Process & Food Technology - The Hague University (THUAS)

The programme

The PFT programme consists of two main pillars: food technology and chemical engineering. Themes in the first two years are water purification, sustainable food production, (in)organic chemistry, polymer science and technology (plastics and 3D printing). PFT’s specialised theoretical framework, mixed with a variety of hands-on group projects with industry partners, will help form you into a state-of-the-art food or chemical specialist engineer. PFT includes an internship and graduation internship period. Alumni of Thuas are highly valued by companies such as Dutch Royal Shell, Heineken, P&G, and Unilever for their advanced technical skills, multicultural communication skills and strong practical project working abilities.

Year 1
Year one of PFT will teach you the fundamentals of engineering, such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and microbiology. From day one, you’ll receive regular assignments from food and biochemical companies, to make the theory more interesting and more applicable to real life examples. For example, you’ll learn how to make your own cheese, or produce the white pigment found in toothpaste, paper or plastic chairs. To add to these theoretical skills, you’ll conduct weekly laboratory sessions. Alongside the technical subjects, you’ll learn communication and career skills, also known as ‘soft’ or social skills, to enhance your career prospects and to prepare you for great internships.

Year 2
You’ll start year two by taking a major in Risk Management, where you’ll design a safe and sustainable processing plant. Again, you’ll deal with real companies who want to reinvigorate their production processes. This time, the expectations will be even higher. Perhaps you’ll work with Sensus to come up with new food products using the inulin in chicory, or you could work with Akzo Nobel to make ultra-high quality paint.

Year 3
In year three, you’ll start with an optional minor. Perhaps you want to gain even more advanced technical skills, or you’d like to learn something in another engineering discipline such as industrial, mechanical or electrical engineering. You can also pick something completely unrelated to PFT and become a more rounded professional, or attend another university for this course.

Half of year three is dedicated to doing either one long internship (20 weeks) or two smaller internships (10 weeks each). The programme has strong links with many industry and university partners from all over the world. Examples of companies where students have done their internships include Unilever, BASF, AB Inbev, Sensus and BP. The Hague University encourages their students to do their internships abroad. In the last block of the year, you can choose a chemical or food specialisation.

Year 4
The first half of year four consists of two more blocks of specialisations. Options include more food or chemical related courses (and a specialisation project), or a management block. The last semester of PFT is the graduation phase of the programme. You’ll apply your last 3.5 years of learning to a 40-page practice-based thesis and formal defence ceremony at THUAS.

Career prospects
The multidisciplinary nature of PFT means that you’ll be attractive to employers from all kinds of industries and many of the skills you obtain are transferrable to different professions.
Like the study programme, your career prospects are very broad and job roles include: Operations technician / Food technologist / Product designer / Quality controller / Security advisor / Chief fire-fighter / Drug safety medical advisor / Process safety engineer / Production specialist / Research technician