| Code | Faculty | Department |
|---|---|---|
| 02133321 | Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences | Department: Consumer and Food Sciences |
| Credits | Duration | NQF level |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum duration of study: 4 years | Total credits: 543 | NQF level: 08 |
Important information for all prospective students for 2025
The admission requirements below apply to all who apply for admission to the University of Pretoria with a National Senior Certificate (NSC) and Independent Examination Board (IEB) qualifications. Click here for this Faculty Brochure.
Minimum requirements | |||
Achievement level | |||
English Home Language or English First Additional Language | Mathematics |
Physical Sciences | APS |
NSC/IEB | NSC/IEB | NSC/IEB | |
5 | 5 | 5 | 32 |
Life Orientation is excluded when calculating the APS.
Applicants currently in Grade 12 must apply with their final Grade 11 (or equivalent) results.
Applicants who have completed Grade 12 must apply with their final NSC or equivalent qualification results.
Please note that meeting the minimum academic requirements does not guarantee admission.
Successful candidates will be notified once admitted or conditionally admitted.
Unsuccessful candidates will be notified after 30 June.
Applicants should check their application status regularly on the UP Student Portal at click here.
Applicants with qualifications other than the abovementioned should refer to the International undergraduate prospectus 2025: Applicants with a school leaving certificate not issued by Umalusi (South Africa), available at click here.
International students: Click here.
Transferring students
A transferring student is a student who, at the time of applying at the University of Pretoria (UP) is/was a registered student at another tertiary institution. A transferring student will be considered for admission based on NSC or equivalent qualification and previous academic performance. Students who have been dismissed from other institutions due to poor academic performance will not be considered for admission to UP.
Closing dates: Same as above.
Returning students
A returning student is a student who, at the time of application for a degree programme is/was a registered student at UP, and wants to transfer to another degree at UP. A returning student will be considered for admission based on NSC or equivalent qualification and previous academic performance.
Note:
Closing date for applications from returning students
Unless capacity allows for an extension of the closing date, applications from returning students must be submitted before the end of August via your UP Student Centre.
1.1 Requirements for specific modules
A candidate who:
or
or
1.2 Fundamental modules
A student will be promoted to the following year of study if he or she passed 100 credits of the prescribed credits for a year of study, unless the Dean on the recommendation of the relevant head of department decides otherwise. A student who does not comply with the requirements for promotion to the following year of study, retains the credit for the modules already passed and may be admitted by the Dean, on recommendation of the relevant head of department, to modules of the following year of study to a maximum of 48 credits, provided that it will fit in with both the lecture and examination timetable.
General promotion requirements in the faculty
All students whose academic progress is not acceptable can be suspended from further studies.
OPI 400 (Experiential training in industry): During the first to fourth years of study, students must complete a total of 480 hours experiential training in the industry to develop practical and occupational skills, participate in community engagement and provide service learning. This is equal to 3 weeks x 40 hours (120 hours) per year, according to requirements as determine by the head of department. These “credits” include evidence of experiential training, service learning and community engagement during the four years of the study programme and must be successfully completed together with a complete portfolio before the degree will be conferred. Please note: Various practical and industry interaction activities support the theoretical component of VDS 414 & VDS 424, VDS 413 and FST 413 and take place after hours to develop practical and industry skills.
Minimum credits: 136
Fundamental = 14 credits
Core = 122 credits
Electives = 16 credits
Students who wish to continue with an MSc degree in Food Science must take PHY 131.
Module content:
Find, evaluate, process, manage and present information resources for academic purposes using appropriate technology.
Module content:
Apply effective search strategies in different technological environments. Demonstrate the ethical and fair use of information resources. Integrate 21st-century communications into the management of academic information.
Module content:
The module aims to equip students with the ability to cope with the reading and writing demands of scientific disciplines.
Module content:
This module provides an overview of the fundamentals of marketing by considering the exchange process, customer value, marketing research and the development of a marketing plan. It also addresses the marketing mix elements with specific focus on the seven service marketing elements namely the service product, physical evidence, people, process, distribution, pricing and integrated marketing communication.
Module content:
Simple statistical analysis: Data collection and analysis: Samples, tabulation, graphical representation, describing location, spread and skewness. Introductory probability and distribution theory. Sampling distributions and the central limit theorem. Statistical inference: Basic principles, estimation and testing in the one- and two-sample cases (parametric and non-parametric). Introduction to experimental design. One- and twoway designs, randomised blocks. Multiple statistical analysis: Bivariate data sets: Curve fitting (linear and non-linear), growth curves. Statistical inference in the simple regression case. Categorical analysis: Testing goodness of fit and contingency tables. Multiple regression and correlation: Fitting and testing of models. Residual analysis. Computer literacy: Use of computer packages in data analysis and report writing.
Module content:
General introduction to inorganic, analytical and physical chemistry. Atomic structure and periodicity. Molecular structure and chemical bonding using the VSEPR-model. Nomenclature of inorganic ions and compounds. Classification of reactions: precipitation, acid-base, redox reactions and gas-forming reactions. Mole concept and stoichiometric calculations concerning chemical formulas and chemical reactions. Principles of reactivity: energy and chemical reactions. Physical behaviour gases, liquids, solids and solutions and the role of intermolecular forces. Rate of reactions: Introduction to chemical kinetics.
Module content:
Theory: General physical-analytical chemistry: Chemical equilibrium, acids and bases, buffers, solubility equilibrium, entropy and free energy, electrochemistry. Organic chemistry: Structure (bonding), nomenclature, isomerism, introductory stereochemistry, introduction to chemical reactions and chemical properties of organic compounds and biological compounds, i.e. carbohydrates and aminoacids. Practical: Molecular structure (model building), synthesis and properties of simple organic compounds.
Module content:
Introduction (terminology and anatomical orientation); chemical principles; cytology and histology; neuro-physiology and the senses; haematology and body fluids; cardiovascular system.
Module content:
Respiratory system; nutrition; digestion and metabolism; kidneys and acid-base equilibrium; endocrinology; reproduction physiology and reproduction; skin and body temperatures.
Module content:
The module will introduce the student to the field of Microbiology. Basic Microbiological aspects that will be covered include introduction into the diversity of the microbial world (bacteria, archaea, eukaryotic microorganisms and viruses), basic principles of cell structure and function, microbial nutrition and microbial growth and growth control. Applications in Microbiology will be illustrated by specific examples i.e. bioremediation, animal-microbial symbiosis, plant-microbial symbiosis and the use of microorganisms in industrial microbiology. Wastewater treatment, microbial diseases and food will be introduced using specific examples.
Module content:
Introduction to the molecular structure and function of the cell. Basic chemistry of the cell. Structure and composition of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Ultrastructure and function of cellular organelles, membranes and the cytoskeleton. General principles of energy, enzymes and cell metabolism. Selected processes, e.g. glycolysis, respiration and/or photosynthesis. Introduction to molecular genetics: DNA structure and replication, transcription, translation. Cell growth and cell division.
Module content:
Module 1: Basic food preparation and food preparation techniques. Mise en place, weighing and measurement techniques, equipment and terminology as applied in food preparation. History of the foodservice industry and contemporary chefs. Basic food quality control.
Module 2: Food preparation basics of the following: stocks, soups and sauces
Module content:
Module 1: Principles and practices of food preparation and cooking techniques. Mise en place, weighing and measurement techniques, equipment and terminology as applied in food preparation. Basic food quality control.
Module 2: Food preparation basics of the following: starches and cereals
Module content:
*Students will not be credited for more than one of the following modules for their degree: WTW 134, WTW 165, WTW 114, WTW 158. WTW 134 does not lead to admission to Mathematics at 200 level and is intended for students who require Mathematics at 100 level only. WTW 134 is offered as WTW 165 in the second semester only to students who have applied in the first semester of the current year for the approximately 65 MBChB, or the 5-6 BChD places becoming available in the second semester and who were therefore enrolled for MGW 112 in the first semester of the current year.
Functions, derivatives, interpretation of the derivative, rules of differentiation, applications of differentiation, integration, interpretation of the definite integral, applications of integration. Matrices, solutions of systems of equations. All topics are studied in the context of applications.
Module content:
Note: PHY 131 is aimed at students who will not continue with physics. PHY 131 cannot be used as a substitute for PHY 114.
Units, vectors, one dimensional kinematics, dynamics, work, equilibrium, sound, liquids, heat, thermodynamic processes, electric potential and capacitance, direct current and alternating current, optics, modern physics, radioactivity.
Minimum credits: 136
Module content:
Structural and ionic properties of amino acids. Peptides, the peptide bond, primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure of proteins. Interactions that stabilise protein structure, denaturation and renaturation of proteins. Introduction to methods for the purification of proteins, amino acid composition, and sequence determinations. Enzyme kinetics and enzyme inhibition. Allosteric enzymes, regulation of enzyme activity, active centres and mechanisms of enzyme catalysis. Examples of industrial applications of enzymes and in clinical pathology as biomarkers of diseases. Online activities include introduction to practical laboratory techniques and Good Laboratory Practice; techniques for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of biological molecules; enzyme activity measurements; processing and presentation of scientific data.
Module content:
Carbohydrate structure and function. Blood glucose measurement in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes. Bioenergetics and biochemical reaction types. Glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, glycogen metabolism, pentose phosphate pathway, citric acid cycle and electron transport. Total ATP yield from the complete oxidation of glucose. A comparison of cellular respiration and photosynthesis. Online activities include techniques for the study and analysis of metabolic pathways and enzymes; PO ratio of mitochondria, electrophoresis, extraction, solubility and gel permeation techniques; scientific method and design.
Module content:
Chemical foundations. Weak interactions in aqueous systems. Ionisation of water, weak acids and weak bases. Buffering against pH changes in biological systems. Water as a reactant and function of water. Carbohydrate structure and function. Biochemistry of lipids and membrane structure. Nucleotides and nucleic acids. Other functions of nucleotides: energy carriers, components of enzyme cofactors and chemical messengers. Introduction to metabolism. Bioenergetics and biochemical reaction types. Online activities include introduction to laboratory safety and Good Laboratory Practice; basic biochemical calculations; experimental method design and scientific controls, processing and presentation of scientific data.
Module content:
Biochemistry of lipids, membrane structure, anabolism and catabolism of lipids. Total ATP yield from the complete catabolism of lipids. Electron transport chain and energy production through oxidative phosphorylation. Nitrogen metabolism, amino acid biosynthesis and catabolism. Biosynthesis of neurotransmitters, pigments, hormones and nucleotides from amino acids. Catabolism of purines and pyrimidines. Therapeutic agents directed against nucleotide metabolism. Examples of inborn errors of metabolism of nitrogen containing compounds. The urea cycle, nitrogen excretion. Online activities include training in scientific reading skills; evaluation of a scientific report; techniques for separation analysis and visualisation of biological molecules; hypothesis design and testing, method design and scientific controls.
Module content:
Internal and external influencing factors of consumer behaviour, the consumer's decision process and application fields of consumer behaviour, consumerisms and social responsibility, buying behaviour of consumers in both product and service related industries, consumer psychology and the influence thereof on buying behaviour, psychology of pricing, influencing factors in consumer buying behaviour, the impact of various forms of marketing communication on buying behaviour.
Module content:
Lectures: Food preservation technologies: concept of hurdle technology; heat (blanching, pasteurisation and sterilisation); cold (refrigeration and freezing); concentration and dehydration; food irradiation; fermentation; preservatives; new methods of food preservation. Effect of various food preservation technologies on the microbiological (shelf-life and safety issues), sensory and nutritional quality of foods. Practicals: Practical applications of above processes. Physical, chemical and sensory evaluation of processed foods. Assignment: Application of hurdle technology concept to a specific food product.
Module content:
Growth, replication and survival of bacteria, Energy sources, harvesting from light versus oxidation, regulation of catabolic pathways, chemotaxis. Nitrogen metabolism, iron-scavenging. Alternative electron acceptors: denitrification, sulphate reduction, methanogenesis. Bacterial evolution, systematic and genomics. Biodiversity; bacteria occurring in the natural environment (soil, water and air), associated with humans, animals, plants, and those of importance in foods and in the water industry.
Module content:
Primary sources of migroorganisims in food. Factors affecting the growth and survival of microorganisms in food. Microbial quality, spoilage and safety of food. Different organisms involved, their isolation, screening and detection. Conventional approaches, alternative methods rapid methods. Food fermentations: fermentation types, principles and organisms involved.
Module content:
Consumer decision-making (determinants of informed, responsible consumer decisions, the complexity of consumer decisions), consumer satisfaction, consumer socialisation (consumer education, development of consumer skills), consumerism (consumer protection) and consumer complaint behaviour. Gender issues in consumer decision-making, expenditure patterns of the diverse South African consumer market and globalisation. The UN sustainable development goals #5 and 12 are addressed in this module and all projects are focused on responsible consumption behaviour.
Module content:
Module 1: The study of different food systems with regard to food preparation. Physical and chemical properties and the influence of the composition in food preparation.
Module 2: Food preparation basics of the following: soups and sauces, fruit and vegetables; salads; frozen desserts; gelatine.
Module 3: Origin and development of food habits; Factors influencing habits and choice; Dynamics of food habits.
Influence of religion on food habits. Food habits of different ethnic groups.
All modules encompass sustainable food preparation practices through the principles of waste management, including the utilising and minimization of food waste and portion control. Sustainability is addressed by the food practices of local ethnic cultures, the ingredients used by these cultures and how to utilise these ingredients and substituting ingredients with local alternatives.
Module content:
Module 1: The study of different food systems with regard to food preparation. Physical and chemical properties and the influence of the composition in food preparation.
Module 2: Food preparation basics of the following: meat; poultry; fish, legumes, eggs and milk, baked products (whole spectrum); leavening agents.
Module 3: The influence of culture on cuisines. Study of the cuisines of selected African, European and Eastern countries.
All modules encompass sustainable food preparation practices through the principles of waste management, including the utilising and minimization of food waste and portion control. Sustainability is addressed by the food practices of local ethnic cultures, the ingredients used by these cultures and how to utilise these ingredients and substituting ingredients with local alternatives.
Minimum credits: 124
Module content:
Lectures - Chemistry of major food components: Carbohydrates. Proteins. Lipids. Water. Chemical and nutritional aspects of food processing: implications of different processing techniques on the major food components. Functional properties of the major food components. Modification of functional properties of the major food components. Food analysis methodology. Practical work: Food analysis.
Module content:
Lectures - Basic food analysis and chemistry of the minor food components: Basic food analysis, vitamins, minerals, additives, contaminants. Chemical and nutritional aspects of food processing: implications of different processing techniques on minor food components. Functional properties of the minor food components. Food analysis methodology. Practical work: Food analysis.
Module content:
Planning and layout of food service units for different food service systems. Equipment for food services. Factors influencing the choice and purchasing of equipment for different food service units. Hygiene and safety in food services. management in food service systems. Financial management in food services.
Module content:
The study of nutrients and water regarding their chemical composition, characteristics, basic digestion, absorption, metabolism, functions, food sources and symptoms of deficiency and toxicity. Energy metabolism. Dietary recommendations and guidelines, dietary guides and meal planning. The use and application of food composition tables in dietary analysis.
Module content:
The role of nutrition in the life cycle: Prevention of lifestyle related diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer, coronary heart disease, tooth decay. Protein energy malnutrition and obesity.
Module content:
Planning executing and reporting consumer food research. Food preservation and evaluation techniques. Experiments in food, emphasizing ingredient function and standard preparation methods. Application of experimental methods through which the chemical and physical reactions of food to different food handling, preparation and preservation techniques are illustrated. Quality evaluation and consumer orientated sensory evaluation of food products.
Module content:
Module 1: Restaurant management. Table setting, table serving, wine service, food and wine pairing, beverage management.
Module 2: Menu planning for different food service systems and styles of food service.
Module 3: Large scale food procurement, consumption and storage.
Practical work: Principles of large-scale food preparation and the practical application thereof in a practical restaurant situation. Recipe formats and adjustment applicable to large-scale food preparation. Work scheduling and the practical exposure to the use of large scale catering equipment in a real life situation.
The UN sustainable development goals #3; 8; 9; 11 and 12 are addressed during the theory components and practical sessions. Projects are focused on identifying not only critical areas of concern but also possible mitigating strategies thus encouraging initiatives to achieve good health and well-being, responsible industry consumption, production community engagement and economic growth.
Minimum credits: 147
Additional information:
OPI 400 (Experiential training in industry): During the first to fourth years of study, students must complete a total of 480 hours experiential training in the industry to develop practical and occupational skills, participate in community engagement and provide service learning. This is equal to 3 weeks x 40 hours (120 hours) per year, according to requirements as determine by the head of department. These “credits” include evidence of experiential training, service learning and community engagement during the four years of the study programme and must be successfully completed together with a complete portfolio before the degree will be conferred. Please note: Various practical and industry interaction activities support the theoretical component of VDS 414 & VDS 424, VDS 413 and FST 413 and take place after hours to develop practical and industry skills.
Module content:
Principles and applications of sensory evaluation. Types of panels, tests and test conditions and their functions. Selection and training of panellists for descriptive sensory evaluation. Instrumental sensory quality measurements. Statistical analysis and interpretation of data. Practicals: Practical aspects and execution of sensory evaluation techniques, analysis and interpretation of data.
Module content:
During the first to fourth years of study students must complete a total of 600 hours experiential training in the industry to develop practical and occupational skills, participate in community engagement and provide service learning. This is equal to 3 weeks x40 hours (120 hours) per year for the first to third year and 6 weeks x 40 hours in the fourth year, including the following:
or
These ‘credits’ comprise 50 learning hours and the balance of the hours include work-related experience evidence of experiential training, service learning and community engagement during the four years of the degree programme and must be successfully completed together with a complete portfolio before the degree will be conferred.
Please note: Various practical and industry-interaction activities support the theoretical component of VDS 322, 413, 414, 417, 424, 427 and FST 412 (as applicable to the respective Consumer Science programmes) and take place after hours to develop practical and industry skills.
Module content:
Research methodology. Plan, execute and report research project in clothing retail management, food retail management, hospitality management or culinary science.
Module content:
The professional food service manager’s roles, responsibilities and characteristics. Contemporary leadership and management styles in food service systems. Professionalism and ethics. Advanced food service systems and production management techniques and training facilitation. Marketing of food services.
All lectures and practical discussion sessions focus on the role of food service management in addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goal #12 to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns. The practical components of presenting a workshop and setting up a small business encourages innovation and entrepreneurial growth and sustainability, thereby addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goal #8 to promote full and productive employment and economic growth.
Module content:
Recipe development process. Development of appropriate recipes and food products for a given situation.
Standardisation of recipes. Food styling and food photography.
The UN sustainable development goals #3; 8; 9; 11 and 12 are addressed during the theory components and practical sessions. Projects are focused on identifying not only critical areas of concern but also possible mitigating strategies thus encouraging innovation to achieve good health and well-being, responsible industry consumption, production community engagement and economic growth.
Module content:
Role playing factors relating to consumer behaviour, food procurement and consumption. The introduction of the 2011 Consumer protection act and food labelling laws. Consumer education in relation to consumers’ social responsibility. The UN sustainable development goal #12 is addressed in this subject. Projects are focused on consumer education, responsible consumer consumption and household production as well as community engagement.
Module content:
Advanced food preparation and presentation techniques. Event planning and banqueting for Hospitality Management students and a culinary science project application for Culinary Science students.
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