10 Of The World's Best Business Schools For Foodies

The food and beverage industry is set to see global growth between 2016-and-2021, according to a report by Gulfoods—up to 4.6% is being reported in the Asia-Pacific.

By 2030, there will also be an additional one billion consumers worldwide to sell your products to. So, if you’re thinking of going into the food industry, now is the time.

But, to make sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew, you’re going to need the best food-related business knowledge there is on offer.

So,without further ado, here’s our menu of the best business schools in the world serving up degrees for foodies:

1. SDA Bocconi

The Master of Management in Food and Beverage at Bocconi focuses on preparing students for careers in a wide variety of areas related to food and beverage production, including manufacturing, retail, and hotel management. 

With Italy’s historic love of food, it’s no surprise that the program has links to some of the top food and beverage companies in the country, such as Danone, Lavazza, and San Pellegrino.

2. Harvard Business School

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Harvard might not have a dedicated MBA for the food and beverage industry, but it does offer a gastronomy-based specialization.

The elective in Food and Agribusiness on the highly-ranked MBA program takes a broader look at the sector, touching on technological advances, public policy, and risk management.

The elective is also taught by Forest Reinhardt, who has previously written books on how business principles can be applied to environmental issues—so you’ll be learning from the very best.

3. University of Alberta

Alberta’s unique MBA/Masters in Agriculture joint degree gives you the opportunity to combine studies in management and the food industry.

The program is taught in collaboration with the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, a department that dates to 1915!

The department is focused on solving current global problems including effective ways of growing food, sustainable forestry, and investigating nutrition and health.

4. University of Indiana Kelley School of Business

The Kelley School of Business offers a joint MBA/Master of Science in agricultural economics alongside Purdue University’s College of Agriculture.

Instead of a standard thesis, students on the program will participate in a capstone project at the culmination of the program, which gives an opportunity to apply your studies to a specific research area.

With Purdue ranked in the top 10 universities worldwide by QS for Agriculture and Forestry this year, and the Kelley MBA in the top 60 globally according to the Financial Times’ 2018 rankings, you’ll be getting two world-class degrees instead of just one.

5. Chicago Booth

On the full-time MBA at Chicago Booth, you’ll have the opportunity to join student-led society FEAD—Food, Environment, Agribusiness, Development.

The group is comprised of over 1,000 current Booth students and alumni with an interest in careers in food and agriculture, and the group routinely put students in touch with large-scale food and agriculture companies.

There’s also no better place to study food production in the US than Chicago. In the early twentieth century, the city was the headquarters of the meatpacking industry, and companies like Quaker Oats, Kraft Foods, and Wrigleys call the city their birthplace.  

6. Royal Agricultural University

The Royal Agricultural University is based in the south-west of England, UK, and was the first agricultural college in the English-speaking world.

Their MBA in International Food and Agribusiness prepares students for senior positions in food corporations across the world, and previous graduates have gone on to work with Moet Hennessy and the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Office.

MBA electives include product development in agribusiness, global meat chains, and entrepreneurship, so you can choose the parts of the food and agribusiness sector that really quench your thirst.

7. University of Guelph

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The University of Guelph is one of Canada’s leading universities for agriculture studies. The College of Business and Economics offer a dedicated MBA in Food and Agribusiness which attracts students from a range of industries including finance, consulting, and tourism.

The program gives you specialized training in the food and agriculture industry. Electives are available in economics as well as policy and marketing decision-making for food and agribusiness managers, allowing you to really get your teeth into the food industry.

8. Sonoma State University

Where better to study the wine business than California? The California wine industry has a $35.2 billion retail value and is the fourth leading wine producer in the world.

To work in such a high-stakes industry, you’ll need both traditional business skills and industry-specific knowledge. Sonoma State University is located in the heart of wine country in California, and their MBA in Wine Business gives you the expert knowledge to succeed in the industry.

Students on the MBA program at Sonoma get all the standard business classes, including managerial finance and human resource management, but also study in-depth electives exclusive to the wine industry, such as international strategies and wine marketing.

9. TIAS School for Business and Society

TIAS is a collaboration between two leading research universities in the Netherlands—Tilburg University and Eindhoven University of Technology.

Their EMBA in Food and Agribusiness is a joint degree between TIAS and another leading research university in the Netherlands, Wageningen—so you benefit from the best faculty from three top universities.

The Netherlands is arguably one of the best places in the world to kickstart your career in the food industry too—the country is second only to the US as the largest exporter of agricultural products in the world. Additionally, five of the top 26 global agribusiness corporations have research and development centers in the Netherlands, including Danone and Heinz.

10. Sokoine University of Agriculture

Sokoine University is located in Morogoro, Tanzania, and their MBA in Agribusiness prepares students for careers in food production, agriculture, or farming.

Tanzania offers a wealth of opportunities for careers in agriculture at the moment, as the government aims to move from a low to middle-economy by 2025. The country has the largest quota of arable land in East Africa but is only utilizing 25% of the 44 million hectares available for agriculture. To boost their economy, the country is aiming to cultivate a further 350,000 hectares of commercial land by 2025.