program is:

  • give a complementary education that will ensure the transition from the initial education (acquiring knowledge) to professional life (using this knowledge),
  • develop a sense of responsibility, individual abilities in innovation and creativity, communication skills and teamwork,
  • participate in creating knowledge through research, and learning to synthesize and use the knowledge acquired through end-of-studies internships and theses.

The academic part of the program is in the pre-specialization studies done during Semester 8.

For students who have been with the engineering program since the 1st year, it is possible to take up another specialization in another engineering school in France, on the condition that the program is not offered at ENSAIA. Inversely, students from other engineering schools can apply to carry out their final year in one of the 12 specializations at ENSAIA.

In parallel with their 3rd year specialization, students, especially those who would like to go into research, can also enroll in a Master’s program. 

Other than the specific studies for each specialization, English courses are provided for students who have not yet obtained a B2 level with a recognized external exam (Cambridge First Certificate, TOEIC, IELTS, etc.). The others have material at their disposition for self-study so that they can maintain and improve what they have already learned.

This year is terminated with a 4- to 7-month end-of-studies internship, finishing no later than 30 September (viva voce included).

The end-of-studies internship must:

  • concern a study subject that will lead to a written report and a viva voce before a jury selected by the school,
  • be approved by the specialization advisor
  • not be carried out in one of the school’s laboratories, but be authorized by a signed agreement between the student, the specialization advisor, the internship tutor and the Director of ENSAIA.

Specializations

Food Formulation

The objective of this specialization is to teach students to become engineers in Research and Development in order to improve and/or develop new food products according to food quality and safety constraints as well as regulatory constraints. The skills acquired come from knowledge of raw materials and products in the agro-industrial sectors, from knowledge of the food so that its formulation can be optimized, mastering transformation technologies, creativity and innovation, taking into account regulatory and socio-economic constraints (productivity, quality, security, ecodesign, cost, etc.), practical and methodological expertise, and the aptitude to lead projects and manage teams. This specialization is based on projects where the aim is to present an innovative food product at one or several competitions (Ecotrophelia, Entreprendre).     

ADVISOR: ; ECOTROPHELIA COMPETITION ADVISOR:

Dairy Products & Quality

The Dairy program at Nancy originated with the “l’Ecole de Laiterie” (Dairy School) founded in 1905, which is one of the founding schools of ENSAIA. This program, dedicated to the systematic study of the dairy sector, is widely renowned, as much on a national level as on an international level, and has a network of 1200 alumni at its disposal in all the food industry sectors in France and abroad. The aim of the program is to give a broader knowledge of the most important product in the French food industry from the standpoint of

·         its processing (215,000 jobs, €16 billion turnover);

·         its complexity, which makes it possible to use all of the techniques in the food industry

·         its diversity, which gives an extremely vast range of products when it is transformed (powders, drinks, different cheeses, etc.)

Its very nature makes it the most privileged domain in food formulation and innovation. It is a sensitive product, which makes it well adapted to quality control processes.  

This program offers deeper knowledge in all the scientific, industrial and organizational aspects centered on milk, as considered from a scientific angle (biochemical, physio-chemical and microbiological) as well as in more global terms (quality).   

ADVISOR:   

Packaging

The aim of the specialization PACK is to give future food industry engineers the knowledge and the technical and organizational skills needed for packing, marketing and developing new packaging. The 300 hours of this program will be fulfilled with lectures given by professionals, projects and visiting companies. Throughout this program, specific industrial problems will be dealt with through pedagogical projects that will cover the first 6 months, from September to the end of March. The year will finish with a 6-month internship in a company.

ADVISOR: 

Biotechnologies

The specialization BIOTECH aims at preparing students for different careers related to biotechnologies (R&D, biomolecular production, consulting, intellectual property, etc.) in the sectors of bioprocesses and seed/plant improvement.
ADVISORS: ;

Industrial Development

The DI specialization prepares engineers for Research and Development that aims at improving and perfecting new industrial processes that comply with economic, regulatory and environmental constraints. The skills acquired come from knowledge of raw materials and products in the agro-industrial sector, from increased knowledge of food so that formulation can be optimized, from mastering processing technologies, from creativity and innovation, from taking into consideration regulatory and socio-economic constraints: productivity, quality, safety, environment, and cost, from practical (experiments) and methodological (processing, process design) expertise, from the ability to lead projects and manage teams.

ADVISOR:  

Management of the Supply Chain and Logistics

Logistics is the organization of the flow of material, people and information necessary for factories, warehouses and transport to function well. Supply Chain is for coordinating the relations between the different departments of a company and, beyond that, creates partnerships between suppliers and clients. It allows for managing and optimizing all functions from design to final distribution (purchasing, planning, customer service, etc.).
ADVISOR: Auguste