Human Nutrition MSc(MedSci)

Nutritional science is a subject of growing importance in many aspects of healthcare, lifestyle and industry. Accredited by the Association for Nutrition (AfN), this Human Nutrition degree aims to explore how our choices of foods affect the biochemical and physiological functions of cells and organs, and how our diets influence physical, mental and social health.

Academic contact: mvls-nutrition@glasgow.ac.uk
Teaching start: September

Glasgow Royal Infirmary
MSc (Med Sci): 12 months full-time

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Please note: our Online Application Form and Applicant Self Service will be unavailable from 08:00-14:00 (BST) Thursday 24 September 2026 due to essential maintenance. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Why this programme

Experience an expert evidence-based approach to human nutrition, integrated teaching on basic sciences, clinical practice and public health applications.
Learn through an in-depth, evidence based, critical approach and specialise in a particular area.
Four different specialisation areas are provided – Public Health Nutrition, Clinical Nutrition, Obesity & Weight Management and Sports & Exercise Nutrition.
There is a long tradition of excellence in nutrition at the University of Glasgow, with pioneering research by Cathcart, Paton and Boyd. More recently Durnin, Cockburn and Dunnigan. While current Glasgow academics continue to make important contributions in the field of nutrition.
Be taught by international staff and external experts, offering great flexibility to suit individual student needs.
A range of transferable skills are integrated and embedded into this programme, for example, critical review skills, which are highly sought after within the competitive job market.
Develop a substantial research proposal as a team.
Gain valuable understanding and a range of skills for interdisciplinary working and interpreting nutrition research.
Be part of a very supportive environment: feedback from past students emphasises the dedication, approachability and enthusiasm of the programme team.
Teaching will mainly take place off-campus at the recently refurbished Glasgow Royal Infirmary, with its state of the art teaching facilities.
Get direct entry to the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN) as an Associate Nutritionist (ANutr). It is expected that you will normally transition to full registration after three years, when you will also identify your area of specialism from the five options available.
Watch our recent Ask your Academic webinar on YouTube and BiliBili.

Main Campus Location

The main primary location of this programme is at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in the east of Glasgow, not far from the bustling city centre. Secondary locations include the main university Gilmorehill campus in the west end and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital on the southside. Easy to get to by bus, train, subway or car.

Programme structure

The programme provides a thorough grounding in the principles, practice and research of human nutrition and the opportunity to follow a successful career in the UK or overseas.

You will gain the knowledge and experience necessary for engaging in, and contributing to, current issues in the field of human nutrition.

An additional research component allows the development of valuable skills for practising and interpreting nutrition research.

The teaching programme is given in the form of lectures, practical sessions, debates, case studies, team work tasks, self-directed learning, seminars and tutorials.

Additional material and electronic resources such as quizzes, online chats and teaching videos are available on moodle, the University’s virtual learning environment, to support and enhance students’ learning experience. Take a look at what our students say.

Students who do not pass the Association for Nutrition required core competencies in the taught courses will undertake an Outreach & Engagement project and will qualify with MSc (Med Sci) Human Nutrition (Public Health Nutrition/Clinical Nutrition/Sports & Exercise Nutrition/Obesity & Weight Management Nutrition) and Knowledge Transfer.

Core courses

Specialisation courses

Choose one from the following

*Please note that the Clinical Nutrition specialisation course does not include clinical experience.

As part of their specialisation, all students complete a taught course and research proposal.

Find out more about core courses and specialisms.

Research project

Subject to satisfactory results, students progress on to a research project in the area of their specialisation.

The project is presented as a written report in the form of a scientific paper for assessment in August and may also provide the basis for publication and presentation at scientific meetings.

See some examples of recent projects.

Transferable skills

This programme includes a range of training in transferable skills, including:

academic journal review
communication
learning techniques
literature searching
presentation
statistics and data handling

PLEASE NOTE: THIS PROGRAMME DOES NOT LEAD TO STATE REGISTRATION IN DIETETICS

Programme alteration or discontinuation
The University of Glasgow endeavours to run all programmes as advertised. In exceptional circumstances, however, the University may withdraw or alter a programme. For more information, please see: Student contract.

Career prospects

Graduates are well placed for a variety of employment opportunities in the food and health industries, public health, research, health promotion, food policy, the media and relief/development work in less developed countries.

There is an expanding role for high quality nutritionists in all these sectors and the programme is intended to meet this demand.

This course provides a sound basis from which to apply for employment in advisory positions in industry or government agencies, to undertake professional training in dietetics, or for further doctoral-level research training for academic or teaching careers.

A high proportion of our graduates go on to complete PhDs in Glasgow or other high quality institutions across the world.

Careers of some of our recent graduates include:

Assistant project worker, Angus Healthy Happy Communities
Clinical dietician-nutritionist
Coordinator, Food & Health Alliance, NHS Health Scotland
Development worker, High Five for Fruit, Lanarkshire Community Food and Health Partnership
Emergency nutrition worker, Action Against Hunger, GOAL
Health adviser (BUPA)
Intervention worker on prevention of childhood obesity, National Institute of Perinatology, Mexico
Lecturer in Clinical Nutrition (University of Glasgow)
Lifestyle coach
Milton community food project officer, North Glasgow Healthy Living Community
New product development project manager, Kinnerton Confectionery Ltd
Nutrition Adviser, Scottish Consumer Council
Nutrition consultant, FAO Rome
Nutritionist, Dribble Delights
Nutritionist, North Lanarkshire Council
Nutrition researcher, Kenya
Officer for the Nutrition Society of China
Private nutrition clinic, Greece
Programme officer, Food & Health Alliance, NHS Health Scotland
Project administration, Action Against Hunger, Canada
Public health nutritionist
Research associate, Nutritional Biochemistry (University of Glasgow)
Research fellow on eating behaviour (University of London)
Researcher, MRC nutrition research facility
Trainee product technologist
Weight management consultant

Fees & funding

Tuition fees for 2026-27

MSc(MedSci)

Home & RUK

Full-time fee: £11,943

International & EU

Full-time fee: £34,470

Fee status

Fee status guidance

Deposits

International and EU applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2,000 when an offer is made.

Deposits: terms & conditions

The following guidelines will apply in determining whether a deposit will be refunded. Where the deposit is refunded, a 25% administration fee will be deducted unless otherwise stated.

a: Deposits WILL be refunded to applicants under the following circumstances:

Where the University is unable to offer you a place on the programme as specified on the offer. A full refund will be issued in this case.
Death of a close family member (parent/guardian, grandparent, sibling, spouse, child/dependent). Official evidence (signed and stamped) must be provided.
SERIOUS ill health of the applicant or a close family member (parent/guardian, grandparent, sibling, spouse, child/dependent). Official evidence (signed and stamped) must be provided.
Applicant does not meet conditions of offer. This may be academic or language test requirements. Satisfactory evidence must be uploaded to the student’s applicant self-service to prove that they have not met the conditions of their offer (note that applicants who do not meet the language condition of their offer must show reasonable attempt to meet this, i.e. they must provide at least two language tests which were taken after the date the deposit was paid).
Visa / ATAS refusal: we will only consider a refund if the visa / ATAS refusal was based on matters outside of the applicant’s control.
If a refund request is received within 14 days of the deposit being received a full refund will be issued under the Consumer Protection Regulations.

b: Deposits WILL NOT be refunded to applicants under the following circumstances:

An applicant decides not to attend the University for any reason not outlined above.
Personal financial constraints / unsuccessful scholarship application.
Applicant has decided to defer – in this situation the University will retain the deposit and hold it against the applicant’s account to secure their place for the following year of entry. You may defer twice. After the second deferral standard conditions will apply.
There is still time to meet the English language test requirement before the final upload date. Please see section a) 4.
Visa / ATAS was applied for too late. Please see section a) 5.
Any documents used for admission are proven to be fraudulent. We work in partnership with Qualification Check to check academic qualifications. English language qualifications are verified with the provider.
The refund request is received more than 30 days after the official course start date as outlined in your offer email.

Timeframe for requesting a refund

Refund requests must be received no later than 30 days after the official course start date as outlined in your offer email. As per section b)7 above the request will be denied.

Receiving a refund

To comply with Money Laundering Regulations, the University will pay all refunds to the original payer using the source payment details. This is known as a “return to source” payment.
All appropriate documentation and evidence relating to the original payment must be provided, when requested.
All payments and refunds are in GBP currency - the University is not responsible for any exchange rate fluctuations or beneficiary bank charges associated with the refund.
Where University approved payment methods have not been used, this may cause significant delays or prevent payment altogether.
We will aim to issue the deposit refund within 8 weeks of receipt of information per point 2 above. At peak times this may be longer.

How to request a deposit refund

Please go to our enquiry form and select 'Fees and Deposit' as the enquiry reason and then 'Can I have a deposit refund?'.

Please upload all supporting documentation to your applicant self-service portal before submitting the above request.

Find out more about Deposits

Additional fees

Fee for re-assessment of a dissertation (PGT programme): £370
Submission of thesis after deadline lapsed: £350
Registration/exam only fee: £170

Entry requirements

2.2 Hons (or non-UK equivalent) in Food and Nutrition, Medical Sciences or Biological Sciences which contains Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry and with at least 50% of credit bearing modules in Science at an average grade of pass.

Accepted modules

We normally accept the following modules to meet the credit bearing module requirement:

Science

Science

English language requirements

For applicants from non-English speaking countries, as defined by the UK Government, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic and Academic Online (not General Training)

6.5 overall with no subtest less than 6.0
IELTS One Skill Retake Accepted
Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Common equivalent English language qualifications accepted for entry to this programme:

TOEFL (ibt, mybest or athome)

Tests taken up to 20 January 2026

90 Overall, no subtest lower than Reading 20; Listening 19; Speaking 19; Writing 21
Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test, this includes TOEFL mybest.

Tests taken from 21 January 2026

92 Overall, no subtest lower than Reading 22; Listening 20; Speaking 23; Writing 21
Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test, this includes TOEFL mybest.

Pearsons PTE Academic

65 overall with no subtest less than Reading 60; Listening 60; Speaking 65; Writing 60
Online PTE not accepted for entry
Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Cambridge Proficiency in English (CPE) and Cambridge Advanced English (CAE)

176 overall with no subtest less than 169
Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Oxford English Test

7 overall with no subtest less than 6
Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

LanguageCert Academic/ Academic Online

70 overall with no subtest less than 65
Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Password Skills Plus

6.5 overall with no subtest less than 6.0
Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Trinity College Integrated Skills in English II

Two subtests at 96 or higher, and two subtests at 80 or higher
Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Kaplan Test of English

Any two subtests at 480 or higher, and any two subtests at 450 or higher
Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

University of Glasgow Pre-sessional courses

Tests are accepted for 2 years following date of successful completion.

Alternatives to English Language qualification

Degree from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)
- students must have studied for a minimum of their final year at Undergraduate level, or 9 months at Master's level, and must have completed their degree in that majority-English speaking country within the last 6 years.
Undergraduate 2+2 and 3+1 degrees from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)
- students must have completed their final year of study in that majority-English speaking country within the last 6 years.

For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use these tests to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level programmes. The University is also able to accept UKVI approved Secure English Language Tests (SELT) but we do not require a specific UKVI SELT for degree level programmes. We therefore still accept any of the English tests listed for admission to this programme.

Pre-sessional courses

The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We would strongly encourage you to consider the pre-sessional courses at the University of Glasgow's English for Academic Study (EAS) Unit. Our Pre-sessional courses are the best way to bring your English up to entry level for University study. Our courses give you:

direct entry to your University programme for successful students (no need to take IELTS);
essential academic skills to help you study effectively at University;
flexible entry dates so you can join the right course for your level.

More information on our Pre-sessional courses.

We can also consider the pre-sessional courses accredited by the below BALEAP approved institutions to meet the language requirements for admission to our postgraduate taught degrees:

Heriot Watt
Kingston Upon Thames
Middlesex University
Manchester University
Reading University
Edinburgh University
ST Andrews University
UCL
Durham

For further information about English language requirements, please contact the Recruitment and International Office using our enquiry form

International students

We are proud of our diverse University community that includes students and staff from more than 140 different countries.

How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate taught degree you must apply online. We cannot accept applications any other way.

Please check you meet the Entry requirements for this programme before you begin your application.

Documents

As part of your online application, you also need to submit the following supporting documents:

A copy (or copies) of your official degree certificate(s) (if you have already completed your degree)
A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained
Official English translations of the certificate(s) and transcript(s)
One reference letter on headed paper
Evidence of your English language ability (if your first language is not English)
Any additional documents required for this programme (see Entry requirements for this programme)
A copy of the photo page of your passport

You have 42 days to submit your application once you begin the process.

You may save and return to your application as many times as you wish to update information, complete sections or upload supporting documents such as your final transcript or your language test.

For more information about submitting documents or other topics related to applying to a postgraduate taught programme, see how to apply for a postgraduate taught degree

Guidance notes for using the online application

These notes are intended to help you complete the online application form accurately; they are also available within the help section of the online application form.

If you experience any difficulties accessing the online application, see Application System Help.

Name and Date of birth: must appear exactly as they do on your passport. Please take time to check the spelling and lay-out.
Contact Details: Correspondence address. All contact relevant to your application will be sent to this address including the offer letter(s). If your address changes, please contact us as soon as possible.
Choice of course: Please select carefully the course you want to study. As your application will be sent to the admissions committee for each course you select it is important to consider at this stage why you are interested in the course and that it is reflected in your application.
Proposed date of entry: Please state your preferred start date including the month and the year. Taught masters degrees tend to begin in September. Research degrees may start in any month.
Education and Qualifications: Please complete this section as fully as possible indicating any relevant Higher Education qualifications starting with the most recent. Complete the name of the Institution (s) as it appears on the degree certificate or transcript.
English Language Proficiency: Please state the date of any English language test taken (or to be taken) and the award date (or expected award date if known).
Employment and Experience: Please complete this section as fully as possible with all employments relevant to your course. Additional details may be attached in your personal statement/proposal where appropriate.

Reference: Please provide one reference. This should typically be an academic reference but in cases where this is not possible then a reference from a current employer may be accepted instead. Certain programmes, such as the MBA programme, may also accept an employer reference. If you already have a copy of a reference on letter headed paper then please upload this to your application. If you do not already have a reference to upload then please enter your referee’s name and contact details on the online application and we will contact your referee directly.

Application deadlines

Application deadlines for 2027 entry will be published in due course. Please check back later.