ECTS
120 credits
Duration
2 years
Training structure
Faculty of Science
Language(s) of instruction
French
Presentation
The Engineering for the Eco-design of Foods (ICOA) program, an initial training or apprenticeship program integrated into the Biology and Agrosciences field, is co-accredited by the University of Montpellier and the Institut Agro de Montpellier (National Higher Education Institution for Agriculture, Food and the Environment). It is positioned at the interface between process engineering and life sciences and offers an integrated approach to food design combining knowledge of processes (physical and biological) and control of the organoleptic and nutritional quality of products as part of an approach to reduce the environmental impact of the sectors.
The major disciplinary fields on which the teaching is based are engineering sciences and are: Biotechnology, Food Science, Physical Chemistry, Green Chemistry and Sustainable Process Engineering. This highly multidisciplinary training allows for professional integration in all the professions of the Agro-Food Industry (production, R&D, Quality Control) and more broadly in all sectors dedicated to the valorization of agro-resources (materials, energy, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics...).
Both years are punctuated by an internship (minimum of 3 months and 5 months in M1 and M2 respectively) that the student can identify from a very large catalog of available internship sites or by soliciting the active network of the program's alumni.
For a limited number of students (2 to 3 selected on the basis of their academic record and their professional project) wishing to acquire additional skills in project management, a co-diploma with the Institute of Business Administration of Montpellier (IAE Montpellier) can be offered. By choosing an additional 5 ECTS UE related to management themes, the student will be able to obtain a double master's degree: Master ICOA and Master of Management of Technology and Science.
For more information on this course and its content, go to https://bioagro.edu.umontpellier.fr/ingenierie-pour-leco-conception-des-aliments/
Further studies
NaN%
Objectives
The support of food diversification towards an increased consumption of plant resources, the establishment of responsible channels, the reduction of losses and wastage are all global issues that must be taken into consideration in a project oriented towards a more sustainable food. These challenges imply the emergence of new professions where actors will be able to provide technical solutions that respect/integrate all the components of the sustainability of food systems. The objective of this master's program is to train scientists capable of responding to these issues and integrating all sectors related to the processing and development of agricultural resources, particularly the food industry. It is also a springboard to doctoral studies, particularly in the context of Montpellier, which is a major research area in Europe in the field of agrosciences.
Know-how and skills
In addition to general knowledge on the formulation, dimensioning and control of food processing and preservation processes and the tools adapted to their analysis, graduates display the skills necessary to understand and solve the problems of qualitative and quantitative management of agro-resources in a sustainable development context. By integrating a systemic dimension of agro-resource management (food supply and valorization of by-products and co-products), they display a solid know-how dedicated to the development of new technologies, their eco-design and industrial ecology, skills that contribute to the mastery of the transformation of agro-resources into food, but also into materials and renewable energy (to a lesser extent) while respecting the current and future challenges of research, development and sustainable production A strong specificity of this training is its specialization in food issues in developing countries.
Organization
Knowledge control
Each UE is evaluated: either in the form of a final written exam, or in the form of personal or group work and a final written exam, or in the form of an oral presentation or a written summary.
Open in alternation
Type of contract | Apprenticeship contract |
|---|
Students in work-study programs work in a company for four weeks during the odd-numbered semesters (Semester 1 in M1/semester 3 in M2) and then join the company for the same length of time as the initial training periods in the even-numbered semesters (3/4 months in semester 2 / 5 months in semester 4)
Internships, tutored projects
Internship | Mandatory |
|---|---|
Internship abroad | Possible |
The ICOA master's program includes numerous exercises in project set-up and management that allow students to learn the tools specific to these disciplines and to be directly operational when they enter the job market.
These skills are developed through team exercises in collaboration with partner companies during which students are asked to respond to an industrial problem or to design and develop a new food product. Beyond the deployment of their innovative strength, students discover the business world and the processes that, starting from fundamental research or an invention, allow its application on an industrial scale.
In addition to these applied exercises, other projects are carried out during the two years of training: animation of the alumni network (via the LinkedIn network), organization of a scientific seminar...
Students are also strongly sensitized to professional integration through a dedicated UE during which they will work on the elaboration of their CV and cover letter. Job interviews conducted by an entrepreneurial speaker will allow the student to get used to the exercise. These skills will be immediately put into practice through the search for an internship at the end of each of the two years of the ICOA program (of a minimum duration of 3 and 5 months respectively for the M1 and M2). These internships are carried out, depending on the student's aspirations, in public research laboratories as well as in companies. Every effort is made within the program to support students wishing to do their internship abroad.
Program
The ICOA course follows rules of progression based on a structure of teaching divided into 4 semesters. The Master's degree is awarded by the acquisition of 120 ECTS (in accordance with the European Credits Transfer System) , each semester comprising several teaching units (UE) accounting for 30 ECTS.The even-numbered semesters are mainly dedicated to internships which can be carried out in France or abroad. The teaching is based on a single compulsory course.
Select a program
M1 - Engineering and Eco-Design of Foods (ICOA)
The first year of the ICOA training program offers a unique pathway based on 4 disciplinary areas: biological engineering, food process engineering, bioproduct development engineering and professional insertion. It is intended to provide students with the basis for a dual competence in Process Engineering and Biotechnology/Food Science. The professional character of the training appears through two Teaching Units of project management and professional insertion. English and biostatistics courses common to other courses complete the curriculum.
Biostatistics with R
5 creditsBiological catalysis and microbiology
3 creditsRichness and potential of agro-resources
3 creditsEnglish
5 creditsInternship preparation and professional integration
2 creditsFluid mechanics
2 creditsFood structural characterization and imaging
2 creditsFood Process Engineering
5 creditsFunctional properties of nutrients
3 credits
Elaboration & structuring of bioproducts
3 creditsFood science and processing
5 creditsFood quality and safety
2 creditsProject management
3 creditsFirst year internship
15 creditsBioprocess Engineering - Batch
2 credits
M2 - Food Engineering and Eco-Design (ICOA)
The second year of the ICOA training program, which is more professional, is organized around three major themes: intensification of transformation processes, sustainability of the sectors and innovation. It is also largely built around several exercises in project set-up and management where students are (i) required to design/develop new foodstuffs by integrating all the environmental components of the processes, (ii) to respond to issues raised by industrial partners in connection with the development of bioproducts.
Integrated management of agroindustry by-products and co-products
5 creditsOptimization / Instrumentation of transformation processes
5 creditsLife cycle assessment and impact assessment
2 creditsContinuous and fed-batch bioprocess engineering
3 creditsFood packaging: design tools for a reduced
2 creditsDevelopment of new food products
3 creditsControl of nutritional quality and risks
3 creditsProcess simulation tools
2 creditsMethods for the eco-design of new foods
5 credits
Creation and setting up of R&D projects
5 credits5 month internship
25 credits
Admission
Conditions of access
The training is open to holders of:
- a Bachelor's degree in Science and Technology in "Chemical and Biological Sciences" and "Life and Earth Sciences
- other science and technology licenses, or equivalent and validation of prior experience, for professionals, selection based on a portfolio
- a diploma of University Bachelor of Technology in Biological Engineering.
Mastery of the French language, level C1 of the DELF, is required for foreign candidates.
How to register
Applications are made on the following platforms:
French & European students:
- For the M1, follow the procedure " My Master " from the website : https://www.monmaster.gouv.fr/
- For M2, students must submit their application via the e-candidat application: https: //candidature.umontpellier.fr/candidature
Capacity
20 enrolled in M1
30 enrolled in M2