Public Health Nutrition MSc
Study level: Postgraduate
This course brings together the science of nutrition and the innovation of business to expand your horizons beyond the more traditional approaches to public health nutrition. It will enhance your public health and nutrition knowledge and skills.
Year of entry
2023-24
Location
Coventry University (Coventry)
Study mode
Full-time
Part-time
Duration
1 year full-time
2 years part-time
Course code
HLST225
Start date
September 2023
January 2024
Course overview
The Public Health Nutrition MSc is designed to give you the opportunity to consider public health nutrition dilemmas by leading a culture that engages a shared responsibility for health.
This course aims to ensure graduates have the knowledge and skills to enable them to work in public health nutrition.
- It aims to provide you with foundational skills and knowledge across the three pillars of public health: prevention, protection, and promotion, as well as underpinning knowledge of nutrition science and metabolism, disease prevention and the wider determinants of health.
- The course brings together the science of nutrition, consultancy and creativity to expand your horizons beyond the more traditional approaches to public health nutrition.
- It aims to equip you with the confidence and skills to become entrepreneurs within the highly competitive nutrition sector.

Joint Top Modern University for Career Prospects
Guardian University Guide 2021 and 2022
5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities
QS Stars University Ratings
Top 5 UK Student City (Coventry)
QS Best Student Cities Index 2023Why you should study this course
- The Public Health Nutrition MSc aims to equip you to consider public health nutrition dilemmas by leading a culture that engages a shared responsibility for health, developing organised efforts to promote and maintain nutrition-related health / wellbeing and encouraging the informed choices of society.
- The course journey focuses on methods to assess the health needs of populations, deliver disease prevention programmes, design health interventions, behaviour change techniques and disseminate evidence-based public health nutrition information through a variety of media, communications, creative thinking and leadership strategies.
- You will have the opportunity to develop health promotion campaigns and projects as part of the course.
- Develop organised efforts to promote and maintain nutrition-related health and wellbeing.
- The changes within the public sector mean that it is important that students are made aware of and appreciate the opportunities available to them in the private sector and the value of their transferable skills. This is addressed through the development of their own business plan and through the CMI module. Upon successful completion of this module, you can also gain a postgraduate Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice.
Accreditation and professional recognition
This course is accredited1 and recognised by the following bodies:

Chartered Management Institute (CMI)
As part of this course, you will undertake a professional development module which is currently accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) for the 2023-24 intake. Upon successful completion of the module, you will gain the CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice at no additional cost.
Memberships
Association for Nutrition
To benefit international employment and allow students to apply for registration as Associate Nutritionists via Portfolio with the Association for Nutrition UK. This course has been designed and mapped to meet the Association for Nutrition (AFN) core competencies (2017).
It has also been mapped against the following competencies and frameworks:
- The Public Health Skills and Knowledge Framework (PHSKF 2013)
- The World Public Health Nutrition Associations Core Competencies (2012)
I had a taste for further study
Public Health Nutrition MSc student Tasnim Zannat from Bangladesh shares her experience of studying her postgraduate course at Coventry University.
Tasnim's story

What you'll study
We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
How you'll learn
The course attracts students from a number of different professional backgrounds from within the UK and internationally, therefore the teaching and learning across the course aims to reflect this. The course team aim to foster an environment whereby experiences of public health, nutrition, health and disease are shared within the classroom to create a community in which students can feel heard and can explore their different perspectives. We believe that this approach creates confident graduates who should have the ability to work nationally and internationally respecting cultural sensitivities upon successful completion of this course.
This course can be offered on a part-time basis. Whilst we would like to give you all the information about our part-time offering here, it is tailored for each course each year depending on the number of part-time applicants. Therefore, the part-time teaching arrangements vary. Request further information about part-time study.
Teaching contact hours
Most modules run over 13 weeks involving 2-3 hours taught time per week. The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.
Additionally, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study of approximately 28 hours each week, depending on the demands of individual modules.
As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are prepared for courses due to start in or after the 2023/2024 academic year to be delivered in a variety of forms. The form of delivery will be determined in accordance with Government and Public Health guidance. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.
Assessment
Assessment methods on this course will be varied and they will depend on the nature of the module. Assessment methods include:
- Written case studies and/or reports
- Group work
- Presentations
- Individual Assignments
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.
International experience opportunities
The course aims to recruit students with different world views and experiences and allows them the opportunity to build their own identity as both a student and a future public health nutrition professional. Modules are aimed at exploring nutrition issues nationally and internationally drawing on the experiences of the multinational and multicultural cohorts the course usually attracts. The peer-to-peer opportunity of learning between students of differing nationalities is designed to strengthen the internationalisation of the course. Assessment case studies are designed to include intercultural aspects which should equip you to work at a national and international level.
Entry requirements
Fees and funding
2023/24 tuition fees.
Student | Full-time | Part-time |
---|---|---|
UK | £11,200 | Request fee information |
International | £18,600 | Not available |
For advice and guidance on tuition fees3 and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page.
We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.
The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:
- Any optional overseas field trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
- Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).
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How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the government's Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.
If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.
Facilities
Our aim is to offer you sector-leading facilities4.
Careers and opportunities
On successful completion of the course a student will be able to:
- Critically understand the underpinning science of nutrition and its application to promote health behaviour change in populations and groups.
- Use knowledge of food and nutrition, epidemiology and disease risk to critically analyse and interpret community or population nutrition needs and to evaluate how this relates to public health nutrition policy and practice.
- Comprehend public health research and policy in order to critically appraise and evaluate the research or policy considering rigour, generalisability, theoretical concerns, and practical issues.
- Self-reflect regarding professional development and be aware of legal and ethical obligations involved in practising as a public health nutritionist.
- Critically consider global health issues and evaluate the importance of cultural sensitivity and sustainability within public health settings and other professional contexts.
- Critically evaluate the principles for leading and developing people and a culture of organisational health and wellbeing.
- Integrate knowledge and understanding from the disciplines of public health, nutrition, and psychology of behaviour change to identify or propose solutions through research, creative media, public health and commercial outputs.
- Justify choice of research design and methods to investigate (under supervision) a research question or hypothesis of relevance to public health nutrition and present this in a way that would stand up to critical review and scrutiny in academic and professional settings.
Public health nutrition graduates may work in a variety of settings to improve or enhance public health through the prevention and secondary prevention of nutrition and diet-related diseases.
Government and local government, health authorities and hospitals, charities and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) all employ public health nutritionists. The food industry, including manufacturers and retailers, utilises public health nutritionists to facilitate social responsibility or to gain a competitive advantage through using nutrition as a unique selling point. Successful completion of this Public Health Nutrition course could also act as a launchpad for further academic study including PhD.
How to apply
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UK students
To apply to study for a postgraduate course at Coventry University, you can apply online.
For further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.
Chat with our admissions team
Complete our contact form.
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International students
Full-time international students applying to start in September should apply directly to the university. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
How to applyFor further support for international applicants applying for postgraduate degree view our International hub.
You can also download our International guide which contains lots of useful information about our courses, accommodation and tips for travel.
Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.
Chat with our admissions team.
Complete our contact form.
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Disclaimers
Coventry University together with Coventry University London Campus, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the “University”) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.
1Accreditations
The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.
2UK and international opportunities
Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or International opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel COVID and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the visa requirements, please contact the International Office.
3Tuition fees
The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.
For International Students, we may increase fees each year but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.
4Facilities
Due to COVID-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) and some non-academic offerings (particularly in relation to international experiences), may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use.
Student Contract
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. The 2023/24 Contract is currently being updated so please revisit this page before submitting your application. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.
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