Food Science and Nutrition BSc (Hons) – 2020 entry
Why choose this course
Our food science courses are ranked 2nd in the UK by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019 and top 3 by The Complete University Guide 2020. We have also ranked 8th for biosciences in the Guardian University Guide 2020.
Our 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 be taught be internationally recognised researchers, but also be able to become actively involved in cutting-edge research during your studies.
What you will study
Food science is a multidisciplinary subject that applies sciences such as chemistry and biology to the study of food.
Our 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.
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.
Key information
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BSc (Hons) UCAS: BD46 3 years View KIS data set |
BSc (Hons) UCAS: BD47 4 years with professional training View KIS data set |
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BSc (Hons) UCAS: BD48 4 years with foundation year View KIS data set |
BSc (Hons) UCAS: BD49 5 years with foundation year and professional training View KIS data set |
Professional Training placements
A Professional Training placement provides you with the opportunity to develop your professional, academic and personal potential, equipping you to be adaptable, resilient, globally minded, confident, entrepreneurial and digitally savvy in the workplace. These qualities are widely recognised by employers and many of our students are offered employment on graduation by their placement provider.
The Professional Training placement year gives our students an insight into their subject and career potential, and early access to professional experience. It can be invaluable in developing work-based skills and helping them secure a graduate career.
Find out more about Professional Training placements and discover how these have transformed our students’ lives and career choices.
Food Science and Nutrition placements
We strongly encourage you to take a placement in the UK or internationally. Recent students have taken placements with leading companies such as:
- Tata Global Beverages
- Sainsbury's
- Nutricia
- Surrey Human Performance Institute
- Unilever
- Pladis
- Yakult.
We place great emphasis on organising a successful, research-based placement, allowing you to extend and enhance your practical abilities and sharpen your professional skills. Employers may sponsor the final year of your course and many offer our students employment on graduation. To help ensure that you have a successful experience, you will be visited in person by staff during your placement year.
In the competitive world of graduate employment, companies are more likely to consider applicants who have previous professional experience.
Applying for placements
Professional Training placements are usually applied for and secured via our online placement opportunities platform called Surrey Pathfinder, within which students can select and apply for placement vacancies. Placement providers use their own recruitment and selection procedures and the majority of students will secure their placement in this way. However, support is also provided to students wishing to source their own placement, subject to university requirements being met.
Students are generally not placed by the University, however they are given thorough support and guidance alongside access to the vacancy portal representing thousands of placement opportunities each year. Please be aware there may be travel costs incurred when attending interviews and assessment centres at the placement provider’s premises.
Professional recognition
BSc (Hons) - Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST)
Accredited by the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST).
Accreditations
Careers and graduate prospects
We offer careers information, advice and guidance to all students whilst studying with us, which is extended to our alumni for three years after leaving the University.
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 course are in high demand by the food and beverage industries.
The combination of modules covering human nutrition, microbiology, food composition, food processing, food analysis and quality assurance provided by this course equip you for a range of careers.
An important aspect of food science is understanding 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’ll need to ensure that food bought from a supermarket contains the optimum amount of these components. You’ll 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 courses 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, Nestlé
- Nutritionist, Whole Foods
- Food Technologist, JF Renshaw
- Regulatory Analyst, Leatherhead Food Research.
Study and work abroad
We give our students the opportunity to acquire international experience during their degrees by taking advantage of our exchange agreements with overseas universities or by completing a Professional Training placement abroad.
In addition to the hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience, time spent abroad adds a distinctive element to your CV.
View our study and work abroad exchange information to find out more and see where you can go.
Please note: the status of the Erasmus+ scheme is dependent on the outcome of the Brexit negotiations.
Our international exchange course offers you the opportunity to spend your Professional Training placement working in another country. Our students have travelled to Canada, Australia, Brazil and many European countries, typically working in a research laboratory at a partner institution.
If you work in another part of Europe you may be eligible for an Erasmus+ grant, as well as your full student loan if you take an unpaid research placement in a foreign university laboratory. This is an excellent opportunity not only to gain valuable work experience, but also to improve or learn another language.
Foundation year
The Food Science and Nutrition BSc with foundation has an additional year of study designed to support your transition on to latter years of the course. You will study full-time for one year at foundation level, and after successfully completing it you will be ready to move on to the next three years of the course.
Terms and conditions
When you accept an offer of a place at the University of Surrey, you are agreeing to comply with our policies and regulations, and our terms and conditions. These terms and conditions are provided in two stages: first when we make an offer and second when students who have accepted their offers register to study at the University. View our offer terms and conditions and our generic registration terms and conditions (PDF) as a guide as to what to expect.
Please note: our offer terms and conditions will be available in the September of the calendar year prior to the year in which you begin your studies. Our registration terms and conditions will vary to take into account specifics of your course.
Disclaimer
This online prospectus has been prepared and published in advance of the academic year to which it applies. The University of Surrey has used its reasonable efforts to ensure that the information is accurate at the time of publishing, but changes (for example to course content or additional costs) may occur given the interval between publishing and commencement of the course. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply for a course with us. Read more.
Academic year structure
The academic year is divided into two semesters of 15 weeks each. Each semester consists of a period of teaching, revision/directed learning and assessment.
The University operates a credit framework for all taught programmes based on a 15-credit tariff. Modules can be either 15, 30, 45 or 60 credits.
Modules
Modules listed are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that modules may be subject to teaching availability, student demand and/or class size caps.
Please note: If there is an optional Professional Training placement as part of your course you can view the full module listing for this on the relevant programme specification.
The structure of our programmes follows clear educational aims that are tailored to each programme. These are all outlined in the programme specifications which include further details such as the learning outcomes:
Foundation
| Module title | Status | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| FOUNDATION YEAR FOR BIOSCIENCES | Compulsory | Year-long |
Foundation (with PTY)
| Module title | Status | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| FOUNDATION YEAR FOR BIOSCIENCES | Compulsory | Year-long |
Year 1
Year 2
Optional modules for Year 2 - FHEQ Level 5
Choose 2 optional modules from the list in Semester 2.
Year 3
Optional modules for Year 3 - FHEQ Level 6
Choose 2 optional modules from the list.
Timetables
Timetables are normally available one month before the start of the semester. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week (Monday–Friday). Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities. Part-time classes are normally scheduled on one or two days per week, details of which can be obtained from the course administrators. View our Timetabling Policy (PDF).
Teaching
On average you’ll have 20-25 hours of contact time each week. A variety of teaching methods is used, including lectures, role play and practicals.
You’ll also be expected to take on private study such as coursework and additional reading. You’ll also take part in problem-based learning activities and benefit from a range of supporting e-learning materials.
Research students will sometimes help to deliver your modules. These students will be researching in a similar subject to the module, and will have undertaken training prior to being invited to teach. The University has a set of procedures that govern the use of postgraduate research students in this way.
Staff
This course is taught by academic staff from the School of Biosciences and Medicine.
Programme leader
BROWN J Dr (Biosc & Med)
Personal tutor
All taught students are assigned a personal tutor before beginning a programme of study. Personal tutors offer support and advice to students in the areas of:
- Academic progress
- Pastoral/welfare issues
- Personal/professional development and employability.
Assessment
Modules are assessed individually and credits are awarded for the successful completion of each one. Assessment takes place through a combination of examination and/or coursework, practical examinations and reports. Check individual module information to see full details at a module level.
Contact hours
Contact hours can vary across our modules. Full details of the contact hours for each module are available from the University of Surrey's module catalogue. See the modules section for more information.
Learning and disability support
We have two services, Academic Skills and Development and the Disability and Neurodiversity Service which can help develop your learning.
Academic Skills and Development
Academic Skills and Development is a learning space in the Library where our learning development team is based. It comprises dedicated Student Learning Advisers and Information Skills Librarians who can help you develop your academic and research skills, including writing, presenting, revision and critical thinking.
Find out more about the study support available.
Disability and Neurodiversity Service
The University’s Disability and Neurodiversity Service supports students with disabilities, long-term health conditions, specific learning differences (such as dyslexia and dyspraxia) and other neurodiverse conditions (including autism spectrum and attention deficit disorder).
If you tell us about any conditions and register with us, we can give you appropriate support during your studies.
We can arrange exam and learning support adjustments, give advice on applications for the Disabled Students' Allowance, and test you for dyslexia and dyspraxia. We can also offer regular study skills and mentoring support.
Find out more about the support available or contact the team directly for further information.
English language support
Our English Language Support Programme (ELSP) provides tailored English language support during your studies. It is particularly valuable to students who speak English as a second or additional language, but native speakers are also welcome.
What qualifications do you need?
English language requirements
IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall with 6.0 in Writing and 5.5 in each other element.
View the other English language qualifications that we accept.
If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.
Selection process
We normally make offers in terms of grades.
If you are a suitable candidate you may be invited to an Applicant Day. During your visit to the University you can find out more about the course and meet staff and students.
Recognition of prior learning
The University of Surrey recognises that many students enter their higher education course with valuable knowledge and skills developed through a range of professional, vocational and community contexts. If this applies to you, a process called recognition of prior learning (RPL) may allow you to enter your course at a point appropriate to your previous learning and experience, or to join the start of a course without the formal entry requirements. This means that you may be exempt from certain elements of study in the course for which you have applied and be awarded credit based on your previous qualifications/experience. There are restrictions on RPL for some courses and fees may be payable for certain claims.
Please see the code of practice for recognition of prior learning and prior credit: taught programmes (PDF) for further information. Please email Admissions with any queries.
Fees
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BSc (Hons) UK and EU To be confirmed Overseas To be confirmed |
BSc (Hons) (with professional training year) UK and EU To be confirmed Overseas To be confirmed Professional training To be confirmed |
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BSc (Hons) (with foundation year) UK and EU To be confirmed Overseas To be confirmed |
BSc (Hons) (with foundation and professional training year) UK and EU To be confirmed Overseas To be confirmed Professional training To be confirmed |
View a complete listing of all ongoing fees for our undergraduate courses.
Overseas students: please note that annual fees will rise by four per cent (rounded up to the nearest £100) for each year of study.
The University will assess your fee status. If you are unsure whether you are likely to be considered a home, EU or overseas student for fees purposes, the UKCISA website offers more information.
Additional costs
There are associated costs with this BSc (Hons) course:
- Safety equipment and/or uniform: £20 - The equipment pack includes laboratory coat, laboratory glasses, laboratory book, pen and padlock. Students are responsible for the costs associated with maintaining/washing/replacing any equipment
- Commuting (local travel expenses): unable to specify amount - Students are required to pay upfront cost of travel when attending interviews for placement. These can normally be claimed back from the company holding the interview.
Grand total: £20 plus commuting expenses.
How to apply
Learn how to apply for an undergraduate course, see details about the UCAS application process and determine the steps you need to take if you receive an offer to study.
Admissions information
Our undergraduate admissions policy provides the basis for admissions practice across the University and gives a framework for how we encourage, consider applications and admit students.
Our students
Student
Suan Yean Ong
"My Professional Training placement helped improve my confidence and communication skills."
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Student
Bethany Spicer
"My time at university has really changed who I am as a person – I came to university quite nervous about what to expect. However over the past couple of years I feel I've grown in confidence and become much more independent. I'm also comfortable with my workload and I really enjoy new challenges."
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