Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Food Science and Nutrition (with Placement Year) University of Surrey, UK

Why choose this course

• Study on an Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) accredited course.
• Access our £12.5 million Innovation for Health Learning Laboratory and our new Food and Nutrition Kitchen Lab to acquire practical experience that is greatly valued by a wide range of employers.
• Gain industry experience through a Professional Training placement, working for an employer such as the Government, a nutrition-focused business, or a large specialised bakery, confectionary, cereal or dairy food company.
• Learn from lecturers who have been awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Further and Higher Education, in recognition of their research excellence in the field of food and nutrition.

What you will study

Food science is a multidisciplinary subject that applies biology and chemistry to the physical, chemical and biochemical study of food. Nutrition is the study of the biochemical and physiological processes through which food is utilised by the body. This degree encompasses both aspects to a high level.

In your first year, you’ll study a broad range of topics, including food and nutritional science-focused subjects, as well as cell biology, biological chemistry, biochemistry and physiology to give you a solid foundation upon which to build the rest of your degree.  

In your second year, you’ll develop your understanding of what happens to the components of food during processing and storage. You'll gain an understanding of the role of food microbiology and how safe, nutritious food can be effectively produced. You’ll acquire an appreciation for the functionality of ingredients used in foods and product development, while exploring the basis of nutrition and the role this has on aetiology and prevention of illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.   

In your third year, you’ll have the choice to specialise further, studying topics like food chemistry to continue to evaluate the role of natural and added components in the foods we eat. You will also gain a more in-depth understanding of the technologies used to produce safe and nutritious foods as well as the importance of food security. You’ll also advance your knowledge of the role of nutrition in certain illnesses and how this contributes to their prevention.

Food science and nutrition placements
We offer hundreds of year-long paid placements with a range of companies, in the UK and worldwide.  

Previous students have gained placements with:

• Nutricia
• Pladis
• Sainsbury's
• Allied Bakeries
• Tata Global Beverages
• Unilever
• Yakult.

We also have an extensive number of partner institutions that offer placements exclusively to Surrey students, giving you access to research laboratories across the world. Explore your options via our search tool and find out more about our current partner universities and organisations.