International Food Business and Consumer Studies (IFBC)

Program overview This MSc prepares you to work across the international food value chain — from producers and retailers to health professionals and consumers. You will learn to develop, market and position food products and related services for diverse consumer groups, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, food safety and regulatory compliance. The course combines consumer science, business administration and food science so you can respond to changing market demands and innovate responsibly.

Learning environment Teaching is delivered in English and designed for close collaboration with fellow students, academic staff and external partners. The programme highlights professional accreditation, a lively postgraduate community and a supportive research and learning atmosphere, providing both theoretical grounding and applied experience relevant to industry and public-sector roles.

Research and career focus You will gain project management and research skills through coursework and an advanced research project undertaken in cooperation with external stakeholders. The master’s thesis is an independent research study that typically involves partners outside the university and aims to produce publishable scientific data. Graduates are prepared for roles in product development, quality and risk management, marketing and sustainability-focused positions across the food sector.

Core module requirements (compulsory)

• International Legislation on Consumer Protection and Food: EU institutions and bodies, food labelling, regulation of novel/functional foods, risk management and communication, barriers to free movement of goods, and national food control systems in Europe.
• International Organic Food Markets and Marketing: frameworks for international marketing strategy and concepts, including international organic regulations.
• Food Product Development: stages of product development, quality function deployment, processing and formulation, food regulations and additives, product testing and shelf-life studies.
• Advanced Research Project: develops advanced R&D project management skills through interdisciplinary problems in international food economics and consumer studies, in cooperation with external partners.
• Quality Management in Food Business: product flow in the food supply chain, business processes, risk and product safety, traceability and implementation.
• Trends in Food Sciences and Sustainable Consumption: recent scientific findings on food constituents and processing, physiological effects within dietary patterns, and impacts on raw material and product quality.
• Consumer Behaviour and Consumer Science: social and psychological drivers of consumer behaviour, recent consumption developments and trend deduction with an emphasis on sustainability.

Electives and thesis

• Electives: choose three modules from a catalogue that includes (among others) Assessing Food Quality; Digital Transformation in the Food Sector; Innovative Product Development; Innovation Management in the Food Sector; Quality Management and Certification for Organic Foods; Strategic Management; Sustainable Food Systems and Management.
• Master’s thesis: an individual research project enabling independent data generation and publication, commonly conducted with external partners.

Curriculum overview

This full-time MSc runs over four semesters and begins each October. Instruction is organised on a module-credit basis: teaching is delivered across the first three semesters, and the fourth semester is reserved exclusively for completing the Master's thesis. To graduate you must successfully finish 14 modules in total. Teaching mixes classroom and hands-on formats — including lectures, seminars, workshops, practical exercises and project-based learning — so you will gain both theoretical knowledge and applied experience.

Assessment, teamwork and locations

Each module is assessed separately using a broad mix of methods such as reports and seminar papers, written exams, project work, visual and oral presentations, workshops, simulations and other practical exercises. A highlighted component is the Advanced Research Project module, which emphasises intensive group work and collaborative problem-solving. The programme is a long-standing joint degree (offered for over 20 years) run by Fulda University of Applied Sciences (Nutritional, Food, and Consumer Sciences) and Kassel University in Witzenhausen (Organic Agricultural Sciences). The main teaching location is the Witzenhausen campus, with classes held in Fulda on Mondays and Fridays. Further module-level details are available on the programme website.

Key facts and outcomes

• Duration and start: 4 semesters (full-time), starting in October
• Structure: Modules taught over semesters 1–3; semester 4 for Master's thesis
• Modules required: 14 modules in total
• Signature module: Advanced Research Project — intensive group work and teamwork focus
• Teaching methods: Lectures, workshops, seminars, practical and project work
• Assessment methods: Reports, seminar papers, written exams, project work, visual/oral presentations, workshops, simulations, practical exercises
• Programme format: Joint degree by Fulda UAS (Nutritional, Food, and Consumer Sciences) and Kassel University in Witzenhausen (Organic Agricultural Sciences); main campus Witzenhausen; classes in Fulda every Monday and Friday
• Typical learning outcomes you can expect: strengthened applied research skills, experience in collaborative project design and delivery, improved written and oral communication for academic and professional contexts, and practical competence in interdisciplinary food-business and consumer-focused topics (see website for module-by-module breakdown)

Graduates are prepared for roles across the food industry and related sectors such as product development, quality and safety management, regulatory affairs, marketing for organic and sustainable products, and innovation management. Employers include food manufacturers, retailers, certification bodies, NGOs, consultancies and public institutions dealing with food policy and consumer protection.

The programme’s emphasis on applied research and industry collaboration also equips graduates for research and project management positions or further academic work (e.g. PhD), particularly in areas linking food science, consumer behaviour and sustainable food systems.