M.Sc Dairy Engineering course is a two-year postgraduate programme that offers the knowledge of dairy sciences to graduate students. The course is covered over four semesters, and each course year contains two semesters of six months each. The Master of Science programme in Dairy Engineering focuses on the education of dairy products using the concepts of engineering. Students pursuing this course can learn about all aspects of dairy engineering, ranging from milk production to dairy products consumption.
The course trains students in milk handling, dairy products processing, product packaging and storage, and logistics and product distribution. It aims at educating students on the practices followed for milk quality management and its safe consumption by humans. By doing the M.Sc Dairy Engineering course, students not only learn about milk quality improvement and spoilage prevention but also about keeping it edible and increasing its shelf life. They gain the knowledge of producing, processing and handling of dairy items.
To gain success in the M.Sc Dairy Engineering course, it is important that students have a keen interest in the domain of dairying. On top of that, they should possess the following skills and knowledge to excel in the course:
Excellent subject knowledge of Engineering, Mathematics, and Chemistry
Effective oral and written communication
Good knowledge of computers
Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
Teamwork ability to work efficiently with other experts
Analytical skills
An innovative mind
As it is a highly specialised course, it is not available widely. Still, a few renowned institutions offer the M.Sc Dairy Engineering course on a full-time study basis. Such public and private institutes are recognised by UGC, AIU or ICAR. Following is a listing of some of the best names for pursuing a PG course in dairy engineering:
National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal
College of Dairy and Food Science Technology, Udaipur
Seth MC College of Dairy Science, Anand
Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Dairy Science and Technology, Patna
Please note that these institutions offer the top-quality education in the area of dairy engineering. The course fee may differ for each institution. Still, the average fee may fall between INR 10,000 and INR 30,000.
After students complete the course in dairy engineering, they can work in the fast-expanding dairy industry that is producing a variety of dairy products, maintain their quality standards, and market them to consumers. Students get honed to become such professionals who can handle all jobs ranging from dairy equipment design to plant design.
After passing the M.Sc Dairy Engineering course, students can work with dairy equipment manufacturers, as well as with other organisations connected to the dairy sector. They can occupy a variety of job roles, such as those of a dairy engineer, project manager or dairy technologist. Several types of jobs are available related to equipment fabrication, project execution, dairy products marketing, testing and quality assurance, etc. Professionals with the knowledge of engineering can further excel in their career if they have also done PhD.
Candidates who are interested in applying for admission in the M.Sc Dairy Engineering course need to fulfil some basic eligibility criteria. Here are these criteria:
The candidate must possess a Bachelor’s degree from a recognised university. The graduation degree can be in the same subject or any relevant subject that a specific institution allows. However, most institutions offering the dairy engineering course at postgraduate level demand the candidate to have studied the subjects of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and English at 10+2 level.
The candidate should have secured a minimum percentage of marks that every institution decides for offering admission. Please note that the minimum marks criterion may vary for varied candidate categories based on the conditions of reservation.
The candidate must appear for the entrance exam based on which a particular institution offers admission in its M.Sc Dairy Engineering course. In most cases, every institution or university conducts its own entrance exam. However, a few institutions may also accept the scores of other popular exams like the ICAR PG Entrance Exam in Dairy Technology. Thus, the candidate must ensure which exam he/she needs to pass in order to seek admission in a specific institution of choice.
The M.Sc Dairy Engineering course is a highly specialised programme. There are no further specialisations available under this course. On the other hand, the course offers a detailed knowledge of the domain of dairy engineering to students pursuing it. They not only learn about dairy microbiology and engineering but also about dairy business management. Students also gain the knowledge of milk industry, marketing, dairy technology, quality assurance, animal nutrition and breeding, dairy chemistry, and dairy plant management.