PGCertEng study tracks for Chemical and Materials Engineering

To obtain your PGCertEng in the department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, you must successfully complete four 15 point, non-project courses listed in the Master of Engineering Studies schedule and at least two courses (30 points) must be from the subjects from our department.

To provide structure around some popular study areas in chemical and materials engineering, we have defined three study tracks: Food Engineering, Bioprocess Engineering, and Biomaterials Engineering.

The agrifood/food and beverage industry forms a major economic backbone in New Zealand, accounting for 46% of our exports and provides employment to about 10% of our population. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has identified several key drivers for the agrifood industry, one of which is to provide high value addition to our food products. Post-farm gate food engineering is a critical component along the agrifood chain, contributing to the key driver by uplifting the value of our food products.

The following PGCert courses aim to provide a broad exposure to the manufacturing techniques available for such cutting-edge food engineering:

CHEMMAT 756 Food Process Engineering
Application of engineering principles to thermal and non-thermal food processing.

FOODSCI 707 Food Science
Chemical, biological and physical aspects of foods. The decomposition of food due to lipid oxidation. Integrated study of selected basic foods.

ENGGEN 732 Systems Thinking and Project Business Case
The business case as the tool of choice for many businesses for turning strategy into projects and the subsequent investment appraisals.

FOODSCI 740 Food Analysis
Students are provided with an opportunity to experience a range of analytical techniques that are used in food industry laboratories and in food science research.

CHEMMAT 773 Food Process System Engineering
Advanced understanding of the theory and application of process systems engineering for the food industry.

CHEMMAT 772 Advanced Food Process Engineering
Critical evaluation of the latest research and development in innovative thermal and non-thermal food processing technology.

CHEMMAT 778 Dairy Processing Engineering
Industry-focused advanced topics in post-farm-gate processing of milk including liquid milk, powdered dairy and fermented products.

FOODSCI 708 Advanced Food Science
The functions and properties of food additives. Food attributes including colour, flavour and texture. Enzymic and non-enzymic browning. Emulsions and foams.

CHEMMAT 712 Directed Study in Chemical Engineering
Directed study on a topic or topics from the fields of fluid mechanics, transport phenomena, heat transfer, particulate technology, chemical reactors, fuel technology, process simulation and control and other chemical engineering areas.

New Zealand’s commitment to Zero Carbon Bill and Climate Change Commission calls for sustainable economic growth that generates higher values and improved environmental outcomes. Bioprocess engineering applies a range of engineering principles to the design and analysis of processes based on using living cells or components of such cells.

Bioprocess engineering interfaces with many major economic industries in New Zealand, including agriculture, food and beverage, and energy, and is crucial to treat waste. It also facilitates the growing biotechnology sector and transition to the circular economy in New Zealand. Selected courses for this study track include:

CHEMMAT 712 Directed Study in Chemical Engineering
Directed study on a topic or topics from the fields of fluid mechanics, transport phenomena, heat transfer, particulate technology, chemical reactors, fuel technology, process simulation and control and other chemical engineering areas.

CHEMMAT 760 Advanced Microbial Technology in Bioprocess Engineering
Focus on the microbiological, biochemical, and molecular approaches crucial for analysing, developing, and optimising engineering bioprocesses. Topics include fundamentals of microbial growth and the effect of environmental factors, molecular tools for quantifying bacterial cells and activities, bioinformatics, and in vitro enzymatic reactions. Applications of microbiology in engineering processes for chemical production, food engineering, bioenergy, and waste treatment.

CHEMMAT 758 Resource Recovery Technologies – Level 9
Selection and application of resource recovery processes. Introduces a variety of resource recovery technologies, and provides critical evaluations of the latest research and development in innovative resource recovery techniques. Social and economic aspects as catalysts or obstacles to resource recovery are also taken into consideration in the course. Teaching is highly research-informed and involves principles, practice and independent project work related to the application of these skills.

CHEMMAT 753 Biological Materials and Biomaterials
Fundamentals of biological materials from small-scale building blocks (genes, proteins) to large-scale biological entities (organs, joints). Biomaterial design, material selection and functionalisation and the interaction between biomaterials and the biological tissue. Critique and review recent research on selected topics. Individual and team research projects apply advanced concepts and methods to design and implement a scaffold or implant prototype.

CHEMMAT 772 Advanced Food Process Engineering
Critical evaluation of the latest research and development in innovative thermal and non-thermal food processing technology. Open-ended application of these latest developments to different specific end-point food processing requirements. Teaching is highly research informed with principles, application examples and related individual research project work.

CHEMMAT 752 Process Dynamics and Control
Application of mathematical modelling and simulation for understanding modern methods of process control via open-ended workshop study projects.

ENVENG 740 Water and Wastewater Engineering
In-depth coverage of chemical and biological principles, unit operations, and process design in water and wastewater treatment.

The global biomaterials market size was estimated at USD 106.5 billion in 2019 and is expected to register a CAGR of 15.9% over the forecast period. Here in New Zealand, MBIE recognises an “unrealised potential remains in this sector and there is more to be done".

While we are currently in Industry 4.0, we will need to prepare for the future which may see an upsurge in demand for bioengineering and synthetic biology. One area that holds promise for innovation is Smart Biomaterials, where development techniques are regularly deployed and new applications are being considered in areas such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, and immune engineering.

We aim to provide the fundamental knowledge in these areas in our world-class curriculum, as well as fulfilling a niche for education in Biomaterials Engineering that currently doesn't not exist in New Zealand. Our courses include:

CHEMMAT 753 Biological Materials and Biomaterials
Fundamentals of biological materials from small-scale building blocks (genes, proteins) to large-scale biological entities (organs, joints). Biomaterial design, material selection and functionalisation and the interaction between biomaterials and the biological tissue. Critique and review recent research on selected topics. Individual and team research projects apply advanced concepts and methods to design and implement a scaffold or implant prototype.

CHEMMAT 724 Advanced Materials Characterisation
Brief Description. The underlying theory essential to understanding modern methods of advanced materials analysis including: electron microscopy, surface analysis, atomic force microscopy and nanoindentation. Teaching is highly research informed with examples drawn from the Research Centre for Surface and Materials Science (RCSMS) and involves principles, practical experience and independent project work related to the application of these techniques.

CHEMMAT 722 Directed Study in Materials
Directed study on a topic or topics in the field of materials science and engineering to be determined by the Head of Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering.

ENGGEN 769 Research Methods for Engineers
Development of research methods knowledge and skills including research philosophy and design, research ethics, data collection and analysis techniques, identification of limitations, and writing up and reporting. Qualitative and quantitative research methods are addressed.