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2025/26
2026/27

Nutrition

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The science of nutrition is vital to our individual and collective wellbeing. As consumers grow more aware of the importance of healthy eating, nutritionists become increasingly important to the food industry and society as a whole.

Explore the links between nutrition and health at the University of Reading.

A world-class institution

The University of Reading is a world authority on human nutrition, food chemistry, chemical engineering, and microbiology.

We are in the top 10 universities for food science in the UK (7th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2025), and we are ranked 1st in the UK and 22nd in the world for Agriculture and Forestry (QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2024).

Our staff across departments are actively engaged in world-class research and will tailor their teaching to reflect changing trends and emerging technologies within the sector.

Facilities and expertise

In the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, you will have access to one of the largest ranges of dedicated food and nutritional sciences facilities in a UK university. These include:

  • Laboratory space – including a chemical analysis facility with NMR spectrometers, mass spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction facilities
  • The Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition – a leading facility for research into the effect of diet on vascular health and body composition
  • Flow Cytometry Suite – a technological suite that enables us to assess the impact of pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements, such as antibiotics, probiotics and prebiotics.

Professional recognition

Overall, 96% of graduates from Food and Nutritional Sciences are in work or further study within 15 months of graduation (based on our analysis of HESA data (c) HESA 2024, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2021/22, includes all Food and Nutritional Sciences responders).

Graduates from our nutrition courses will be eligible to apply to become a Registered Associate Nutritionist with the Association for Nutrition via the direct entry pathway, providing a clear and respected marker of your status as a nutrition professional.

Courses

I have had a keen interest in nutrition and its impact on human health for several years. I chose Reading’s combined Nutrition & Food Science degree because I believe that to be able to understand nutrition and its impact on society today, it is necessary to understand the complete food chain as it operates from ‘farm to plate’. The combination of academic subjects and hands-on work in the department’s pilot plant was one of the aspects of the course that I particularly enjoyed.

Tina Eggers
BSc Nutrition and Food Science with Professional Training

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