UTEPSA presents Food and Business Engineering, a degree program aligned with market demands.

With the aim of responding to new demands in the food industry and strengthening the link between academia and the productive sector, the Private Technological University of Santa Cruz (Utepsa) officially presented its new Food and Business Engineering degree program during an institutional breakfast held at its CoWork space. The event was attended by representatives from companies such as Santé, Madisa, Marriott Hotel, and Nómada Brewery, academic authorities, representatives from the productive sector, food specialists, and media outlets that will help promote this academic program focused on innovation, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. During the presentation, Juan Ernesto Rivera, head of the program, emphasized that the launch responds to the university's vision of continuous improvement and the need to train professionals with greater opportunities for success. “This program is aimed at training engineers specialized in food science and technology, with skills in processing, transformation, preservation, and marketing, under criteria of efficiency, sustainability, and quality control,” he explained. Rivera stressed that one of the main differentiators of the program is the incorporation of a business component, which strengthens the professional profile by developing skills in planning, management, and implementation of entrepreneurial ventures. The curriculum is structured into three areas—basic, specific, and complementary—that provide comprehensive, multidisciplinary training aligned with current market demands. Utepsa Rector Rubén Darío Dabdoub emphasized the value of collaborative work and ongoing dialogue with the business sector. He noted that the curriculum took several years to design and was informed by constant market developments and global trends. “Santa Cruz has enormous potential in food production. We are in a strategic region and must prepare professionals capable of exporting to the world and transforming Santa Cruz into an academic and productive hub,” he said. For her part, Georgina Rojas, a professor with 16 years of experience at Utepsa, highlighted the importance of training professionals who go beyond technical knowledge. "The industry needs engineers who are capable of applying science, but also of understanding business, leading teams, and making strategic decisions. That is the perspective that this new degree program proposes," he said. During the meeting, business representatives provided key suggestions for strengthening the curriculum, which the academic vice president, Mónica Arauco, attentively noted. Among these contributions, the importance of leadership, market knowledge, the addition of subjects such as marketing and sales, health regulations, international standards, export standards, sustainability, innovation, the development of endemic products, the use of biodegradable packaging, exportation, a common goal such as the proportion of public policies, and in the future, the contribution of academia with a food technology institute such as those that exist in other countries thanks to public-private partnerships, among other topics and contributions. Они сошлись во мнении, что новый специалист должен быть готов не только к работе в компании, но и к созданию и ведению собственного бизнеса. Кроме того, была отмечена роль Центра инноваций и предпринимательства Utepsa как пространства открытых инноваций, где студенты, преподаватели и компании могут разрабатывать реальные решения, имеющие экономическое, социальное и экологическое значение. С помощью этой новой специальности Utepsa подтверждает свое видение образования для предпринимательства и служения, делая ставку на обучение, соответствующее текущим и будущим вызовам пищевой промышленности, и укрепляя свою приверженность производственному развитию Санта-Круса и страны. Те, кто хочет получить более подробную информацию об этой новой специальности, могут посетить кампус университета, расположенный на третьем внутреннем кольце, Avenida. Noel Kempff Mercado 715, или посетить веб-сайт: www.utepsa.edu. Занятия начинаются 4 февраля.