RP is pilot site of Asian agro-industries MS program

The Philippines is the pilot site in the implementation of an Asian master’s degree program in agro-food industries studies.

Set to begin this June, the academic offering is called "ASEAN-European International Program-Master of Science in Food Science and Technology Specializing in Agro-food Industries Studies."

The degree will be awarded by the French Ecole National Superiure des Industries Agricoles et Alimentaires-Section Industries Agro-Alimentaires Regions Chaudes (ENSIA-SIARC). ENSIA (National Food Science Engineering Institute) is the oldest and famous French institute based in Montpellier.

The program will be conducted at the SEAMEO Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) based in the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) campus. SEARCA is one of the 14 "centers of excellence" of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO).

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), through its Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI), will support the program by providing access to its laboratories and facilities for the practical applications of the 19-month academic program.

A memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the program’s implementation has been signed by ENSIA director Ives Demarne, SEARCA director Dr. Ruben L. Villareal, and DOST Secretary Dr. Estrella F. Alabastro.

With ENSIA’s guarantee of excellence, the program provides students opportunities to further their knowledge in food science and technology that will equip them with a global approach of industrial food business aspects and to develop their methodology applied to an industrial topic.

Target public are Asian students with a Bachelor’s Degree of Science (B.Sc.) or equivalent in Agro-Industry, Food Science and Technology, or related fields with good academic standing. Candidates from the private sector with adequate scientific background are also accepted.

Under the agreement, ENSIA-SIARC shall set as the lead institution in the implementation of the program. It shall be responsible for project management as far as overseeing the performance of the graduate students and the professors/instructors are concerned.

It will also take the lead in program marketing and fund sourcing and administer the funds from donor agencies and provide slots for qualified DOST-ITDI personnel members to participate in the program.

SEARCA, through its Agro-Industrial Development Program (AIDP), shall set as the Southeast Asian counterpart in the implementation of the program. It will coordinate all program activities.

It will also assist ENSIA-SIARC in disseminating project information to the concerned universities, particularly the professors who will conduct the international course.