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2025/26
2026/27

MSc Nutrition and Food Science

  • Year of entry
    2025/26
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  12 months Part Time: 24 months
  • Year of entry
    2025/26
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  12 months Part Time: 24 months

Start your career as a nutrition professional in the food sector with our MSc Nutrition and Food Science.

This course is accredited by the Association for Nutrition (AfN), the independent regulator for Registered Nutritionists.

After graduating you will be eligible to apply to become a Registered Associate Nutritionist with the AfN. This is via the direct entry pathway, and will strengthen your status as a nutrition professional.

The government’s key requirement of the food sector, to provide nutritious food, encourages experts from industry and academia to work together to improve food standards. Your studies will explore the scientific aspects of food and nutrition, and assess the wider implications of diet on health and wellbeing.

The breadth of the course aims to increase your understanding of:

  • human nutrition
  • the development of healthy eating trends
  • key aspects of food and health
  • food composition
  • food storage, safety, and manufacturing.

    You will work with expert academics from the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, and as part of your studies, you will work in some of the UK’s largest dedicated food teaching facilities. These include:

    • Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition (HSUHN). This facility has an international reputation for its research into the relationship between diet and the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease and cancer. The unit’s clinical research informs governments and the food sector. You will have the opportunity to undertake your final project at the Unit.
    • Food Processing Centre. This pilot plant is unique to Reading. There is almost 1100m2 of floor space devoted to approximately £4m worth of equipment. Used primarily for teaching and learning, the plant contains processing equipment for food product development work. No other UK university offers what we do under one roof.

    We are proud of our research: the University of Reading is ranked  8th in the UK for research power in Agriculture, Food and Veterinary Sciences (Times Higher Education, Institutions Ranked by Subject, based on its analysis of the latest Research Excellence Framework 2021) and 95% of our research is of international standing (REF 2021, combining 4*, 3* and 2* submissions – Agriculture, Food and Veterinary Sciences). As an MSc Nutrition and Food Science student, you will also have access to – and are encouraged to get involved in – the most up-to-date knowledge in the field of food science and nutrition.

    Build on your existing knowledge with MSc Nutrition and Food Science

    This master’s course is for graduates with science degrees that have a significant element of biological science.

    Your studies will build on your existing scientific knowledge and develop your expertise in human nutrition.

    You will learn through a variety of teaching methods, such as lectures and laboratory work, and your studies will culminate in a research project. This project can be conducted:

    • within the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences
    • at the Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition
    • or with one of our industrial partners.

    You can attend this course on a full-time basis over one year, or part-time over two years.

    New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £12,800

    New international students: £30,950

    Tuition fee information

    The fees listed are for full-time study, unless otherwise stated. Fee information will be confirmed in offer letters sent out to successful applicants. You can find further information, including information for part-time study, through our dedicated fees and funding page.

    EU student fees

    With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees. For exceptions, please read the UK government’s guidance for EU students.

    Additional costs

    Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

    Scholarships and financial support

    For information about the University of Reading’s master’s scholarships, please visit our master’s scholarships page.

    You can apply for a scholarship once you hold an offer of admission for your course. If you are eligible for a scholarship, we will contact you to guide you through the process.

     

    Careers for MSc Nutrition and Food Science graduates

    MSc Nutrition and Food Science is designed for people who wish to develop a career in the food sector, or conduct food-related research.

    The food and drink industry is the UK’s largest manufacturing sector. It’s responsible for adding £21.9bn to the gross value of the UK economy – and it needs new graduates to meet its recruitment needs. We focus on the employability of our graduates, and have built excellent, long-established relationships with employers within the food and nutrition sectors.

    Graduates of this course have gone on to such professions as:

    • nutritional research scientist
    • technical development (food ingredients)
    • retail nutrition advisor
    • new product development.

    Other graduates have gone on to conduct PhD research.

    Overall, 91% of graduates from Food and Nutritional Sciences are in work or further study within 15 months of graduation; of those in full-time employment, 93% are in graduate-level roles (Based on our analysis of HESA data © HESA 2024, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2021/22; includes all Food and Nutritional Sciences responders).

    Read more about where our MSc Nutrition and Food Science graduates are now

    • Ewen Trafford went on to join the British Nutrition Foundation, which provides nutrition and health-related information to the general public. Ewen has worked on a number of diverse projects including the structuring and writing of online courses, the creation of learning materials for use in primary and secondary schools, and answering nutrition-related queries from the public.