Nutritional Sciences

Nutritional sciences is the study of how food and its constituent nutrients affect human health, examining the relationship between diet, physiology, biochemistry, and the prevention and management of disease. Nutrition sits at the intersection of food science, biochemistry, physiology, and public health, and it informs both individual clinical practice and the large-scale public health interventions that shape what populations eat. Understanding nutrition at a scientific level matters not only for the treatment of specific conditions but for the promotion of health across entire communities and across the lifespan.

At King's College London, this three-year full-time programme places you at the centre of cutting-edge research in one of the world's leading research-intensive universities. You will immerse yourself in the science of food and nutrition across areas including public health nutrition, eating disorders, metabolic disease, nutrigenomics, and the gut microbiome, building a research-oriented understanding of how food affects the body. The programme includes a sandwich placement year and work placements, giving you direct professional experience in a nutrition, food, or health-related setting before you graduate.

You will also undertake your own research project in the final year, developing the independent scientific thinking that postgraduate study and professional research roles require.

Graduates in nutritional sciences go on to careers in clinical nutrition, public health, food industry research and development, food policy, and nutritional counselling. Many pursue registration as registered nutritionists or dietitians through further study or conversion programmes. Research roles in universities, hospitals, and food companies are also common pathways, as are positions in government agencies, NHS health promotion, and international development organisations working on food security and malnutrition.

Postgraduate study in nutrition, dietetics, public health, or a specialist clinical area is a natural next step for those who want to develop their expertise further.