Sustainable Food Systems MSc

Providing nutritious, safe and affordable food for all in a sustainable manner is one of the greatest challenges of our times. Food practitioners need to able to respond to food safety and security concerns, shifting attitudes towards food and farming, changing diets and demographics, as well as balance global economic and environmental pressures.

This course comes at a time when food and its implications on our health and planet is making headlines. Current challenges include malnutrition and obesity, the food waste-hunger paradox, and food’s devastating environmental impact. Global food consumption and production accounts for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, making our food choice the most effective way to address climate change.

Food is the single strongest lever to optimise human health and environmental sustainability; however, transforming our food system is not an easy task. Our food system is highly complex; it works across different scales, from the local to the global, it involves a wide range of interconnected actors, it has environmental, social, economic and political drivers and implications.

Our MSc in Sustainable Food Systems, therefore, uses a holistic systems thinking approach to understand, evaluate, and deconstruct the complexity of the food system, in order to formulate sustainable solutions addressing the grand challenges we are facing, such as food security and global environmental change.

Active research environment

This Masters degree builds on the success of the University’s interdisciplinary research on the theme of Food. Through strong collaborations with University of Leeds Food Theme and the Global Food and Environment Institute you will not only be exposed to cutting edge research but also given the opportunity to collaborate with industry, policymakers, non-governmental organisations, and the third sector.

You’ll be exposed to the latest thinking and research in a wide range of disciplines underpinning food sustainability in order to successfully apply your knowledge and skills to real-world challenges. This course is innovative and interdisciplinary, bringing together expertise from across the University including the schools of Earth and Environment, Food Science and Nutrition, Psychology, Geography, Biology, the Institute for Transport Studies and Leeds University Business School.

The programme’s strength lies in its interdisciplinary nature and the integration of concepts, approaches, and perspectives from different disciplines in each module, offering a seamless narrative throughout the course.

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This course will equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills to become an effective leader in the transition to more a sustainable, efficient, healthier, and fairer food system.

Through this Masters you will have the chance to become familiar with the research methods and analytical techniques used in sustainability research, the capabilities individuals require to lead change in the food system, and tools and skills required in the food industry.

During the fieldtrip you will witness the realities of food production in a developing country context. You’ll gain first-hand experience of the challenges in balancing the three domains of sustainability (environment, people, and economy) and the implications of a globalised food system. The cost of the fieldtrip is covered in the course fee.

On completion of this course, you’ll be able to:

• demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of concepts, information and techniques at the forefront of one (or several related) disciplines investigating food systems sustainability;

• apply systems thinking approaches to critically and creatively evaluate the complexity, current and future challenges, research and advanced scholarship in food systems;

• diagnose and propose solutions to the the real-world challenges that food sustainability presents.

Want to find out more about your modules?
Take a look at the Sustainable Food Systems module descriptions for more detail on what you will study.

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.

Modules

Year 1

Learning and teaching

Our groundbreaking research feeds directly into teaching, and you’ll have regular contact with staff who are at the forefront of their disciplines. You’ll have regular contact with academics through lectures, seminars, tutorials and small group work.

Problem based learning is at the heart of this programme. All key disciplinary or theoretical perspectives are embedded in each module to encourage innovation and interdisciplinarity. For example, you’ll work in teams to tackle complex sustainability challenges that require you to incorporate diverse resources such as existing knowledge, data collection, interpersonal skills, reflections and reasoning ability in order to meet these challenges.

Independent study is also important to this course, as you develop your problem-solving and research skills through the extended research project which culminates the programme. You’ll produce an original piece of research investigating a real-world challenge that food sustainability presents.

Fieldtrips

On this course, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in a number of fieldtrips to food production and consumption sites, including a week long fieldtrip to a food producing region outside the UK. Through these fieldtrips you’ll be exposed to the global nature of our food system, and the challenge of reconciling competing local and global, environmental, economic and social priorities.

Other off-campus learning opportunities may be offered through collaboration with commercial partners such as the University of Leeds Farm. The University of Leeds Farm is operated as a commercial business, which also hosts research and innovation projects and can provide a platform for collaborative research and innovation with industry, government and public research organisations.

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

You will be assessed by a combination of traditional assessment techniques such as essays, presentations, report writing, and assessment techniques for the problem-based, experiential and blended learning elements of the programme such as group work, case studies, reflective reports, e-portfolios, assessed contributions to moderated online discussions.

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in a relevant subject such as (but not limited to) earth and environment, sustainability, geography, agriculture, biology, food science, nutrition, business and management, sociology, politics or public administration.

Applicants with a 2.2 will be considered on a case by case basis where applicants can demonstrate relevant work experience or aptitude in a relevant specialist field. Graduates from other disciplines and those with professional experience in the sector will also be considered.

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. For more information please contact the Admissions Team.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component.

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). 

If you need to study for longer than 10 weeks, read more about our postgraduate pre-sessional English course.

How to apply

Application deadlines

Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

31 July 2021 – International applicants

10 September 2021 – UK applicants

Apply

This link takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.

If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

Faculty of Environment Taught Admissions Policy 2021

Fees

• UK: £11,750 (total)
• International: £24,000 (total)

Read more about paying fees and charges.

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Visit our Brexit page for the latest information on the effect of the UK's exit from the EU on current students and applicants to the University.

For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.

Additional cost information

Because we recognise the value of field experience the school heavily subsidises or covers the transport and accommodation costs for all compulsory taught field courses.

We hope to run our fieldwork activities as planned for the 21/22 academic year, but it might not be possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are continually reviewing the situation and will communicate any decisions to applicants and offer holders at the earliest possible opportunity.

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 about additional costs

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.  Find out more at Masters funding overview.

This course will equip you with both the necessary knowledge and skills (such as systems thinking, problem solving, strategy and policy making) to become an effective change agent that will lead the transition to more sustainable food systems. Through its interdisciplinary nature, it offers a holistic or systems-based perspective of the food system and balances critical thinking with practical solutions which is key to enhancing employability prospects.

This programme is ideal for those intending to pursue a range of future employment roles in management and decision making positions, in a wide range of organisations such as but not limited to agribusiness, food processing, retail, non-governmental organisations, charities, social enterprises, governmental organisations and policy making bodies e.g. Defra, WRAP, regulatory bodies, food standards organisations, consultancy, international organisations e.g. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.