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At Reading, you will have the opportunity to learn from world-leading experts, giving you the best start to your career in food and nutritional sciences. Our understanding of these subjects has informed public health advice and helped the food industry to develop new products that deliver great taste in a healthy package.

"I think the all-round package from the learning experience through to the placement and then actually coming out with some useful experience that allows you to go into your first job, I think certainly from a food degree perspective, you're pretty advantaged coming here over a lot of other places."

Ben Hills on his BSc Food Technology degree

Valuable hands-on experience with excellent facilities

As one of the largest department of its kind in the UK with extensive and versatile facilities, we provide a breadth of practical teaching opportunities.

Explore our facilities

Industry experience

All of our courses offer professional placements, including opportunities with high profile companies and institutions, ranging from household names to suppliers of branded and own-label goods to the food retail market. Whether your aim is to be a food scientist or nutritionist, you will have the chance to leave with the practical and commercial skills and experience to make you stand out and begin a great career.

Find out more about professional placements

Investing in your future

As well as strong links with industry and versatile facilities, we believe in a hands-on approach to learning. You will have extensive, regular contact time with professionals at the top of their field.

How you'll learn on our undergraduate courses

Professional accreditation

All of our undergraduate degrees are accredited by the Institute for Food Science and Technology (IFST), the professional body for food scientists and technologists in the UK. Our courses are accredited against the QAA Benchmark Statement for Typical Subject-Specific Knowledge and Understanding in Food Science and Technology.

Our programmes in nutrition, nutrition and food science, and nutrition with food consumer sciences are also accredited by the Association for Nutrition (AfN), which only recognises university courses that deliver evidence-based nutrition education to a professional level. Graduates from AfN accredited programmes are eligible to apply for direct entry to the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists at Registered Associate Nutritionist (ANutr) status.

Multiple paths into the food and nutrition sectors

The food and nutrition sectors offer a variety of career paths, including food technologist, nutritionist and consumer scientist, as well as opportunities in research. At Reading we have a wide range of specialists from across the food and nutritional fields, who can can help you onto your career path whatever your ambitions may be.

Overall, 94% of graduates from Food and Nutritional Sciences are in work or further study within 15 months of graduation (Based on our analysis of HESA data © HESA 2022, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2020/21; includes first degree Food and Nutritional Sciences responders).