Food Science and Nutrition
Food science and nutrition is a discipline that investigates what food is made of, how it behaves in processing and storage, and how it affects human health. Food science is concerned with the physical, chemical, and microbiological properties of food, exploring how quality, safety, and shelf life can be understood and improved. Nutrition focuses on how the body uses the nutrients that food provides, examining the relationship between diet and health across the life course.
Together, they form a rigorous scientific foundation for careers across the food industry, public health, and research.
At Northumbria University, this four-year, full-time extended degree includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placement opportunities, embedding substantial professional and international experience in the programme. The extended degree structure provides an additional year of study that deepens your engagement with the subject before you specialise. You will develop a scientific understanding of food safety and quality, sensory analysis, new product development, food processing and preservation, and applied and clinical nutrition.
The programme prepares you not only to understand food as a scientific system but to apply that understanding in professional contexts, whether in product development, quality assurance, dietary advice, or research. The typical entry tariff is 120 UCAS points.
Graduates from food science and nutrition programmes are sought across the food and drink industry, public health, healthcare, and research. Roles include food scientist, product developer, quality assurance manager, food safety auditor, nutritionist (subject to additional professional registration requirements), and research technologist. The NHS, local health authorities, food manufacturers, supermarket chains, food service organisations, and research institutions are all employers.
The sandwich year and placement elements significantly strengthen your practical skills and professional network. Postgraduate study in nutrition, food science, or public health is a natural route for those who wish to specialise further.