MSc Food Consumer Marketing and Product Development

Year of Entry 2025/26
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MSc

Food Consumer Marketing and Product Development

Full-time Food and nutrition

Enhance your evidence-based knowledge of food and consumer science while developing practical, technical and business skills – applying them to scenarios relevant to food marketing or product development careers.

Everything you need to know...

  • Pound sign

    What is the fee?

    Home: £10,620 for the course
    International/EU: £17,725 for the course

  • Time

    How long will I study?

    1 Year

  • Location

    Where will I study?

    City Campus

  • Date

    When do I start?

    September 2025
    January 2026


Course summary

  • Gain a detailed understanding of consumer behaviour within global food systems.
  • Explore marketing principles that drive purchasing behaviours.  
  • Study food composition, ingredients and processing technologies in depth.  
  • Develop safe, nutritious and sustainable food products in state-of-the-art facilities.  
  • Explore responsible and ethical solutions to food business challenges.   

On the MSc Food Consumer Marketing and Product Development course you’ll consider sustainability, corporate social responsibility, legislative issues and business ethics. You’ll develop and apply masters-level skills – academic, research, managerial, practical, technical and analytical – all preparing you for a future career in the dynamic, fast-paced food industry. 

Accredited by
  • Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)

The course is accredited by The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) for the purpose of gaining exemptions from units on CIM qualifications. Students may have the opportunity to join The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) as a Studying Member.



Work Placement Route

For international students wishing to undertake a placement as part of this course, you must apply to the Food Consumer Marketing and Product Development (work experience route). Transferring to the work experience route later will not be possible due to visa restrictions.

Sheffield Business School accreditation

Sheffield Business School is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and has been awarded the Business School Impact System label by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD).

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How you learn

Graduate view
Muslem Diraneyya

'The course was a great experience for me. It strengthened my food tech background, and introduced me to food marketing as well as the complex UK retail market. It's been a valuable addition to my career.'

Muslem Diraneyya, MSc Food Consumer Marketing and Product Development, 2017 graduate

  

On this course you’ll apply theoretical knowledge in practical ways, aligned to real-world challenges facing the food sector. You’ll develop and apply key skills including gap and competitor analysis, benchmarking and sensory testing techniques – alongside tailored managerial and business skills such as human resource and financial management.

You’ll build a broad knowledge of food processing and safety, product development, business-to-business and consumer marketing and the food chain. You’ll then apply your learning to commercially relevant scenarios in our state-of-the-art specialist kitchens and laboratories. You’ll also have opportunities to develop managerial and research skills relevant to the food sector. 

The course is delivered on-campus over three trimesters, with teaching scheduled based on the length of your course and the academic calendar. Our research-active staff will deliver up-to-date taught sessions informed by current thinking. You’ll be able to undertake a research project relevant to food marketing, food science, consumer science or product development.

You learn through: 

  • lectures, seminars and workshops 
  • practical sessions 
  • real-world projects 
  • case studies 
  • academic research 
  • a final project 

Key themes

We’ll begin with the underlying science of food, including food composition, ingredient functionality, nutrient functionality, food safety, quality assurance and global food systems. Alongside this, you’ll explore sustainable business strategy to understand how food businesses operate, such as financial and human resource management. 

You’ll undertake practicals and workshops in our specialist laboratories, kitchens and sensory suite. Here you’ll gain the skills you’ll later apply to develop new food products that meet the global market demand for sustainable, healthy, safe and nutritious food for all. 

You’ll also explore drivers of consumer behaviour, and how these inform food marketing, advertising and branding. Then you’ll progress to your project – your chance to bring together the practical, theoretical, research and knowledge-based skills you’ve developed throughout the course.

Course-level support

You’ll be supported by industry-experienced academic staff – as well as an academic adviser, an employability adviser and a student support adviser. We’ll also encourage you to collaborate with peers in both your learning and in extra-curricular activities, so you can benefit from a sense of course community.

You’ll mostly be assessed through coursework, with workshops to provide you with regular feedback. Where appropriate, we’ll build flexibility and personalisation into the assessment design to allow you to tailor your own learning.

  • Our teaching is digitally enriched, with opportunities to engage online with peers and tutors.   
  • You’ll be welcomed onto campus with in-person workshops.   
  • Supported independent study builds confidence and resilience, shaping individual creative practice.  
  • You’ll collaborate with other students, staff and organisations to develop the personal and professional competencies required for a career in the food or marketing industries.  
Your lecturer's view
Watch lecturer Dr Leonardo Guevara talk about this course.

Course leaders and tutors

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Jo Pearce
Senior Lecturer in Nutrition

Staff profile for Jo Pearce Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University

Applied learning

When you graduate, if you choose to register with the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST) or the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), you’ll need to undertake regular continued professional development (CPD) to further your career – and to reflect on the value of CPD. 

To support your development of this key skill, we embed work-related learning throughout the course and assessments, offering you chances to engage in personal and professional development and reflection. These work-related learning opportunities may include simulated work experience, volunteering, networking, conferences, university-wide initiatives, guest lectures by external speakers or real-life project briefs.

For example, previous students have used Nutritics to analyse diets or recipes or to produce nutrition panels and labels.

Networking opportunities

You’ll be able to meet or network with professionals through guest lectures from visiting academics, researchers and other professionals.


Future careers

This course prepares you to work in a range of food marketing, brand/account management, product development or technical roles in the food industry. Your course has embedded support from an academic to help you prepare for your future career. The University also offers workshops and support sessions.

This course prepares you for a career in:  

  • food product development 
  • food regulation and labelling 
  • food industry policy 
  • procurement and food supplier management 
  • food quality management 

Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for: 

  • retailers e.g. Morrisons 
  • food Manufacturers e.g. Finsbury Food Group, Greencore 
  • NHS Trusts 
  • local council 
  • voluntary, community and social enterprises 

Where will I study?

You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

City Campus

City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.

City Campus map | City Campus tour 


City Campus map
Location

Howard Street
Sheffield
S1 1WB

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Equipment and facilities

You’ll benefit from state-of-the-art learning environments, including IT-equipped lecture halls, specialised hardware and software resources, interactive group workspaces, and a continuously expanding library.   

On this course you’ll have access to: 

  • industry-standard professional development kitchens for food product development 
  • support from specialist technicians  
  • ingredients provided to support your learning
  • assistance from our specialist procurement team 
  • our 12-booth specialist sensory suite, sensory kitchen and discussion room 
  • specialist sensory analysis software 
  • nutrition labs measuring anthropometric and biochemical markers of health  
  • food analysis labs measuring chemical and physical properties of foods 
  • specialist dietary analysis software such as Nutritics

Entry requirements

All students

Normally one of the following in a relevant subject

• an honours degree, 2.2 or above

• an equivalent recognised qualification

• an HND with significant relevant industrial experience

Relevant subjects include • business • science • social science • a food related discipline

In exceptional circumstances we consider candidates without formal qualifications who demonstrate the necessary experience, intellect and motivation. You may also be able to claim credit points which can reduce the amount of time it takes to complete your qualification at Sheffield Hallam. Find out more

Work Experience Route

If English is not your first language you will need an IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum 6.0 in all skills.

Non Work Experience Route

If English is not your first language you will need an IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum 5.5 in all skills.

If your English language skill is currently below the required level we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.

Additional information for EU/International students

If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.

For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.


Modules studied may differ depending on when you start your course.

Modules

Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.

Modules studied may differ depending on when you start your course.

Final year

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Developing Food Products
Credits 30
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Food Marketing And Consumer Behaviour
Credits 30
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Global Food Systems, Quality And Sustainability
Credits 30
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Sustainable Business Strategy
Credits 30
Assessment Coursework(100%)

Elective modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Consultancy
Credits 60
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Dissertation
Credits 60
Assessment Coursework(100%)

Fees and funding

Home students

Our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £10,620 for the course.

If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.

International students

Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £17,725 for the course.

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Postgraduate student loans

Up to £11,222 available for Home students on most masters courses.

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Additional course costs

The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.

General course additional costs

Additional costs for Sheffield Business School (PDF, 142KB)

Legal information

Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.

 

How do I apply?

You apply for this course via our online application form.

Apply for September 2025

You can also use the application form above to apply for future years of entry.

Not ready to apply just yet?

Why not come to our next open day? Open days are the perfect place to talk to staff and students, visit our campuses and get all the information you need. Alternatively, feel free to ask us a question.

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Why choose us?

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Teaching

We are Gold rated in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) for the outstanding quality of our teaching and student outcomes

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Facilities

Practise in our £3.5m development kitchens and laboratories, using industry-standard equipment

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Employment

95% of our UK graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduating (2021/22 Graduate Outcomes Survey)

Where next?

Find out more about Sheffield Hallam's postgraduate opportunities and community.

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Information for international students

Information for international students including entry requirements by country and funding.

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