Program Overview

MSc Human Nutrition

The MSc Human Nutrition program at Manchester Metropolitan University is designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the relationships between diet, disease, and health. This one-year course aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge to work as nutritionists in both the health and food sectors.

Course Overview

The program covers a range of topics, including the theory behind nutritional sciences, food guidelines, biochemistry, and the distribution and control of disease. Students will also participate in practical sessions, where they will complete food practical and nutritional assessment evaluations. The course includes sessions in the university's laboratories, where students will explore topics such as food composition and how to conduct a nutritional assessment.

Features and Benefits

• Practical sessions: Students will have practical sessions where they explore topics such as food composition and how to conduct a nutritional assessment.
• Industry-standard facilities: Students will use the university's on-campus food manufacturing facilities, which include a 10-booth sensory taste panel suite, development kitchens, and food biochemistry and physiology laboratories.
• Teaching excellence: The teaching team includes registered nutritionists, food scientists, and a dietitian.
• Accredited course: This course is an AfN accredited course, which means that when students graduate, they are eligible to apply for direct entry to the UKVRN Register as a Registered Associate Nutritionist (ANutr).
• Nutrition clinic: Students will have the opportunity to gain experience working in the university's nutrition clinic, where they can deliver 1-1 nutrition consultations with the general public and volunteer to deliver on the university's weight management intervention.

Accreditations, Awards, and Endorsements

The course is accredited by the Association for Nutrition.

Year 1

On the course, students will study the following units:

Core Modules

• Fundamental Nutrition: This module explores nutritional needs through the life course, presenting the principles of nutrition and discussing food composition, dietary requirements, and the acute and chronic life course consequences of imbalanced nutrient intake.
• Sustainable Diets: Students will evaluate the various approaches towards achieving sustainable diets, including giving equal weight to nutrition and public health, the environment, socio-cultural issues, food quality, economics, and governance.
• Nutritional Epidemiology: This module explores the evidence base, including scientific study and design, for the role of food and nutrient intake in health and disease from a community and population perspective.
• Nutritional Assessment: Students will deliver core knowledge and skills to enable them to assess and analyze an individual's nutritional status using dietary intake and body composition assessment.
• Molecular Nutrition and Biochemistry: This module focuses on human digestion, absorption, metabolism, and excretion of macro and micronutrients.
• Public Health Nutrition: Students will examine the theory, methods, and applications of public health, nutrition, and promotion in the context of changing individual and population behaviors for the improvement of society's health.
• Food Composition and Analysis: Students will explore the theory behind food analysis and understanding of how the chemical composition of foods determines their flavor, texture, nutritional value, and safety.
• Dissertation with Research Methods: Students will design and undertake a significant scientific research study on a topic of professional interest and relevance in their specialist study area.
• Nutrition in Practice: This module provides students with an understanding of meal planning and food preparation, exploring the sociological, economic, and cultural influences on food choice, diet, and health behaviors.

Study and Assessment

• Full-time: 30% lectures, seminars, or similar; 0% placement; 70% independent study.
• Full-time: 95% coursework; 0% practical; 5% examination.

Entry Requirements

Students will have a minimum 2:2 UK undergraduate degree, or equivalent, in a relevant science or health-based subject. Relevant subject areas include biological and environmental sciences, physiology, biochemistry, chemistry, geography, public health, health and social care, social work, nursing, and psychology. Students with a degree outside of these subject areas will be considered if they can demonstrate a sound underpinning knowledge in a science or health-related subject.

Fees and Funding

• UK and Channel Island students: Full-time fee £10,250 per year.
• EU and non-EU international students: Full-time fee £20,000 per year.

Careers Support and Prospects

Through the university's Careers Service, students will be supported and encouraged to get ready for what comes next - whether that's continuing their studies or pursuing their work ambitions. The university has groundbreaking research with industry, which means it has unrivaled business connections that can help open doors to students' dream careers.

A Career as Unique as You

From nutrition-related roles within government organizations to working in the media to food industry research and development, there's a variety of career paths students could take as nutritionists. Students might work in a health setting (such as a clinic) or perhaps set up a consultancy business as a nutritionist or develop their career within research or teaching nutrition.