Course overview
Gain the knowledge and skills to make a meaningful impact on health and wellbeing with our Nutrition MSc. This research-led programme explores how diet, nutrients and food choices influence human health at individual, community and population levels.
You’ll develop a strong foundation in the scientific principles of nutrition, from human biochemistry and metabolism to epidemiology, public health and behaviour change. Alongside this, you’ll explore how nutrition is applied in real-world settings - from shaping public health interventions and policy to advancing personalised nutrition solutions.
Accredited by the Association for Nutrition, this course is designed to support your development as a future nutrition professional. Through a combination of practical learning, case-based teaching and an independent research project, you’ll graduate with the critical thinking, analytical and communication skills needed to succeed in the field of nutrition or progress into further research.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Understand how diet, nutrients and behaviour influence health and disease across different populations and life stages
- Critically assess nutritional research, epidemiological data and public health evidence to support decision-making
- Develop strategies to improve health outcomes at individual, community and population levels
- Use appropriate tools and techniques to assess dietary intake, interpret data and draw evidence-based conclusions
- Present complex information clearly to a range of audiences, supporting effective education, policy and professional practice.
Why study at Leeds
- This course is accredited by the Association for Nutrition, giving you a clear route to becoming a Registered Associate Nutritionist after graduation.
- Learn from experts delivering world-leading research in areas such as public health nutrition, nutritional epidemiology, personalised nutrition and global health challenges.
- Apply your learning through case-based and problem-based teaching, developing practical skills for designing and evaluating nutrition interventions.
- Undertake an independent research project, building advanced analytical, critical thinking and scientific communication skills.
- Use dedicated nutrition labs and advanced software to analyse dietary intake, body composition and nutrition-related data.
- Be taught by experienced researchers alongside practitioners working across healthcare, policy and the food industry.
- Gain consultancy experience through a two-week online Global Industry Programme, building professional skills and industry connections.
- Access comprehensive careers and employability support from day one, including a dedicated careers centre, employability officer and networking opportunities with recruiting employers.
Join our online taster course
This three-week course gives you the opportunity to understand global food security issues and learn about research designed to tackle food safety and nutrition challenges.
Learn more about our Food Safety and Nutrition: A Global Approach to Public Health online course
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Discover our campus, facilities and accommodation with our 360 virtual experience platform.
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You can get a feel for what it's really like to live, learn and belong at the University of Leeds – all from the comfort of home.
Accreditation
The course is accredited by the Association for Nutrition.
Accreditation is the assurance that a university course meets the quality standards established by the profession for which it prepares its students.
This MSc degree guarantees your eligibility to apply for direct entry at the ‘Registered Associate Nutritionist’ level to the Association for Nutrition voluntary register – a registration required by many nutritionist and nutrition-related jobs.
Course details and modules
Throughout this course, you’ll develop an in-depth understanding of the scientific principles that underpin the relationships between diet and health, how nutrients in food are used in the body and how individuals’ nutritional requirements change across various stages of life, with consideration to how these relate to specific groups of people.
You'll explore how and why people make choices relating to what they eat and drink and how this knowledge can be applied in the design and implementation of public health promotion interventions aimed at improving health.
Additionally, you'll be introduced to existing and novel key areas in the field of Nutrition, where your knowledge and skills may be applied, such as personalised nutrition and nutrition policy and practice.
Course structure
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.
Compulsory modules
Nutrition and Health (15 credits)
Take a closer look at the relationship between diet and health by exploring how foods and diets may be used to prevent or manage specific health conditions, within the scope of practice for an AfN Registered Nutritionist. Specialist themes covered in the module may include ‘diet and gut health’, ‘diet and cancer’, ‘diet and diabetes’, ‘diet and bone health’, ‘diet and liver health’ and ‘diet and mental health’.
Nutrition Across the Lifespan (15 credits)
Investigate nutrition needs and associated influencing factors throughout distinct stages of an individual’s life course (pre-conception to old age/elderly). Themes covered may include, for example, critical nutrients at different stages of life, and determinants of food choice including the psychology of food choice and food preferences and their effects on nutrition profiles.
Human Biochemistry and Molecular Nutrition (15 credits)
Explore various aspects of human biochemistry and molecular nutrition, such as enzymes and metabolic pathways, the gut microbiome and the role of nutrition in gene expression.
Nutrition Policy (15 credits)
Most people have an opinion on nutrition policy, such as the UK “sugar tax” but what exactly is it? And, further to that, how do nutritionists work to support, deliver or evaluate such policies? We’ll explore current nutrition policies in the UK and globally and ask - do they work to improve people’s diets or reduce health inequalities? You'll be involved in active and discursive learning and hear from nutrition professionals and other experienced policymakers in industry and multi-sector organisations.
Our graduates are the nutrition policy makers of the future. As such, the module involves both real-life and academic assessment, with a strong emphasis on skills for professional work in nutrition.
Health Promotion: Applications of Theory and Practice (15 credits)
This module will look at the theoretical background of health promotion and its applications to individual and community health. Themes include definitions of health and determinants of health (including health inequalities), theories and models of individual and community-level behaviour change, planning, implementation and evaluation of targeted individual, community and population nutrition-related interventions/approaches for health promotion.
Nutritional Epidemiology and Dietary Research Methods (15 credits)
Explore the fundamentals of nutritional epidemiology, including study design and the hierarchy of evidence pyramid, dietary assessment, anthropometric assessment and the analysis and interpretation of nutritional epidemiological studies.
Personalised Nutrition (15 credits)
Learn perspectives on individualised solutions to nutrition-related challenges, within the scope of practice for an AfN Registered Nutritionist. Using an active learning approach, you’ll explore emerging areas in this field such as the applications, challenges and possibilities of telehealth and digital technologies to achieve personalised nutrition.
Research and Professional Skills (15 credits)
This key module will introduce you to a diversity of academic and professional skills and competencies that will help you succeed throughout your degree – and beyond. You’ll learn how to critically read scientific and non-scientific sources of information and how to communicate scientific aspects relating to your discipline to various audiences, using different tools, e.g., academic writing and digital platforms. You’ll explore the application of study skills, such as Academic Integrity, Ethics, and Library Skills. By engaging in practicals, you’ll build your laboratory skills specific to your specialisation, as well as more generic skills such as good laboratory practices and laboratory safety. This module will also introduce you to the requisite professional competencies and how you can build these throughout your programme.
Capstone Research Project (60 credits)
Undertake an independent, real-life research project with the support of our experienced academics. Your project work may take on the form of a lab-based, desk-based or field-based research activity. The choice of topics available will vary depending on your interest and what academics are working on at the time and may include experimental, computational or applied research. Through this module, you’ll apply the skills and knowledge you have acquired throughout your programme and further develop the academic and professional skills necessary for graduate roles and various career paths, including further education at Leeds or elsewhere.
Examples of the range of research projects previously undertaken by our MSc Nutrition students include:
- Effectiveness of Probiotic Therapies on Body Weight and BMI: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials.
- Perceptual Differences in Portion Sizes Using the Delboeuf Illusion & Colour Contrast.
- Systematic Review: Childhood Obesity Prevention During the First 24 Months of Life.
- Exploring Consumer and Industry Perspectives Around “May Contain” Labelling on Vegan-suitable Products.
Learning and teaching
Our MSc Nutrition covers a broad range of scientific areas relevant to the nutrition discipline, such as human biochemistry, nutrition policy, public health nutrition, statistics and epidemiology, food science, and food choice and behaviour. You’ll explore these subject areas with academics, researchers and experienced external practitioners who work in industry, policy, or health care.
Teaching staff at the School of Food Science and Nutrition include lecturers and professors who are all experienced at producing globally recognised, cutting-edge research across a range of different areas of nutrition, health and food. You may also be taught by industry and health care professionals with years of experience in the field, e.g., practising dietitians, as well as trained postgraduate researchers.
In addition, you'll also be assigned an academic personal tutor to guide you through your studies and help you progress throughout your degree.
You'll benefit from a wide range of active learning activities and innovative teaching methods, including lectures, workshops, small group tutorials, case-based learning, problem-based learning, and practical laboratory work.
Your learning will be undertaken alongside peers and other students from within the School of Food Science and Nutrition and potentially other students within the University of Leeds. As such, you'll learn about different aspects of nutrition science in innovative ways, all of which will support the development of your knowledge, skills and confidence.
Independent study is an important part of this course, through which you'll develop your research and analytical skills as well as your ability to think critically and work independently.
Skills Development
Our problem-based learning approach, laboratory classes and project-based work allow you to gain first-hand experience investigating and applying material from your lectures and tutorials to real-life work situations. This ensures that, as a student, you’re actively engaged in teaching and learning and working collaboratively with your course mates to build a sense of community where you feel valued.
This approach will also equip you with high-level thinking and in-depth knowledge, along with the key practical, technical skills and transferable skills and competencies that will help you secure a graduate job.
Specialist facilities
You'll have access to excellent teaching and laboratory facilities, supplemented by extensive computing equipment installed with specialist analytical software packages used to evaluate dietary intake, nutritional composition of recipes and other nutrition-related data.
Other specialist facilities include a purpose-built energy balance laboratory, which houses equipment used for the assessment of human body composition (BodPod), resting energy expenditure (using a state-of-the-art metabolic system - Cosmed Quark RMR) and exercise-induced energy expenditure (measured during cycle ergometry using a breath-by-breath metabolic cart - Cosmed Quark).
Also available are a research kitchen and experimental cubicles that allow measurement of appetite and dietary intake, with the volume/composition of foods that can be manipulated.
We also have strong links with the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology and the Global Food and Environment Institute, both of which are equipped with a range of facilities.
Programme team
The MSc Nutrition course teaching team is made up of academics and researchers from within the School of Food Science and Nutrition who work across the School’s interdisciplinary research groups to address global challenges in Food Science, Nutrition and Food Systems Sustainability.
Expertise includes nutritional biochemistry, nutritional epidemiology, public health nutrition, global nutrition, human nutrition and lifestyle interventions, plant-based diets and food systems sustainability, functional biopolymers for health and obesity, cancer and cardiometabolic diseases.
On this course, you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Assessment
A variety of traditional and authentic formative and summative assessment approaches are used to support your learning and progression through the course, measure your attainment of the learning outcomes, and develop your skills.
Our assessments are designed to reflect real-world needs and challenges encountered in the workplace, while accommodating the various learning styles and embedding equitable and inclusive practices to ensure a supportive and fair assessment framework is presented. As such, assessments range in format and may include, for example, report writing, a mini critical review, and oral and visual presentations. In so doing, skills attained would include, for example, communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork, in addition to the core technical skills specific to your degree.
Throughout the course, the formative feedback that you'll receive will provide an opportunity to think critically, reflect on and improve your performance as you progress and learn.
Applying
Entry requirements
A bachelor degree with a 2:2 (hons) in a pure or applied science subject.
You should have studied some biochemistry and/or physiology. This could include modules such as medicinal chemistry, molecular biology, chemical biology, human biology, nutrition, functional foods, diet and cancer, pharmaceutical chemistry or areas like gastrointestinal, cardiovascular or renal systems.
If you do not meet all of the listed requirements, we still encourage you to apply. We take a flexible approach to admissions and will consider your application if you can demonstrate relevant experience, such as professional or work experience, volunteering or additional qualifications.
International
We accept a range of international qualifications. For more information, please contact the Admission Team.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in all components. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.
Improve your English
International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Science (6 weeks) and Language for Science: General Science (10 weeks).
We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional and our 10 week online pre-sessional.
You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.
How to apply
Please visit our How to Apply page for full details of the application process and the supporting documents required as part of your application.
We encourage all applicants to apply as early as possible.
Application deadlines
- International applicants: Friday 30 July 2027
- UK applicants: Friday 10 September 2027
To apply, click the button below to access the University’s online application system.
International applicants can find further information on visas, immigration requirements and student support on our International students pages. We recommend applying as early as possible to allow sufficient time for visa processing before your programme starts.
If you're still unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.
Admissions policy
University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2027
This course is taught by
School of Food Science and Nutrition
Contact us
School of Food Science and Nutrition Admissions Team
Email: mscenquiry@food.leeds.ac.uk
Fees
UK: £14,700 (Total)
International: £34,300 (Total)
Read more about paying fees and charges.
For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.
Additional cost information
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page.
Scholarships and financial support
If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Learn more about Masters funding.
Scholarships are also available to help fund your Masters. Find out more and check your eligibility below:
Career opportunities
The food industry is one of the largest in the world - with a vast amount of career opportunities available to qualified nutritionists.
On graduating from this MSc, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge and practical skills to begin your journey towards becoming a registered nutritionist, enabling you to deliver personalised, evidence-based advice on healthy eating across a range of settings.
You’ll also be well prepared for careers in food and nutrition, with opportunities in areas such as food manufacturing, health promotion, nutrition education, marketing, product development and scientific research.
The programme also provides a strong foundation for further academic study, giving you the skills and confidence to progress to PhD-level research.
Our graduates have progressed into a wide range of roles across the food sector. Here are some examples of the jobs and organisations they now work in:
- Food Technical Graduate, Tesco PLC
- Nutrition Advisor and Business Development Executive, I-detox International Limited
- Product Development Officer, Premier Foods
- R&D Technician, Kerry Foods
- Dietetic Assistant, County Durham NHS Trust
- Nutritionist, PepsiCo
- Food Labelling & Nutrition Coordinator, Jordans, Dorset & Ryvita
- Nutrition Technologist, Bakkavor
- Regulatory Advisor, Danone
- Product Development Technician, Mars Petcare.
Read our alumni profiles to find out where some of our graduates are working today.
Top 10 most targeted for 10+ years
by the UK's leading employers
Careers support
At Leeds, we help you to prepare for your future from day one.
Our Careers Service has the global expertise and sector-spanning industry partnerships that, combined, go wel beyond simply helping you get a job. They provide you with the resources you need to upskill and achieve the future you aspire towards – even in the face of lightning-paced change.
- Dedicated Employability Team – meet with our qualified careers consultants and specialist employability and placements officers, on hand to help you choose the right path and develop the skills to get there. They can support with CV and cover letter writing, LinkedIn profile building, mock interviews and navigating AI: get confident with tailored advice and techniques.
- Employability and networking events – get involved in a full range of events, including careers fairs and specialist industry talks with employers who are actively recruiting. You’ll also benefit from mentoring and a supportive careers community, helping you make connections, build your network, and shape your journey as a future professional.
- Skills training – we embed transferable skills training in all our programmes to support your transition to the workplace. Gain expertise employers value, such as communication, problem-solving and research and data analysis.
- MyCareer system – access a dedicated portal where you can book careers appointments, view helpful resources and browse vacancies and events. Access digital tools, including LinkedIn support, video interview preparation, plus global job market and visa guidance. We also offer pre‑arrival support to help you prepare for career planning in the UK and make the most of your time with us.
- Exclusive opportunities – bring your enterprise to market with our award-winning business advice service, Spark. Apply for vacancies only available to our students. And hone your skills further with Leeds University Union, home to volunteering opportunities and over 300 clubs and societies.
Explore more about your employability opportunities at the University of Leeds.
Work placements and industry experience
As a Masters student at Leeds, you’ll have the unique opportunity to gain real-world industry experience with our Global Industry Programme.
You’ll develop key professional skills and gain invaluable insight into working in your chosen field, helping to solve a real business problem from a live company brief.
This experience will enhance your CV, helping you to stand out in the competitive graduate jobs market and improving your chances of securing the career you want.
Benefits of the Global Industry Programme:
- Fully online and designed to fit around your studies.
- Opportunities to make professional networks in areas such as digital marketing, business growth, sustainability and funding strategy.
- Gain valuable insight and build consultancy experience with a UK or international organisation, working on a time limited brief.
- Work as part of a team across disciplines to tackle real business needs.
- Advance your experience and hands-on skills by putting the course teachings into practice.
- Improve your employability prospects.
- Make new friends, build confidence and consider your future plans.