Human Feeding and Nutrition Sciences

What is the objective of the course? What is it?
What does it train you for?

The Master Degree Course in Food Sciences and Human Nutrition provides graduates with in-depth knowledge of the state of human well-being and disease prevention, eating styles, as well as nutritional problems in particular physiological conditions such as pregnancy, growth, ageing and sporting activity. The Master Degree Course prepares you for the professional career of a Nutritional Biologist/Expert in Food Sciences and Human Nutrition who works at all levels of the food system (from the formulation of foods to their distribution, to the preparation of healthy eating plans, in physiological and pathological conditions). The Master Degree graduate will be able to work with great autonomy, even taking on responsibilities for projects, facilities and personnel.

What do you learn?

The Master Degree Course provides skills related to the patient's healthy nutritional approach and prepares a professional capable of operating in the biomedical sector, with extensive theoretical and practical skills in evaluating the nutritional status of the individual in both physiological and pathological conditions, and in the agri-food sector. The graduate will also have skills in evaluating the quality, safety and healthiness of foods, nutraceuticals and food supplements. The in-depth study of basic notions acquired by the student in previous three-year Degree Courses allows you to understand the complex mechanisms with which nutrients interact with the body's homeostasis. Furthermore, the teaching path of the Master Degree Course develops highly innovative topics in the field of nutrition such as nutrigenomics, nutraceutical characteristics and the functionalisation of foods, offering graduates highly attractive training for companies in the agri-food sector.

What can you do with it?

The graduate in Human Nutrition is a complex and multifaceted figure. Based on the skills acquired in the two years of the Master Degree Course it is possible to identify the following employment opportunities:

• companies in the agro-food sector with expertise in evaluating the nutritional characteristics of raw materials, food products, functional foods, additives and food supplements.
• food control laboratories with skills regarding the control of food processing and distribution chains; food safety assessment, formulation of health claims.
• public and private health with the following skills: evaluation of nutritional status, eating habits, and nutritional needs in individuals at different stages and conditions of life and in population groups. Nutritional interventions for disease prevention at population and individual levels. Collaboration with other professional figures in the management of the nutritional aspects of specific pathologies (e.g. DCA, malnutrition in the elderly, etc.).
• nutritional education.
• nutrition and sport/physical activity.
• school teaching.
• research institutes.
• personalized nutrition with the development of nutritional education programs and interventions aimed at well-being and maintaining a state of health.