What you can expect in the program Nutritional Science

Nutritional science is part of the field of life sciences. The range of topics in nutritional science is diverse. The spectrum ranges from the influence of food components on cellular and bodily functions and their analysis, to the interactions between microorganisms and foods and people’s nutritional behavior, to the role of nutrition in maintaining health and in the prevention and therapy of diseases.

The program combines biochemical, human biological, and natural scientific, but also economic contents and is thus strongly interdisciplinary.

In the first and second semesters, you will first learn basic natural scientific knowledge in the core subjects of biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics and gain insights into human anatomy. These fundamentals are essential to understanding the subject-specific content. Here, you will work on practical topics in the laboratory right from the start to deepen and consolidate your knowledge.

In the further course of the program, the focus in the third and fourth semesters is on biomedical and nutritional contents. For example, you learn the basics of the metabolism of sugars, fats, and proteins, and the hormonal regulatory mechanisms of hunger and satiety. In addition, you will acquire an overview of the various food product groups.

From the fifth semester on, you can organize your studies individually and select courses depending on your personal interests and later professional goals. By choosing a specialization, you focus specifically and deepen your knowledge in a certain area.

You can choose from the following three specializations:

• Applied Nutritional Science (dietetics, nutritional counseling, and nutritional psychology)
• Nutritional Biochemistry (pathobiochemistry, molecular physiology, immunology)
• Food Quality (food microbiology, biotechnology, quality assurance)

In addition, you can choose from a wide variety of elective modules. This allows you to create an individual profile. Here is a selection of the electives currently being offered: General Virology, Instrumental Analysis, Principles of Informatics, E-Health, Marketing in Agri-Food, Economic Evaluation and Health Insurance Systems, or Introduction to Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering.

A compulsory internship during your studies gives you first insights into possible fields of work and the chance to apply your acquired knowledge in practice. Other internships may be added. At the end of your studies, you will write your Bachelor’s thesis. Among other things, you can do this as experimental laboratory work in one of our faculty's departments.

You want to know more?

Detailed information about the course and structure of the degree program can be found here:

• Curriculum
• Module descriptions
• Info about the internship

Before you begin your studies, it is helpful to double-check whether the Nutritional Science program is right for you. To apply, you must first meet formal criteria:

(I)    University entrance qualification
(II)    Study orientation test

In addition, the degree program should fit your interests and personality. The best way to check whether this is the case is to look at the information above. For a better understanding of the degree program, our graphic shows you which school subjects are in this program. Have the study contents aroused your interest?

Here is another brief overview of the most important interests and skills you should bring with you:

• You should have wide-ranging fields of interest, willingness to learn, and curiosity about natural science, nutrition, and biomedicine.
• You should enjoy experimental as well as hands-on work in the laboratory and be curious about getting to the bottom of things.
• Good knowledge of scientific basics in chemistry, biology, math, and physics or an interest in refreshing these areas: Don't worry, if there are gaps in your knowledge, pre-courses are offered and tutorials are conducted.

• With this degree program, you will be well prepared for the future. On the one hand, consumers are taking a closer look at their diet, and on the other hand, more and more people are struggling with the consequences of their diet or suffering from diet-related diseases.

• The combination of different disciplines makes this degree program diverse and gives you the freedom to specialize according to your interests, strengths, and future plans.

• You can organize your studies individually and flexibly. 30% of the study content can be freely chosen. You can follow through with your studies with an integrated mandatory internship and optional semester abroad during the standard period of study, or you can take time off to gain more practical experience or to travel.

• The program has a high degree of practical relevance due to the integrated mandatory internship and the laboratory courses.

• You will learn from leading experts in nutritional science. The University of Hohenheim repeatedly performs very well in rankings in nutritional science. We have a high level of expertise in the following areas in particular: Nutritional medicine, immunology, microbiome research, micronutrient and phytochemical research, dietetics, nutritional psychology, global nutrition issues, and economics.
• We have an excellent network and maintain close contacts with companies and research institutions. This offers numerous opportunities to gain practical experience, e.g. by working on research projects, practicing in the lab, or participating in field trips.