Food Science and Nutrition with Foundation Year BSc (Hons)

University of Surrey

Foundation courses

A foundation year can develop your skills and make it easier to get started at university. It is an extra year of study at the start of your course that leads in to a full degree programme. It’s a great option if:

You don’t have the grades for a full degree course

You have non-traditional qualifications or experience

You’re starting university after some time away from education

You’re looking for more support during the transition into university study.

Life as a foundation year student

During a foundation year you’ll learn about your chosen subject, develop your study skills and get used to university life. On successful completion of your foundation year, you’ll be ready to progress to the first year of your degree course.

As a foundation year student, you’ll be a full student of the University and part of our community. You’ll have access to all our campus facilities and support.

Why choose this course -Study on an Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) accredited course ranked 2nd in the UK by the Complete University Guide 2023 and 2nd in the UK by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023. We have an over 90% satisfaction score for Food Science and Nutrition in the National Student Survey 2022 -Access our £12.5 million Innovation for Health Learning Laboratory to acquire practical experience that is essential for a research career and valued by a wide range of employers -Gain industry experience through our Professional Training placements, where you can work for a range of employers, including the Government, specialised bakery, confectionary, cereal and dairy food companies, as well as nutrition businesses -Learn from lecturers who’ve been awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize 2017-18 for Further and Higher Education, in recognition of their research excellence in the field of food and nutrition -Join the 97 per cent of our biosciences and medicine graduates who go on to employment or further study. Graduate Outcomes survey 2022, HESA.

What you will study

Food science is a multidisciplinary subject that applies biology and chemistry to the study of food.

In your first year, you’ll study a broad range of topics, including food science and nutrition, to give you a solid foundation upon which to build the rest of your degree.

In your second year, you’ll develop your understanding of what happens to the components of food during processing and storage. You'll gain an understanding of the role of food microbiology and how safe, nutritious food can be produced. You’ll acquire an appreciation for the functionality of ingredients used in foods, while exploring the basis of nutrition and the role this has on aetiology and prevention of key disorders, such as cancer.

In your third year, you’ll have the choice to specialise further, studying topics like food chemistry to continue to evaluate the role of natural and added components in the foods we eat. You will also gain a more in-depth understanding of the technologies used to produce safe and nutritious foods as well as the importance of food security. You’ll also advance your knowledge of the role of nutrition in illnesses like cardiovascular disease.