Study a Food and Consumer Science degree at Scotland's TOP university for Nutrition and Food Science (The Guardian Guide 2022). With inbuilt work placements, industry accreditations and amazing facilities, our degrees will give your career the very best start.
Programme Overview
Are you fascinated by food and what drives our everyday food choices? Do you want to make a difference and design sustainable and nutritious foods for the future? We delve into the complex relationships between food and the consumer while we teach you how to develop and produce safe, healthy, and nutritious foods, bearing in mind all the factors that impact on consumer choices.
This vocational degree covers all the factors that shape food supply and food choices. Our academic experts will teach you:
- The techniques and skills needed to develop new food products.
- How to innovate and make healthy, delicious foods that are safe to consume.
- The quality and safety requirements needed to manufacture foods.
- A person’s nutritional requirements throughout their lifespan.
- How to meet the needs of society, industry and consumers for sustainable food quality.
This degree is designed to make you industry-ready, blending academic learning with practical skills in our £3.5m state-of-the-art laboratory facilities. A work placement in the third year gives you real-life work experience and great networking opportunities for the future.
Accredited by the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST)
The course is aligned with the General Teaching Council (GTC) requirements for the PG Diploma in Home Economics teaching and is accredited by the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST).
If you have a passion for food and want to study a wide-ranging and flexible degree, then Abertay is for you. Our courses are ideal for secondary school leavers, entrants from further education colleges, and mature students.
Our Food Science courses ranked 3rd in the UK, and top in Scotland in the Guardian 2021 University Guide. According to Unistats, 100% of our graduates are employed six months after graduating and we scored 93% for Overall Satisfaction in the 2021 National Student Survey giving Abertay the highest scoring Food degrees in Scotland.
For the first two years, everyone takes Food Science, Nutrition and Wellbeing as a foundation. After that, you’ll specialise, and take this course in years three and four. Find out more in the 'How the Course Works' section below.
Please note: Students on this course may have to undertake a PVG check if they choose a specific placement (optional) as part of the course.
How the Course Works
This degree is part of a larger portfolio of four courses covering food science, nutrition, fitness, wellbeing, and consumer science. The first two years of each course cover the same curriculum.
This initial two-year foundation curriculum is about Food Science, Nutrition and Wellbeing.
If you want to work in this industry or continue your studies but haven’t worked out exactly what you want to do, this is a great way to start. Our two-year foundation approach means you can keep your options open until you’ve learnt more about what really interests you.
In those first two years we’ll give you a snapshot of each course so you can understand where you want to specialise. This means you’ll learn what you really like, and your degree will end up suiting your own interests and career aspirations. And, of course, we’ll advise you every step of the way.
Having gained two years of knowledge and discovered your own specialist area, in year three you choose from one of these pathways:
- BSc (Hons) Food Science, Nutrition and Wellbeing
- BSc (Hons) Food and Consumer Science
- BSc (Hons) Food, Nutrition and Health
- BSc (Hons) Fitness, Nutrition and Health
Your chosen course will be reflected in your degree title e.g.BSc (Hons) Food and Consumer Science.
Remember, you only need to apply for ONE course, as the first two years are the same for everyone.
The pathways are new for 2022, so are for students applying for year one only. Anyone wishing to apply for years two or three should contact admissions for full details.
Shape your own learning journey
It’s all about flexibility. The first two-year common curriculum means you can keep your options open until you know which area you want to focus on. Don’t worry, our academic team will give you advice and full support when it comes to choosing what to specialise in.
Whichever specialist path you decide on, by the time you graduate you will:
- Understand how to analyse the core issues behind your chosen subject.
- Have developed analytical and problem-solving skills, useful in any work environment.
- Have learnt to work both independently and as part of a team.
- Be able to critically evaluate evidence, arguments, and assumptions and reach sound judgements.
- Have learnt applied professional standards, ethics and responsibilities, including good decision-making.
- Developed excellent communication and digital skills so you can share your knowledge effectively across a wide range of audiences.
Teaching & Assessment
Each course involves lectures, small group tutorials, practical lab-based activities and private study.
Practical activities and work placements will enable you to contextualise the theories you learn in real-life applications.
You’re assessed by a combination of examinations and coursework.
You’ll be encouraged to critically evaluate information and challenge concepts using evidence-based information, and to show initiative, so you actively construct your own knowledge base.
The single most crucial aspect of student life is your need to engage with all teaching activities, such as lectures, seminars, tutorials, team projects and practical work. Active participation is critical to making your learning and assessment strategy work for you.
Put simply, we aim to give you all the skills you need to move straight into a job or further study when you graduate.
Accreditation
This degree course is accredited by the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST). An accreditation is an assurance that the standards set by the sector are met. An accredited degree can add weight to your experience when you are looking for employment.
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