Innovative Dairy Chain Management (MSc)

Conducting change and innovation in the international dairy sector

The international dairy food chain is in transition. Society more and more demands alternatives for dairy and alternative sources of proteins. This transition to a future proof dairy food chain is needed. To accomplish this transition, the dairy sector needs Facilitator of Change: leaders who have a helicopter view on the chain and who implement change.

What are sustainable and innovative dairy or protein-based solutions for the future? How and in what way should the governance regulations, within this dairy sector, be changed to secure and improve the situation for all stakeholders involved? How can we improve the quality and assurance of fresh dairy products and their plant-based alternatives? What are future proof business models and how to implement them? How can we involve and lead all stakeholders to the transition needed? If these questions stimulate you to have impact in shaping the future of the dairy food chain, this professional master Innovative Dairy Chain Management (IDCM) is for you!

Why choose the IDCM master programme?

In this master, as facilitator of change, you utilise the specialist knowledge gained during your bachelor (in the field of agribusiness, animal husbandry or food technology) in the context of the dairy food chain:

• You will learn how to respond to future nutritional trends with creative dairy solutions. (Innovations)
• You will learn to define and evaluate the required changes in the governance system in the dairy food chain. (Governance)
• You will learn to value and evaluate quality and assurance requirements in dairy and plant-based processes to meet current and future customer demands. (Quality Assurance)
• You will learn how to bridge contradictive interests of different stakeholders in the chain.
  and collaborate to find a future proof solution. (Governance and Business Development)
• You will visit different dairy farmers and (plant-based) processors during the master and work together with partner organisations to apply gained knowledge. 
• You are a dairy food chain innovator: you contribute to a dairy food chain that lasts and in which everyone benefits. 

Location

Leeuwarden will be your student city for the duration of this master. IDCM in an English-taught programme, for which you will have to take a qualification test. International students have the possibility to study the second part of the master programme online. This applies to the study units Research Design & Implementation and the thesis. Online tools will be used to guide you with assignments and your thesis. This way, your residence in the Netherlands can be limited to 20 weeks. This may save you a lot in travel and housing costs.

Part-time or full-time

It is possible to enroll in a full-time or part-time programme of this master. If you choose full-time, the master has a duration of one year. When you choose part-time, the programme is spread over two or three years. In that case, the first and second trimester are concluded with a certificate.

Scholarships

Our Master programmes are eligible for the Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP). (OKP) is targeted at professionals from selected countries who, after their studies in the Netherlands, will be able to further develop and strengthen the organisations at which they work.

The master IDCM is being developed through the Education Programme of the Dairy Campus which is subsidised by the SNN (Samenwerkingsverband Noord Nederland).