Enrollment in the summer semester

One of the great global challenges of our time is providing sustainably produced, high-quality and healthy food at reasonable prices for consumers.
This is where the guiding principle of the master’s degree program in Ecotrophology comes in: The degree program aims to train highly skilled professionals and managers who are urgently needed for the production, health assurance and marketing of food. This will enable future graduates to take on leading positions in the food industry, especially in the areas of quality assurance, quality management, hygiene management and product development, or to work as consultants.

Based on this guiding principle, students are adequately prepared for their future careers in a wide range of disciplines, from food hygiene and quality management to food technology and food and nutrition science. At the same time, students need to be able to combine their specific knowledge and skills acquired in the individual subjects to develop the competence to solve complex, interdisciplinary tasks in an everyday professional setting.

This is the goal of the master's degree program in Ecotrophology, in which lecturers and students work constructively together to achieve these goals.

Degree programs leading to a bachelor's or master's degree have to undergo a neutral review process involving representatives of universities, students and professional practice. This so-called accreditation is mandatory according to the Saxony-Anhalt Higher Education Act, § 9.

The master's degree program in Ecotrophology successfully passed the accreditation process for the first time in 2007. The program is currently valid until September 30, 2028.

What does positive accreditation say about the program?

Accreditation essentially means that the program adequately meets the following criteria:

• It aims to provide appropriate academic qualifications and enables graduates to start a qualified career;
• it complies with the German Higher Education Qualifications (Qualifikationsrahmen für Deutsche Hochschulabschlüsse) as well as the Common Structural Guidelines of the Conference of German Cultural Ministers (ländergemeinsame Strukturvorgaben für die Akkreditierung);
• the combination of the individual modules is in keeping with the qualification objectives and provides for adequate types of instruction and learning;
• it is compatible with the required entry qualifications, appropriate curriculum and student workload, and has an appropriate examination system;
• the program is supported by appropriate qualitative and quantitative teaching staff, facilities and technical equipment; and
• the program is documented transparently and comprehensibly with regard to the admission requirements, the program content and sequence as well as the examination requirements.

The degree program is subject to the curriculum and the module plan for the respective semesters. These structures are based on the program objective and contain a recommendation for the program sequence. They also indicate the number of teaching units per module and the credits to be earned.

1st semester
15 weeks lectures, practical courses, lab/studio classes
2 x 2 examination weeks
30 credits

2nd semester
15 weeks lectures, practical courses, lab/studio classes
2 x 2 examination weeks
30 credits

3rd semester
15 weeks lectures, practical courses, lab/studio classes
2 x 2 examination weeks
30 credits

4th semester
20 weeks master's thesis and colloquium
30 credits

The schedule below shows the program sequence. It is designed in order to enable students to complete the degree program in the normal program length of four semesters. The first two semesters mainly include compulsory modules, which are designed to teach the specialist core skills. These core skills are each supplemented by elective modules from the elective module catalog (see the Program and Examination Regulations, Appendices 4a to 4c and the Module Description Handbook of this degree program). The third semester includes only elective modules in addition to the interdisciplinary project, which improves methodological skills. This gives students the opportunity to study abroad during this semester without necessarily extending the total duration of the program. In the fourth semester, students have to write their master's thesis and defend it in a colloquium.

1st semester (360 teaching hours, 30 credits)

• Betriebshygiene in der Lebensmittelwirtschaft
• Chemisch-analytische Aspekte der Lebensmittelqualität
• Spezielle Betriebswirtschaftslehre
• Spezielle Lebensmitteltechnologie (Tierische Produkte)
• Elective module 1
• Elective module 2

2nd semester (360 teaching hours, 30 credits)

• Angewandte Ernährungswissenschaften
• Lebensmittelhygiene
• Spezielle Lebensmitteltechnologie (Pflanzliche Produkte)
• Warenkunde und Qualität ausgewählter Lebensmittel
• Qualitäts- und Umweltmanagement
• Elective module 3

3rd semester (315 teaching hours, 30 credits)

• Methodenkompetenz (project)
• Elective module 4
• Elective module 5
• Elective module 6
• Elective module 7
• Elective module 8

4th semester (30 credits)

• Master’s thesis
• Master’s colloquium

You complete your degree by writing your master's thesis and defending it in a colloquium. What are the requirements for you?

With the master's thesis, you will demonstrate your ability to work independently on a specific, practice-oriented, and if applicable, interdisciplinary assignment using scientific methods, and to present your findings clearly and comprehensively and in an appropriate language. At the same time, you will demonstrate that you have sufficiently researched and have adequately reflected upon the scientific findings relevant to the respective topic in terms of the current state of research. In the final colloquium, you will present your results and defend them in a subsequent scientific discussion.

Whilst working on your master's thesis, you will be supervised by one or more university lecturers, and in cases involving assignments from professional practice, an additional suitable practice mentor. These individuals will assist you primarily in the following ways:

• by advising on the identification and definition of topics, focusing on the following questions:
• Is the thesis task feasible with respect to the aspired degree in terms of the level of challenge and the level of independent work necessary and possible for its completion?
• Does the respective topic have sufficient thematic relevance to the degree program?
• Can the assignment be completed within the designated time specified in the Program and Examination Regulations?
  
  
• as a consultation partner for problems and questions, especially regarding
  
• the basic structuring and outline of the thesis;
• researching and using research literature;
• selecting and developing the research design;
• executing studies including their evaluation and interpretation as well as
• thesis design including scientific writing style.
  
  
• during the preparation for the colloquium.
  
  

The supervisors of the master's thesis will also usually write expert assessments of the thesis and will evaluate the overall performance.