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Health Food Innovation Management

Admission requirements

On this page, you will find important details of the application process (such as deadlines, admission requirements, required documents and application assessment) for the master’s programme in Health Food Innovation Management for academic year 2025-2026.

Important deadlines for application

The master’s programme in Health Food Innovation Management starts in September

The deadlines below are applicable for applying for applicants who want to start their studies in September 2025

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Date What you need to know about this date
1 October 2024 Studielink is open for applications for the academic year 2025-2026
1 May 2025, 23:59 CET Deadline for completing the entire application process for non-EU/EEA applicants (these applicants require a visa or residence permit)
1 June 2025, 23:59 CET Deadline for completing the entire application process for applicants from the EU/EEA or Switzerland
31 August 2025, 23:59 CET Deadline for providing the UM with information on your previous statistics education
1 February 2025, 23:59 CET Application deadline for non-EU/EEA applicants who want to be considered for the UM High Potential/Holland Scholarship.

Please note:

  • In Studielink you need to choose the starting moment. Please make sure to select September 2025 in the pulldown menu, so that you will apply for the start of the next academic year

The information on this page is for students who would like to start in academic year 2025-2026. Please click here to look into the admission requirements for academic year 2024-2025.

 

Are you a non-EU citizen requiring a visa/residence permit for study?
 

Please note that Maastricht University can only formally apply for your visa/residence permit if you have met all admission and enrolment requirements.

This means you have to have completed all admission and enrolment tasks in the MyApplication portal (except the ‘visa/residence permit’-task and the ‘send certified copy of diploma’-task) before we can send your application to the IND (Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service).

We have to send the application to the IND before 1 July if you are starting your studies in September. Please note: a few pre-master and master programmes offer a start in February. If you’re study programme offers a start in February and you want to start your studies in February, we have to send the application to the IND before 1 December. You can find out if your study programme offers a start in February on the admission requirements web page of that programme (pre-master’s, master’s).

Therefore, we strongly recommend that you reconsider applying for this study programme if you are not sure that you will meet the following requirements before 1 July/1 December (if applicable in your situation): 

  • Having remedied all subject and/or language deficiencies (if applicable)
  • Having qualified for admission to your study programme, including being selected (if applicable to your study programme) AND
  • Having paid the tuition fee for your study programme

General requirements: previous education

The admission requirements for academic year 2025-2026 for the master’s programme in Health Food Innovation Management depend on your previous education. Please check below which requirements apply to you.

For the master’s programme in Health Food Innovation Management, admission takes place on the basis of your previous education and suitability. For this, your motivation and your prior qualifications are important.

Pre-master's in Health Food Innovation Management

Are you interested in following this master's programme, but do you not yet meet the admission requirements? Consider pursuing our pre-master in Venlo!

Graduates from a relevant university bachelor’s programme

You qualify for admission if you have:

  • a relevant bachelor's degree from a Dutch university;
  • a relevant bachelor's degree from an EU/EEA university;
  • a relevant bachelor's degree from a non-EU/EEA university;
  • a relevant university master's degree.

Direct qualification for admission

Students who obtained a bachelor’s degree at a Dutch university in Health Sciences (track Biology and Health) or in Biomedical Sciences, as well as students with a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Health, qualify directly for admission. They do not need to write a letter of motivation.

Please note: you have to pass your bachelor’s exam before 1 September 2025

Relevant domains are:

  • Molecular and Biophysical Life Sciences

  • Psychobiology

  • Human Movement Sciences

  • Biology

  • Pharmacy

  • Chemistry

  • Gezondheid en Leven

  • Biomedical Sciences

  • Health Sciences (track Biology and Health)

  • Human Nutrition

    Medicine

  • Life Sciences (at least 50% human health/physiology related courses)

  • Molecular Life Sciences

Graduates from a university of applied sciences (HBO, Hochschule)

You qualify for admission if you have:

  • a relevant bachelor's degree from a Dutch university of applied sciences
  • a relevant bachelor's degree from an EU/EEA university of applied sciences
  • a relevant bachelor's degree from a non-EU/EEA university of applied sciences

Relevant domains are:

  • Biologie en Medisch Laboratoriumonderzoek
  • Mens en Techniek

  • Dietetics

  • Nutrition

  • Applied Science
  • Biology
  • Pharmacy
  • Chemistry
  • Master Duurzame en gezonde voeding
  • Track: Molecular Health

Additional requirements

Statistics

Some candidates need to complete a statistics course. The statistics course should focus on statistics for life sciences and at least include knowledge on statistical comparison tests and use of statistical analysis software, such as SPSS. You can complete a statistics course at Maastricht University or at another institute.

More information on the required contents of the course on statistics will be discussed during the admissions interview.

Please note: if statistics was part of your bachelor’s programme, you will have to upload the following documents before 31 August 2024 in the MyApplication portal under the task ‘Prove proficiency in statistics’:

  • Proof of all relevant statistics courses that you followed during your bachelor’s programme
  • A separate Word document with the following information:
    • Name of the course(s)
    • Number of credits you received
    • Short description of the course(s) (max. 10 sentences per course)

If you did not take any statistics courses during your previous education, please upload a document stating this.

 Also send these documents by email to hfim-admissions@maastrichtuniversity.nl

Language requirements for English-language master's programmes

As English is the language of instruction in this study programme, it is essential that your English language skills are good enough for you to undertake intensive and challenging academic courses that are taught and examined in English.

Answer the questions below to find out if you meet the language requirements.

Applicants who received their previous education in a non-EU/EEA country (handling fee)

Applicants for this study programme who received their previous education in a non-EU/EEA country will have to pay a handling fee. More information on this handling fee and how to arrange this payment can be found on the Handling fee page.

Documents required for application process

During the application process for this study programme you will need to complete a number of tasks for which you will often have to upload documents.The list below gives you an insight into what documents you will (and might) need to prepare.

Required documents for all applicants to this study programme

  • A recent passport picture requirements.
    You can find these requirements in the task description 'Upload portrait picture' in the MyApplication portal.
  • A copy of your valid passport or your EU/EEA identity card*
    Make a copy of the page with your personal details. Save this copy as ‘passport copy’ and not as ‘passport picture’.
  • A copy of your most recent grades transcript/diploma
    If you have not graduated yet, you can upload your official grades transcript from your bachelor's programme.
  • Your curriculum vitae
    Please list your education, relevant extracurricular activities and internship/professional experience.
  • A letter of motivation
    Please provide good arguments about why you want to do this master's programme at Maastricht University and why you believe that you can successfully complete the programme.

*As a UM student it is not necessary to upload these documents in the MyApplication portal. Unless your passport is not valid on 1 September 2024; in that case you do have to upload a copy of your passport.

Documents that might be required depending on your (academic) background

  • Document(s) that demonstrate your proficiency in English
    Answer the questions concerning language requirements under ‘Language requirements for English-language master’s programmes’ on this webpage to find out if you need to provide additional documentation. The outcome of your answers will indicate which documents you can use to prove your proficiency.

  • Statistics information (if statistics was part of your bachelor’s programme)
    Proof of all relevant statistics courses that you followed during your bachelor’s programme AND a separate Word document with the following information:

    • Name of the course(s)

    • Number of credits you received

    • Short description of the course(s) (max. 10 sentences per course)

You can upload these documents in the MyApplication portal under the task ‘Prove proficiency in statistics’.

How do we assess your application?

When you want to apply or are applying for this study programme, it is useful to know how we assess your application. You can find more information about this below.

For the master’s programme in Health Food Innovation Management, admission takes place on the basis of your previous education and suitability. For this, your motivation and your prior qualifications are important. 

Students who have completed certain bachelor’s programmes at Maastricht University qualify directly for admission. Students who graduated within another relevant university domain, have to provide a complete file which will be assessed by the Board of Admissions. An entrance interview is (in most cases) also part of the admissions process.
The interview focuses on your academic plans and how you intend to accomplish these through an education at the master’s in Health Food Innovation Management. The starting point for the interview is your letter of motivation, CV and transcript. The interview is conducted in English by one or two staff members and lasts approximately 30-45 minutes. It is an informative online  meeting. and usually takes place at Campus Venlo or, for international students, via Microsoft Teams.

Detailed information on relevant university domains and on the to be submitted documents can be found on this web page.