Engineering

Master of Science in Agricultural Processing Engineering

The Master of Science in Agricultural Processing Engineering is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in agricultural processing, food engineering, and post-harvest technology. The programme provides specialised training in food processing, post-harvest handling, process design, and agricultural product storage.

Core areas include agricultural processing, food engineering, post-harvest technology, process design, thermal processing, storage engineering, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, laboratory sessions, and research.

The programme is offered by Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology as a public institution. The University of Nairobi offers a related MSc in Environmental and Biosystems Engineering with a Process and Food Engineering specialisation. Both programmes are available over two years.

Students develop competencies in agricultural processing, food engineering, process design, post-harvest technology, and research. The programme includes coursework, examinations, laboratory sessions, and a supervised research thesis, preparing graduates for agricultural processing engineering practice and research roles.

JKUAT charges approximately KES 181,000 per year while UoN charges approximately KES 524,000 per year for the related programme. No private university confirmed offering this exact programme. Entry requires at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in Agricultural Engineering, Food Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as agricultural processing engineers, food engineers, process engineers, post-harvest technologists, quality assurance managers, and lecturers across food processing firms, agricultural companies, research institutions, and universities.

Skills Required

Agricultural Processing and Food Engineering
Post-Harvest Technology and Handling
Process Design and Optimisation
Thermal Processing and Preservation
Storage Engineering and Management
Food Quality and Safety Systems
Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Design
Computer-Aided Process Engineering
Research Methods in Agricultural Engineering
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Agricultural Processing and Food Engineering
Post-Harvest Technology and Handling
Process Design and Optimisation
Thermal Processing and Preservation
Storage Engineering and Management
Food Quality and Safety Systems
Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Design
Computer-Aided Process Engineering
Research Methods in Agricultural Engineering
Thesis Research

Certifications

EBK Professional Registration
CIGR Membership

Specializations

Food Processing Engineering

Focuses on food processing, covering food, processing, engineering, preservation, and managing food processing engineering and preservation.

Post-Harvest Technology

Examines post-harvest technology, covering post-harvest, technology, handling, storage, and managing post-harvest technology and handling.

Process Design and Optimisation

Covers process design, covering process, design, optimisation, engineering, and managing process design and optimisation.

Thermal Processing

Focuses on thermal processing, covering thermal, processing, heat, preservation, and managing thermal processing and preservation.

Storage Engineering

Examines storage engineering, covering storage, engineering, silos, management, and managing storage engineering and management.

Agricultural Machinery Design

Covers machinery design, covering machinery, design, agricultural, equipment, and managing agricultural machinery and equipment design.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 181,000
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 15 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Agricultural Processing and Food Engineering
Post-Harvest Technology and Handling
Process Design and Optimisation
Thermal Processing and Preservation
Storage Engineering and Management
Food Quality and Safety Systems
Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Design
Computer-Aided Process Engineering
Research Methods in Agricultural Engineering
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Agricultural Processing Principles
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines agricultural processing, covering agricultural, processing, principles, engineering, and managing agricultural processing principles and engineering.
Food Engineering and Technology
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers food engineering, covering food, engineering, technology, processing, and managing food engineering and technology.
Post-Harvest Technology and Handling
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines post-harvest technology, covering post-harvest, technology, handling, storage, and managing post-harvest technology and handling.
Process Design and Optimisation
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers process design, covering process, design, optimisation, engineering, and managing process design and optimisation.
Thermal Processing and Preservation
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines thermal processing, covering thermal, processing, heat, preservation, and managing thermal processing and preservation.
Storage Engineering and Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers storage engineering, covering storage, engineering, silos, management, and managing storage engineering and management.
Food Quality and Safety Systems
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines food quality, covering food, quality, safety, systems, and managing food quality and safety systems.
Research Methods in Agricultural Engineering
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers research, methods, agricultural, engineering, and conducting research in agricultural engineering, preparing students for their thesis.
Computer-Aided Process Engineering
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines CAE, covering computer, aided, process, engineering, and managing computer-aided process engineering.
Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Design
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers machinery design, covering machinery, design, agricultural, equipment, and managing agricultural machinery and equipment design.
Drying and Dehydration Technology
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines drying technology, covering drying, dehydration, technology, moisture, and managing drying and dehydration technology.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 212 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on an agricultural processing engineering topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and engineering knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Food Processing Engineering
Focuses on food processing, covering food, processing, engineering, preservation, and managing food processing engineering and preservation.
Post-Harvest Technology
Examines post-harvest technology, covering post-harvest, technology, handling, storage, and managing post-harvest technology and handling.
Process Design and Optimisation
Covers process design, covering process, design, optimisation, engineering, and managing process design and optimisation.
Thermal Processing
Focuses on thermal processing, covering thermal, processing, heat, preservation, and managing thermal processing and preservation.
Storage Engineering
Examines storage engineering, covering storage, engineering, silos, management, and managing storage engineering and management.
Agricultural Machinery Design
Covers machinery design, covering machinery, design, agricultural, equipment, and managing agricultural machinery and equipment design.

A day as a student

A typical day combines lectures, laboratory sessions, seminars, and independent study. Sessions cover agricultural processing, food engineering, post-harvest technology, process design, and storage engineering. Agricultural processing sessions examine agricultural, processing, engineering, food, and managing agricultural processing and food engineering. Post-harvest sessions cover post-harvest, technology, handling, storage, and managing post-harvest technology and handling. Process design sessions cover process, design, optimisation, engineering, and managing process design and optimisation. Thermal processing sessions cover thermal, processing, heat, preservation, and managing thermal processing and preservation. Storage sessions cover storage, engineering, silos, management, and managing storage engineering and management. Laboratory sessions provide practical experience in food processing, thermal processing, and quality testing. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on an agricultural processing engineering topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme addresses Kenya's growing agro-processing sector with demand for processing engineers.
Two public universities confirmed offering related programmes, providing options for students.
Programme covers diverse areas from food processing to storage to machinery design.
Graduates are eligible for EBK professional registration and CIGR international membership.

Against it

Significant fee difference between JKUAT (KES 181,000/year) and UoN (KES 524,000/year).
No private university confirmed offering this programme.
UoN programme is Environmental and Biosystems Engineering with Process and Food Engineering option, not exact match.
Engineering jobs may require EBK professional registration for practice.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 332 engineering courses

Public181k to 181k

181k at JKUAT181k at JKUAT

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

JKUAT ~181K/yr (kenyaeducationguide/JKUAT BPS). Private: unverified.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. Universities may offer scholarships for eligible students. FAO and CIGR may offer fellowships for agricultural engineering research and education.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
University Scholarship
FAO Fellowship

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
University Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 181,000Kenyan
JKUAT and UoN may offer scholarships for eligible postgraduate engineering students.
FAO Fellowship
ScholarshipKsh 300,000
FAO and CIGR may offer fellowships for agricultural engineering research and education.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: JKUAT requires at least Upper Second Class Honours in a relevant engineering field. Lower Second Class may be considered with relevant experience or postgraduate qualifications. UoN accepts related engineering degrees. Contact respective universities for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, laboratory reports, seminar presentations, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering agricultural processing, food engineering, post-harvest technology, and process design.
Laboratory Assessment
Project40% of the mark
Practical assessment through laboratory sessions, demonstrating food processing, thermal processing, and quality testing skills.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis on an agricultural processing engineering topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and engineering knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). JKUAT (public) offers MSc in Agricultural Processing and Engineering. UoN (public) offers MSc in Environmental and Biosystems Engineering with Process and Food Engineering specialisation. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in agricultural processing engineering. Graduates may interact with EBK for professional registration and CIGR for international standards. The programme aligns with CUE, EBK, and FAO global agricultural engineering frameworks.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. JKUAT (public) offers MSc in Agricultural Processing and Engineering. UoN (public) offers MSc in Environmental and Biosystems Engineering with Process and Food Engineering specialisation. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in agricultural processing engineering. Graduates may interact with EBK for professional registration and CIGR for international standards. The programme aligns with CUE, EBK, and FAO global agricultural engineering frameworks.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Agricultural Processing Engineer
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Designs and manages agricultural processing, covering agricultural, processing, engineer, systems, and managing agricultural processing engineering.
Food Engineer
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Designs food processing systems, covering food, engineer, processing, systems, and managing food engineering and processing.
Process Engineer
High demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 450,000
Designs and optimises processes, covering process, engineer, design, optimisation, and managing process engineering and optimisation.
Post-Harvest Technologist
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Manages post-harvest technology, covering post-harvest, technologist, handling, storage, and managing post-harvest technology and handling.
Quality Assurance Manager
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Manages food quality, covering quality, assurance, manager, food, safety, and managing food quality and safety systems.
Engineering Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Teaches agricultural processing engineering at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

MATLAB/Simulink
SoftwarePrimary
MATLAB/Simulink for process simulation and modelling, covering MATLAB, simulation, modelling, process, and managing process simulation and modelling.
AutoCAD
Software
AutoCAD for process equipment design and drafting, covering CAD, design, equipment, process, and managing process equipment design.
HYSYS
Software
HYSYS for process simulation and optimisation, covering HYSYS, process, simulation, optimisation, and managing process simulation and optimisation.
Excel
Software
Excel for process data analysis and reporting, covering Excel, data, analysis, process, and managing process data analysis and reporting.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Agricultural processing engineering is just about food processing.
Agricultural processing covers post-harvest handling, storage, machinery design, and process optimisation beyond just food processing.
This programme is only for agricultural engineering graduates.
The programme is for professionals from mechanical, food, and biosystems engineering fields, not just agricultural engineering.
Agricultural processing has limited career prospects in Kenya.
Agricultural processing engineers are in demand in food processing firms, agricultural companies, and research institutions as Kenya develops its agro-processing sector.
This programme is the same as food science.
Agricultural processing engineering focuses on process design and engineering, while food science covers food chemistry and microbiology.
Agricultural processing is only about crop processing.
The programme covers crops, livestock products, dairy, and fisheries processing across the entire agricultural value chain.
You need farming experience to study this programme.
The programme is accessible to engineering graduates seeking agricultural processing specialisation, not just those with farming experience.