Food & Nutritional Sciences(MRes)

About the Course

If you have a strong interest in a specific food or nutritional sciences topic and want to pursue a research-focussed career (in academia, the public sector, or working in the food industry), then our MRes degree in Food and Nutritional Sciences is the programme for you.  The programme provides training in research methodology and the wider skills needed for a successful research career, before leading into an extended independent research project.  Your MRes training and research project is supported and supervised by an experienced team of research-active staff that are actively engaged in tackling major and emerging problems in food and human nutrition.

What you will study:

• Core Skills for Developing as a Researcher
• Food and Nutrition Research Methods
• Independent Research Project

You will develop practical research skills (tailored to your research and career interests); in-depth subject expertise within your research area; as well as a focus on the dissemination of research outcomes in both academic and applied settings.

What can I do with a Food and Nutritional sciences MRes degree?

A Masters (by research) in Food and Nutritional Sciences is ideal for those who are interested in pursuing (or further developing) research-focussed careers in the following areas:

• Food & Nutrition Research Methods 
• Core Skills (Researcher development)
• Practical research and applied skills tailored to your requirements, whilst maintaining an in-depth focus on scholarly aspects of the research process.

Facilities

You will be taught in our Health Sciences building, which features specialist laboratories, including a phlebotomist suite for blood sampling and several purpose-built food and clinical nutrition laboratories. These include facilities for food product development (as well as facilities for sensory evaluation and consumer food research); and access to specialist equipment used in applied Food and Nutritional Sciences research.

Curriculum Overview

The rising prevalence of diet-related disease requires those with advanced research training and skills within areas of Clinical and Public Health Nutrition (capable of tackling diet-related disease in both clinical and community-based settings). There are also unpresented challenges affecting the production and consumption of healthy and sustainable foods (driving a demand within the commercial Food Industry for those with an advanced understanding of how the Food and Nutritional Sciences can be used to produce the healthy, safe, and sustainable foods of the future).

This research-based MRes is designed to give you both academic and practical research skills that are relevant in both research and applied settings; as well as foster independent, problem-solving individuals who are critical, analytical and resilient to the challenges of research in a range of applied environments.

Core Skills for Developing as a Researcher

This module provides a focus on developing transferable higher-level skills suitable for professional development as a researcher working in a variety of different food/nutrition-related professional settings, with an emphasis on ‘research informed’ practice. The module also addresses the importance of ‘impact’ in research; the importance of involving stakeholders in the research process; the importance of public engagement with research; and an understanding of research funding (and how to apply for such research funding).

• Food and Nutrition Research Methods

This module provides you with the opportunity to develop research skills (particularly in the context of how such skills are applied in the Food and Nutritional Sciences). This will cover relevant methodologies needed to conduct robust research at postgraduate level. It will also combine theory with practice and address the practical applications of research (relevant to sectors such as the commercial Food Industry and organisations involved in Public Health).

• Independent Research Project

Undertaking of a substantial independent investigation (providing a ‘full academic research experience’). You will develop practical research skills (tailored to your research and career interests); in-depth subject expertise within your research area; as well as a focus on the dissemination of research outcomes in both academic and applied settings. Your individually negotiated research project is likely to be within one of the following areas - Food Science & Innovation; Public Health Nutrition; Clinical Nutrition; and Nutrition, Sport & Health.

Entry Requirements

First Class or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a relevant subject such as Nutrition, Food Science, Sports & Exercise Science or similar.

Applications may still be considered from those who do not have a relevant qualification.

Applications from students who do not hold a 1st or 2:1 Honours Degree (or equivalent) may be asked to demonstrate potential to achieve a Masters award via a sample of academic writing and interview before an offer is made.

International Entry Requirements

For students whose first language is not English there is a language requirement of IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 minimum of all components. We accept a wide range of International Qualification.  For more information please visit our English Language Requirements page.

For additional information about country specific entry requirements visit the your country pages.

Teaching and Research

We have a highly committed team of research-active staff who are all UK registered nutritionists (UK Association for Nutrition), with expertise that includes the Food Industry; Public Health Nutrition; Clinical Nutrition; as well as expertise in wider aspects of Sport, Physical Activity, Nutrition & Health. Our team has a wide range of expertise in collaborative inter-disciplinary research; and experience of working with a wide range of stakeholders.

Our research interests are focused on how we can tackle local, regional and global nutritional, sustainability and health challenges (linked to the production, supply and consumption of foods); to meet the needs of consumers, industry and those developing public heath and sustainability strategies for the twenty-first century.

Our research includes some of the fundamental mechanisms of how nutrients influence health and disease (e.g. the role of macro and micro-nutrients in non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and type-2 diabetes). We also have interests in working with specific population groups (e.g. diet and health in young adults; the role of diet and physical activity in reducing frailty in elderly populations).

We have interests in the complex relationships between food environments, food choice behaviours, nutrient intakes and physical activity. This includes such things as measuring and understanding dietary intakes, measuring and understanding food environments and food behaviours; as well as designing and evaluating public health nutrition interventions.

Research also includes helping better understand health and sustainability challenges in food supply chains, and how we can design and develop healthier and more sustainable food and drink products.

We have interests in food safety, food integrity and a wider range of food quality issues, including consumer-focused research as well as research that takes a wider ‘food supply chain’ and ‘food systems’ perspective.

The teaching team are dedicated to enhancing the student experience and we expect that students will gain a comprehensive experience by engaging fully in the research culture and activities being undertaken by staff and students both within and beyond our academic institution.

UK/EU Tuition Fees

Tuition fees for Home/EU students for 2021/22 are £6680

Funding

We offer a number of scholarships and loans to help fund your postgraduate studies. Visit our scholarships pages for more details.

International Tuition Fees

The international fee is £12,850

If you are an international student, visit our international scholarships pages.

Careers

This MRes is designed for those who are interested in a food or nutrition research-focussed career (in either academia, the public sector, or working in industry).

This MRes programme is also suitable for those already working (in a suitable area, such as Public Health Nutrition or a commercial Food Business), who would like to use this programme for professional development to tackle relevant work-based problems or challenges.