Program Overview

Food and Nutritional Sciences (Double Major)

The Food and Nutritional Sciences double major at UBC integrates your interests in science, nutrition, health, and food into an undergraduate degree that is comprehensive, rigorous, and relevant. A professional program approved by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the double major provides extensive laboratory experience, experiential learning, and industry engagement, ideal for employment in the food and nutrition industries or future graduate study.

What You Need to Know

• Why Take the Food and Nutritional Sciences Double Major?
• Program Overview
• Degree Options
• Planning Your Degree
• How to Apply
• Institute of Food Technologists (IFT)
• IFT Essential Learning Outcomes
• Career Options
• Get Involved

Why Take the Food and Nutritional Sciences Double Major?

The Food and Nutritional Sciences double major includes all required courses from both Food Science and Nutritional Sciences with just one additional semester of study. You will learn about food chemistry, analysis, quality, and safety alongside the nutritional composition of food, nutrient metabolism, and nutritional assessment. This integration of content uniquely positions graduates to contribute to the development of healthy foods for optimal living — an exciting frontier to be working on in today’s world.

In the Food and Nutritional Sciences double major, you will apply biology, chemistry, and physics knowledge to food and nutrition. You will learn how foods change during processing, how food is preserved, and how to assess food’s sensory qualities. You will study the role of food in human development, disease prevention, and public health. On top of this deep disciplinary foundation, you’ll build essential workplace skills through practical laboratory experience, collaborative work, and industry-specific written and oral communication.

Over the course of your studies, you will have the opportunity to be involved in industry projects, Co-operative education, industry mentoring programs, community partnerships, career development events, and site visits, each of which will hone your ability to collaborate with industry professionals.

UBC’s Food and Nutritional Sciences double major has the added distinction of being approved by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the internationally-respected governing body that sets the standards in Food Science education. As an IFT member, you’ll be eligible to apply for Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology (CIFST) scholarships and other food science-specific student funding. Additionally, you’ll have access to IFT Student Association events and opportunities to collaborate with peers across North America.

Program Overview

UBC’s Food and Nutritional Sciences double major emphasizes a strong science foundation, strength in research, cultivation of communication skills, and sustainability emphasis. Notably, the unique Land, Food, and Community core course series grounds learners in the broader context of local and global food systems, building an interdisciplinary, collaborative mindset. The double major has the distinction of being approved by the Institute of Food Technologists, the internationally-respected governing body that sets the standards in Food Science education.

In addition to the learning obtained through their Nutritional Sciences coursework, students will cover all of the Food Science Program-level Learning Outcomes, which include the ability to:

1. Apply foundational sciences, food chemistry and analysis, food microbiology, food safety and quality assurance, food processing and engineering, sensory science, and food regulation knowledge to address food science challenges
2. Emphasize precision, accuracy, and safety when performing food science laboratory procedures
3. Employ skills in experimental design, ethical data collection and analysis, and literature interpretation to conduct food science research
4. Apply sustainability practices, business concepts, and project management principles to food product design, development, or modification
5. Apply food science principles within a broader, interdisciplinary context of food systems and food security
6. Communicate food science information, ideas, and data to a variety of audiences using oral, written, and visual means
7. Identify current issues, novel technologies, potential career paths, governing associations, and service opportunities within the food sector
8. Model professionalism, integrity, leadership, collaboration, and a sustainability mindset when engaging with academic, industry, and community members

Professional Values

Our program aspires to cultivate graduates who will:

• Lead academic and professional lives with high ethical standards
• Leverage food science knowledge to advance health and sustainability in the food sector
• Contribute toward the betterment of the field and society through ongoing service

Co-op

Augment your studies with full-time, relevant work by applying your academic skills in food and nutrition-related employment settings. Program graduates consistently listed Co-op placements as a highly valuable component of their education.

Minors

You may choose to supplement your Food and Nutritional Sciences double major with a minor, which involves taking courses in a subject area outside of your specialization. As a Food, Nutrition, and Health student, you are eligible to apply for a minor in Arts, Commerce, Science, Fermentations, Sustainable Food Systems, or Kinesiology.

Dual Degree with Master of Management

If you are interested in complementing your LFS degree with a strong foundation in management, consider applying for the Bachelor of Science (Food, Nutrition, and Health) – Master of Management Dual Degree.

IFT Undergraduate Program Requirements

The Institute of Food Technologists sets standards for IFT-approved undergraduate Food Science degrees. They require foundational knowledge in chemistry, physics, mathematics, biological sciences, nutrition, statistics, and oral and written communication. For food science-specific courses, IFT’s essential learning outcomes (ELOs) indicate the knowledge and skills required for program approval.

IFT Essential Learning Outcomes

The IFT ELOs cover various topics, including:

• Food Chemistry (FC)
• Food Microbiology (FM)
• Food Safety (FS)
• Food Engineering and Processing (FE)
• Sensory Science (SS)
• Quality Assurance (QA)
• Food Laws and Regulations (FL)
• Data and Statistical Analysis (DS)
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving (CT)
• Food Science Communication (CM)
• Professionalism and Leadership (PL)

Each of these areas has specific learning outcomes that students are expected to achieve upon completion of the program.

Career Options

This double major prepares you for impactful careers in the food and nutrition sectors, including:

• Food product development specialist
• Quality assurance manager
• Nutrition educator
• Consumer product officer
• Food technologist
• Nutraceutical sales representative
• Microbiology technician
• Food safety specialist

Many graduates also pursue further education, such as an MSc or PhD in Human Nutrition or Food Science, or a professional Master of Food Science.