Features: Postgraduate nutrition and food science

According to government predictions, by 2050 more than half of the UK’s adult population will be obese. The need for qualified nutritionists has never been greater.

Diet is one of the most important, modifiable lifestyle factors when it comes to our health. Therefore, there is great pressure on the government and food science experts to improve the population’s knowledge of nutrition - and demand for graduates in this area will grow.

One course which recognises this is the University of Glasgow’s MSc (Med Sci) in Human Nutrition.The programme coordinator, Dr Alison Parrett, believes that public awareness is vital.

‘Both under and over nutrition play a major role in morbidity and mortality and therefore knowledge of nutrition could be the key to improving the health of an individual or worldwide populations,' she says.

‘Nutritional science is a subject of growing importance in many aspects of healthcare, lifestyle and industry. Nutritionists carry out research and provide evidence-based information and advice about the effects of food and nutrition on health and wellbeing.’

The MSc in Human Nutrition gives students a thorough understanding of the principles and practice of human nutrition. As the importance of nutrition has become apparent, highlighted in part by the obesity epidemic, the number of people taking the course has increased.

Use our postgraduate course search to find nutrition courses across the country.  

Accreditation

As well as communicating with industry, students need to ensure that they have not only the academic knowledge but the practical skills to boost their employability. Glasgow ensures that students build expert evidence-based nutritional knowledge, critical review skills and a range of transferable skills which are highly sought after in the competitive job market.

‘Graduates are provided with the knowledge and experience necessary for engaging in and contributing to current debates about major issues in nutrition and an additional research component allows the development of valuable skills for practising and interpreting nutrition research,’ says Dr Parrett.

The MSc has recently been approved for accreditation by the UK Association for Nutrition. Dr Parrett explains how important this is. ‘This accreditation makes our graduates eligible for direct entry onto the Register of Associate Nutritionists, or the Register of Associate Public Health Nutritionists, with full registration taking place after three years.’

Student view

Cid Ramon Gonzalez is studying for a PhD in Food and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Reading. Originally from Mexico, he has a particular interest in probiotics research.

I wanted to study probiotics because I suffered from colitis as a teenager and probiotics are useful in helping to treat gut problems. I was also interested in this area because my hometown is located in a farming region where there is a high production of milk and I saw ¬¬the economical potential for probiotics in dairy products.

As an overseas student, I contacted my current supervisor via email and followed the application process to obtain a place on the course. I had to repeat the IELTS English language exam three times until I got a mark that allowed me to gain sponsorship from the Mexican government and enrol on the course.

Upon graduating, I hope to get involved in the project development of probiotics or food production. I want to bridge the gap between research and production. I think that England is already doing a great job linking companies and research, but Mexico is still behind in this process. I want to influence this and believe that by promoting this kind of link between companies and research, Mexico will benefit.

Career options

According to the NHS, since 2002 the growth in the number of jobs for nutritionists has grown faster in the NHS than in any other sector. But, if being a nutritionist is not for you, plenty of other careers are open to graduates.

Roles include:

• research associate;
• project administrator;
• nutrition researcher;
• lecturer;
• development worker;
• food and health alliance coordinator;
• product development project manager;
• food project officer;
• emergency nutrition worker