Postgraduate Diploma in Food and Bioproduct Sciences

The Food and Bioproduct Sciences program provides advanced training in applying science and technology across pre and post harvest agriculture to add value to primary agricultural products. Students focus on using bioresources to develop healthy foods and consumer‑acceptable bioproducts that support human health, environmental sustainability, and the bioeconomy.

The program emphasizes innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration, with a strong history of working with industry and institutional partners to support effective knowledge exchange. Research and training are centred on producing foods and bioproducts that are safe, functional, and meet human and animal health and nutrition needs.

Faculty expertise in the Department of Food and Bioproduct Sciences includes, but is not limited to:

• Value-added crop utilization
• Lipid quality, utilization, and biotechnology
• Food microbiology and microbial pathogens
• Microbial detection and machine learning
• Quality assurance and HACCP
• Food nanotechnology and enzymology
• Functional foods, nutraceuticals, and nutrigenomics
• Microbial bioproducts and fermentation technologies
• Carbohydrate and protein quality and utilization
• Microbiological and bacteriophage ecology

Housed in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan, the department offers a research‑driven environment with small class sizes, close access to faculty supervisors, and hands‑on experiential training in numerous high‑caliber facilities with modern science laboratories, including pilot‑scale food and bioprocessing facilities.

Funding

Students accepted into the P.G.D. program must be able to support themselves through their entire program; no financial support is available. P.G.D. students are ineligible to apply for academic awards.

Tuition and fees

Course-based master's, certificate or postgraduate diploma program

Students in course-based programs pay tuition for each class they take. Every class is assigned a number of credit units (usually three) which determines their cost. If a student is not enrolled in any classes for a term, they will need to register in a 'Maintenance of Status' class that is assessed tuition equivalent to 3 credit units to stay in their program.

Graduate students in course-based programs registered in any undergraduate classes will be assessed tuition for these classes at the undergraduate rate. International graduate students in these programs registered in undergraduate courses, whether or not the classes are part of their program of study, will also be assessed the undergraduate international tuition.

Student fees

In addition to tuition above, students also pay fees for programs like health and dental insurance, a bus pass, and other campus services. The amount you need to pay depends on if you are taking classes full time or part time, and if you are on campus or not. The table below assumes you are on campus full-time.

Tuition information is accurate for the current academic year and does not include student fees. For detailed tuition and fees information, visit the official tuition website.

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Postgraduate Diploma (P.G.D.)

• Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English.
• A cumulative weighted average of at least a 65% (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of study (e.g. 60 credit units)
• A four-year honours degree, or equivalent, from a recognized college or university in an academic discipline relevant to the proposed field of study

Deadlines and important dates

Submit an online application

Before beginning your online application, be sure that you have carefully reviewed all program information and admission requirements on this page.

During the application, you'll be asked for:

• Personal information such as your name, address, etc.
• Contact information of your three referees
  
  • For your letters of recommendation, two of your referees must be academic contacts, and the third may be academic or professional
• Your complete academic history from all previous post-secondary institutions

The application takes about 30 minutes to complete. You may save your application and return to it later.

At the end of the application, you will need to pay a non-refundable application fee: $125 for domestic students and $145 for international students. Your application will not be processed until payment is received.

• Begin an application
• How to apply

Submit required documents

Once you've submitted your online application, you will have access to upload your required documents, and provide the contact information for your references. To do this, go to the "Supplemental Items & Documents" tab in your application.

• After you apply