Master of Science in Nutrition and Food Systems

While large populations face hunger and undernutrition, overweight and diet-related chronic diseases have taken on pandemic proportions. In addition, human diets have a significant impact on natural resources and the climate. More than ever, food system changes are required to improve human diets, promote planetary health, and achieve sustainable development.

The MSc Nutrition and Food Systems program focuses on human nutrition and diets from a food system perspective. After completing this degree, you will:

• Have a strong academic background in human nutrition. The program contains all the necessary courses for you to work as a nutritionist,
• Understand how human diets and nutrition are driven by food systems, from the production, post-harvest handling, transformation, storage, and marketing of food up to the behavior of consumers,
• Be capable of identifying nutritional problems, and their underlying causes and develop, manage, and evaluate relevant interventions,
• Be able to critically evaluate nutrition research findings and be competent in developing evidence-based recommendations, and
• Be able to collaborate, communicate, and creatively apply these competencies across the disciplines for sustainable food systems change

Through interactions with a diverse and international group of students and lecturers, you acquire international and intercultural competencies. You will start your professional career with an international network.

The MSc Nutrition and Food Systems has its roots in the MSc Nutrition and Rural Development, which ran as an international MSc program at UGent since 1987. In response to increasing global concerns regarding the sustainability of food systems, the program focus was revised to food systems.

The Faculty of Bioscience Engineering within Ghent University is a European research leader in the field of applied biological and life sciences or bioengineering.

We educate generations of scientists in leading-edge research and high-impact work with governments and communities, industry, and NGOs, to support innovation and sustainability in life sciences while managing and protecting natural and man-made ecosystems.