The BSc Food Science and Nutrition will give you an understanding of the raw materials that will become food, how they interact and how food science can have dramatic implications for human health and disease. Food safety also forms an important component of the course, as food can be a major source of disease-causing chemicals and microorganisms. The Department of Nutritional Sciences is home to an innovative teaching and learning environment. The strength and depth of our research means you’ll not only by taught be internationally recognised researchers, but also be able to become actively involved in cutting-edge research during your studies. Our course will not only provide you with a thorough understanding of food composition and analysis, but will also give you a high standard of experience in nutrition and microbiology. Our reliance on a supply of safe food, together with the economic problems that can arise from crop damage and food spoilage, means that graduates from this programme are in high demand by the food and beverage industries. An important aspect of food science understands the vital link between diet and health so that foods can be developed to have maximum nutritional value. You could be involved in undertaking exciting research into the potential and most recent applications of food science – the development of novel foods. These include foods with new synthetic or natural ingredients which are used to replace fats or lower cholesterol, foods with novel health-promoting extracts from plants, or foods that have been altered by genetic manipulation. As a nutritionist, you may be concerned with the beneficial components in a food, but as a food scientist, you will need to ensure that a food bought from a supermarket contains the optimum amount of these components. You will also be concerned with the quality and safety of the food. Our graduates are involved in product development, food analysis, research, consumer advice, legislation, food safety and teaching. Most of our graduates go immediately into the job market, taking jobs that often follow naturally from a successful Professional Training placement, but many of our graduates also pursue further study. This includes taught masters programmes and PhD studentships. Some of our graduates over the last few years have secured roles such as: Technical Graduate, Bakkavor; Process Technologist, Adelie Foods; Regulations and Compliance Executive, IFIS; Conformance Manager, Nestle; Nutritionist, Whole Foods; Food Technologist, JF Renshaw and Regulatory Analyst, Leatherhead Food Research.