Master of Science (MSc) in Human Nutrition

About the programme

In the 2-year MSc programme in Human Nutrition you will learn about the metabolism of energy and nutrients in the human body, the importance of nutrition in the various stages of life, and the effects of nutrition in prevention and treatment of disease. As a graduate you're able to contribute to solving nutrition-related health problems, both on a national or global scale. The programme is offered in English.

Admission and application

To apply for admission to this master's degree programme, you must have completed a qualifying bachelor’s degree or a similar Danish or international degree programme which is assessed to be relevant. Apply for admission via the application portal.

Below, you can read more about admission requirements and which documents to upload in the application portal. 

Academic admission requirements

Here you'll find the different academic requirements depending on which qualifying degree you hold.

With a Bachelor's degree in

  • Food Science (fødevarer og ernæring) with the Food, Health and Nutrition subject-specific package from University of Copenhagen

you are granted legal right of admission and guaranteed a place on the Master’s programme in Human Nutrition if you apply in time to begin within 3 years of the completion of your Bachelor’s degree.

Learn about when and how to apply

You meet all academic requirements if you hold one of the degrees listed below. Learn about when and how to apply. Note, however, that you still need to document that you meet the programme's language requirements.

  • Food Science (fødevarer og ernæring) with the Food, Health and Nutrition subject-specific package from University of Copenhagen 

Check which master’s programmes at UCPH your bachelor programme is pre-approved for admission - only available in Danish

If you have a Bachelor’s degree other than those listed above, you must submit additional documentation along with your application so we can evaluate whether or not you meet the admission requirements. Learn about when and how to apply.

If you have a Bachelor’s degree, Professional Bachelor's degree or equivalent from Danish or international universities you are qualified for admission if your programme includes the following:

  • Minimum 120 ECTS credits within the field of natural science including minimum:

If you have a BSc degree in Exercise and Sport Sciences from University of Copenhagen you are qualified for admission if your programme includes the following:

If you have a Professional Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Health with the line Health Promotion and Dietetics from one of the following

  • University College Copenhagen
  • VIA University College
  • University College Absalon
  • University College South Denmark

you are qualified for admission if your programme includes the following:

We may also admit applicants who, after an individual academic assessment, are deemed to possess educational qualifications equivalent to those required above.

Qualifying degree and other courses/projects

When we assess whether you meet the admission requirements for the Master's degree program, Danish legislation only allows us to assess your Bachelor's degree. Consequently, you cannot study supplementary courses between Bachelor's and Master's degree programs in order to meet the admission requirements.

If you have passed courses/projects before you complete the qualifying Bachelor's degree, these can be included in the assessment, even though they are not part of the Bachelor's degree program.

  • It applies to courses/projects you have taken as single subjects and courses/projects you have taken as part of another study program.
  • A maximum of 30 ECTS credits of these courses/projects may be included.

International Bachelor’s degree

You can only get an answer to whether or not your degree meets the admission requirement by applying for admission to the MSc Programme. Only the admission committee can evaluate whether you are qualified or not and they only do this once they have received your application.

Bachelor’s degree from Denmark

You are entitled to 1 pre-assessment for 1 study programme, where, based on an assessment of the documentation you have submitted, we will inform you whether you meet the admission requirements.

This is a service offered by SCIENCE, but it is not a service you have to make use of in order for you to apply for admission.

Read about pre-assessment

Language requirements

Unless you have a legal right of admission to the programme you are applying for, you are required to document proficiency in English.

See language requirements

Application deadlines

Study start in September

1 March at 23:59

Application deadline for Danish applicants and applicants from within the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
Open for applications from 16 January. You will receive a reply by 10 June.

15 January at 23:59

Application deadline for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
Open for applications from 15 November. You will receive a reply by 1 May.

Submit your application

How to apply

Choose the category below that fits you and read more about how to apply for admission. You will also find information about application deadlines and documentation on the websites.

Citizen in Denmark, EU EEA og Switzerland

Bachelor's degree with legal right of admission

Bachelor’s degree from Denmark

International bachelor’s degree

Citizen in a country outside EU, EEA or Switzerland

Bachelor’s degree from Denmark

International bachelor’s degree

Prioritisation of applicants

If the number of qualified applicants to the programme exceeds the number of places available, applicants will be prioritised according to the following criteria:

  • Total number of ECTS in courses in natural science
  • Grade-point average achieved in qualifying degree

Limitation on second degrees

If you have already completed a Master's degree, please check out the rules concerning a second degree.

Admission statistics Human Nutrition 2023
Admitted 37
Admission distribution (legal right/other) 8% / 92%
Applicants 72
Age average 26
Legal gender distribution (cpr. - m/f) 16% / 84%
Nationality (dk/international) 32% / 68%
Available spots No

Programme structure

At Human Nutrition, the teaching comprises lectures, seminars, and practical and theoretical exercises. You will be working both independently and in groups. The programme consists of compulsory and elective courses as well as a final thesis.

The elective courses enables you to create an individualised academic profile of your own choice together with your master thesis.

Master's Thesis

You will complete your studies by writing a thesis. Here, you will be working independently on an academic topic of your own choice. You may do either experimental or analytical work based on collected data.

Examples of subjects for previous MSc theses:

  • Changes in diet and lifestyle following a breast cancer diagnosis – in collaboration with the Danish Cancer Society.
  • The effects of different types of vitamin D – in collaboration with DTU-FOOD.
  • Sleep Behavior, Insulin Resistance, and Time-Restricted Eating as a Zeitgeber to Modify sleep.
  • Associations of breastfeeding patterns in infancy with anthropometry, body composition and cardiometabolic markers at 5 years of age in an Ethiopian birth cohort.
  • Personalized Dietary Management of Overweight and Obesity Characterization and Comparison of predefined Clusters.
  • A randomized controlled trial of the effects of Dairy Protein on liver disease severity and metabolism in patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
  • Effects of high whole grain rye and oat intake on gastrointestinal health in school-aged children.
  • Diet quality and sustainability in different countries and territories.
  • How abiotic factors in the human gut shape the fecal metabolome.
  • VegGut - How vegan diets affect the gut microbiota and well-being in healthy adults.

Do a Project in Practice or Study Abroad

You can use some of your elective courses to do a Project in Practice in collaboration with a company or an organisation. You can also choose to study abroad as part of your programme. Read more here:

Programme Overview

Compulsory courses: 52.5 ECTS
Elective courses: 22.5 ECTS
Thesis: 45 ECTS

One block each year equals nine weeks of study and 15 ECTS. The table is primarily for guidance and may be subject to revision.

Year 2

Block 1Block 2Block 3Block 4
Evidence, Diet and HealthThesis
Elective course

Curriculum

Learn more about the programme in the: Curriculum for MSc in Human NutritionShared section of the curriculum

Please note: The programme curriculum is for the current academic year. A revised curriculum for the coming academic year will follow.

Video: Christian and Marta talk about the study programme in Human Nutrition

Career opportunities

At its core, the MSc programme in Human Nutrition focuses on how our health and well-being are tightly linked to the foods and diets we consume.

You will get a thorough understanding of nutrition physiology and metabolism, the nutritional requirements through different stages of life, and the dietary factors contributing to a healthy life. You will also learn how diet and physical activity play an important role in the prevention and treatment of major lifestyle-related diseases.

The programme will provide you a solid theoretical foundation. You will also achieve hands-on experience with applying the theories and methods through the use of exercises and case studies.

Among other things, this enables you to plan and manage human studies and clinical trials. You can also design new diets based on the latest research, including sustainable plant-based diets and personalized diets. As a master student you will learn to work independently, and also work closely together with students from other educational and cultural backgrounds.

Competence Description

With an MSc degree in Human Nutrition, you have aquired a set of valuable skills and competences which are highly in demand. Among other things you are able to:

  • initiate, design, plan, and carry out research projects and clinical trials in human subjects.
  • collect and evaluate dietary data using state-of-the-art methodologies.
  • monitor, interpret, and advise on nutrition of individuals or groups of people for a variety of entities – e.g. health authorities, scientific organisations, and the industry.
  • plan and conduct diet-related prevention initiatives in a public health context.
  • Communicate and teach expert knowledge on nutrition and how it affects the entire life cycle of growth, health, and well-being.
  • Evaluate and be critical of the scientific literature on nutrition and health.

Depending on your choice of elective courses you will also have knowledge and competencies within these fields:

  • Clinical nutrition
  • Sustainable diets and food systems
  • National and international public health nutrition
  • Gut microbiome
  • Metabolomics
  • Bioactive food components

Employment

As a graduate, you have a solid foundation for a career in the food and pharmaceutical industries, hospitals, food and health authorities, governmental agencies and municipalities.

Among other things, you are qualified to work as:

  • project manager or researcher in companies or within the public sector
  • trial manager or medical writer
  • consultant in national and international organisations
  • teacher, e.g. at university colleges
  • clinical dietician team-leader in hospitals (provided you have selected the necessary courses)
  • researcher in academia if you choose to continue your studies with a PhD within the field.

Student life

High quality education in English, a flexible study structure, excellent facilities, an international study environment, attractive and green campus areas, and the opportunity to experience life in Copenhagen, the cool capital of Denmark. These are some of the qualities about studying at Faculty of Science (SCIENCE) at University of Copenhagen that you can expect.

Throughout the year, various social activities are arranged for all SCIENCE students and for international students specifically. These activities include:

  • Introduction Days for new students 
  • A welcome programme for international students
  • International dinners, courses, and lectures
  • Sports activities such as fun runs or bicycle races
  • Career workshops

Students live in residence halls outside campus or share a flat in the Copenhagen area. You will find that the relatively small size of Copenhagen makes it easy to get around, even by bike.

Where Will I be Studying?

The Human Nutrition programme is primarily based at Frederiksberg Campus.

The Frederiksberg Campus hosts part of the Faculty of Science and the veterinary area of Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. It is located a few kilometres west of the city centre in beautiful green surroundings, and Frederiksberg is a popular residential area. The Gardens, which are part of the Frederiksberg Campus, are popular with both students and locals. In the summer months, you can drop by Café Væksthuset, which is located in an old greenhouse, for a cup of freshly brewed coffee and a delicious sandwich.

At campus, you can join student clubs and societies of a more or less academic nature. Regardless of whether you are interested in choral singing, sports, the theatre or a special academic subject, there is a club for you.

Here you will find some useful links and videos about student life and housing in Copenhagen, and the welcome programme for international students at Faculty of Science.

Video: Study Science at University of Copenhagen

Meet Elizabeth and Alex who study at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. See what it is like to live and study in Denmark.

Video: SCIENCE Welcome Programme

The SCIENCE Welcome Programme is a great way for international students to be introduced to the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen.

Testimonial

Read an interview with a student from the Master of Science programme (MSc) in Human Nutrition:

The Theoretical Component is Very Interesting

Anne Winkler Pedersen, MSc student at Human Nutrition, University of Copenhagen
Anne Louise did a professional bachelor in nutrition and health, and then applied for the programme in Human Nutrition. “The workload has definitely increased. But the programme is really good, so it doesn’t matter that I have to put a lot of work into it,” she says.

Why did you choose to study Human Nutrition?

I didn’t feel I had learned enough about nutrition, and it’s an area I find really interesting.

I did a professional bachelor in nutrition and health at VIA University College in Aarhus. This did not directly qualify me for the master’s programme, so I did supplementary courses in statistics and in experimental biochemistry.

What was your future dream when you started the bachelor’s programme?

I thought I wanted to work with dietary counselling. But now I’m more interested in the theoretical element, so I’ve abandoned the idea of being a dietician.

The theory is very interesting – it appeals to me more than the psychological and practical aspects of dietary counselling. I now intend to go down the nutritional science path. On the master’s programme we have done subjects like nutritional physiology, methodological subjects, public health and nutrition-related diseases.

Has it been hard to start the master’s programme compared to the bachelor’s programme?

The workload has definitely increased, and the amount of reading has been demanding. But the programme is really good.

I haven’t done as much physiology in the past as many of my fellow students, so I had to put many hours into it. But it ended well! I’ve really learned a lot, and the subjects are exciting. So it doesn’t matter that I have to put a lot of work into it.

Do you like the programme?

Yes, very much. It has met all my expectations. Even though it was a bit of a bore having to do supplementary courses before I could start. But that was a result of my choice. I could have chosen another bachelor’s programme.

What has it been like for you socially to move to a new city and place of education?

I’ve found it pretty easy. I already knew some people living in Copenhagen. And I lived there for a whole year before I started on the master’s programme. I moved to Copenhagen six months before I finished my bachelor’s degree, and wrote my bachelor project here in Copenhagen. I did the necessary supplementary courses in statistics and experimental biochemistry in parallel and afterwards.

How have you found social life at the university?

Really good. We started off with a few intro days where we got to know each other.

There are about 35 in our year, including 10-15 foreigners, most of whom are Norwegians. The lecturers encourage us to speak English as much as possible, so we get used to it before the exams. But if everyone around you speaks Danish, it is still easier and more natural to speak Danish.

Have you had to take on student jobs?

No, I’ve managed just with the state education grant and my savings, which are slowly being depleted. I had a student job when I lived in Aarhus, but I knew the workload would be harder on the master’s programme, so I chose not to work.

I also play sports, and wanted to continue to have the time for that, so I don’t spend all my time on a chair. But over the next few months I will be working for one of our lecturers. It’s a practical job, helping to contact a number of test subjects.

What job do you want when you are finished?

Anything related to nutrition will be fine.

Would you recommend this programme to others?

Absolutely! The academic level is good, and the courses are very relevant. It’s been a good experience.

After completing the master’s programme, Anne Louise did a PhD degree programme at the University of Southern Denmark. She is now working as a Data Specialist at Energinet, a public enterprise for electricity and gas transmission in Denmark.

Contact student guidance

Contact SCIENCE Student Service

Do you have questions about the programme structure, study or career opportunities, admission requirements or application procedure, please feel free to contact SCIENCE Student Services.

Contact SCIENCE Student Services

Location

  • Faculty of Science, Frederiksberg Campus, Thorvaldsensvej 40, DK-1871 Frederiksberg.

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