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AIMS
The 1st Level Master in Food City Design (FCD) aims at forming a manager in food culture, able to keep connections among city municipality, SME, local agricultural food systems, food tourism and citizens, with a peculiar focus on the concepts of food quality and sustainability in terms of production, processing, distribution and any other stage of the food chain that may be relevant for sustainable local food value chains. These managers will be particularly able in the framework of urban regeneration, with a specific competence on food-related issues. The formed figure would work in the public or private sector, including, but not limited to, city municipality, public institutions involved in food procurement, local food production associations, companies involved in food productions and distribution.
VENUE
The FCD master will be held at the School of Advanced Studies on Food and Nutrition of the University of Parma, in Italy. Professors and expert from the Mid Sweden University (Sweden), the University of Alicante (Spain) and the University of Bergen (Norway) will be involved in teaching and training activities. These Universities collaborate with the University of Parma and are all located in cities that are part, together with Parma, of the UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy network.
The total amount of ECTS provided by this course is 60.
ADMISSIONS
Candidates holding at least a 3-years degree equivalent to what is imparted by a qualified Italian academic institution can apply for registration to courses. Registration is, however, subject to the evaluation of title of equivalence by the academic bodies for the sole purpose of registration, as well as the successful completion of an interview with the admission committee, which will be held on Decmber 14th 2020, at 2 PM. The interview will be carried out through the Microsoft TEAMS platform and the details will be provided to the applicants before the colloquium date.
EU students must submit the Diploma Supplement. NON-EU students, and EU students who do not have the Diploma Supplement, must have their documents translated and legalized and obtain the Declaration of Value from the Italian Diplomatic Representation in the country issuing the qualification.
The maximum number of admitted student to the FCD Master is 20.
APPLICATIONS:
Candidates may apply at the following link:
https://www.unipr.it/bandi/didattica/food-city-design-master-internazionale-20202021
(this is the Italian page, completely written in Italian; an English version of the application form and of the call description will be available by mid September; the registration is open until December 12th 2020 at 12.00 (CET)).
REGISTRATION:
Once you click on the hyperlink “register on the ESSE3 system“, an Italian-language page will pop-up.
You can easily access to the English-language version by clicking on the top-right button “Menu“.
ACTIVITIES:
The learning activities will include the following courses, clustered in 5 main areas:
| AREA | COURSE |
| Food procurement | The Parma Bio-District |
| Food procurement | Industrializing and de-industrializing food |
| Food procurement | Food and local development |
| Food Tourism and Local Development | The food museums 1 |
| Food Tourism and Local Development | The food museums 2 |
| Food Tourism and Local Development | Turism & gastronomy |
| Food Tourism and Local Development | Fish production and changing fish consumption |
| Food Tourism and Local Development | Gastronomy Landscape and Food Cities |
| Culture and Creativity (as resources for sustainable regional development) | The case of Parma City of Gastronomy |
| Culture and Creativity (as resources for sustainable regional development) | The case of Östersund City of Gastronomy |
| Culture and Creativity (as resources for sustainable regional development) | Cider production in the Hardanger region |
| Culture and Creativity (as resources for sustainable regional development) | Biodiversity, agriculture and traditional foods |
| Food Environment | The concept of “ethical purchasing group”
(Gruppo di acquisto solidale) |
| Food Environment | The Jämtland-Östersund Foodscape |
| Food Environment | Primary food production and formation of landscape in coastal areas |
| Lifestyle Education and Sustainability | The GIOCAMPUS Project experience |
| Lifestyle Education and Sustainability | The Mid Sweden University Craft Beer Laboratory |
| Lifestyle Education and Sustainability | Local food plants and the Bergen University’s Botanical Garden |
| Lifestyle Education and Sustainability | Food and education policies |
The frontal teaching will be carried out in an intense 1.5 months period (beginning of February to mid-March) in Parma, in the prestigious Council hall of the Gastronomy Hub, in the very center of Parma (see picture below). During these 6 weeks, the students will follow all the courses, for a total of approximately 240 hours, and, at the end of each short cycle, will be evaluated for their knowledge with exams. At least the 70% of the frontal teaching activity has to be in presence (therefore, presence to the lectures will be formally recorded).
If the COVID-19 pandemic will not guarantee adequate safety in the specified period, all the courses will be provided using an on-line platform and all the material will be made digitally available off-line.
PROJECT WORK:
The students will then carry out, individually or in small groups depending on the activity, a project work. This activity will be carried out in one of the four cities involved in the FCD Master (Parma, Denia, Ostersund and Bergen), under the direct supervision of one of the professors and lecturers involved in the frontal teaching. These project works will be directly related to the contents learned during the 1.5 months in Parma and will generate a final report and presentation, that will be held in Parma, at the end of November or early December 2021, where the title will be conferred. The final presentation of each candidate will be carried out during an event organized by the University of Parma, at the presence of many authorities, academics, and companies interested in the field, representing therefore a spectacular opportunity to showcase one’s work and communication skills.
COSTS:
The FCD Master is FREE of charge for the 20 students that will be admitted, thanks to the contribution of the Emilia Romagna Region, granted to the School of Advanced Studies on Food and Nutrition after a competitive call. Travel and accommodation for the students will not be covered, but a number of rooms at a reasonable cost in University residences will be booked for the Master for the six weeks of residency.
Practical information:
All requests for information on the FCD Master should be addressed to: advancedstudies@unipr.it