Sustainable Food Systems and Food Security MSc

Course overview

Food security is providing nutritious, safe and affordable food for all. Being able to do this sustainably is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Food practitioners need to be able to respond to food security and safety concerns, shifting attitudes towards food and farming, changing diets and demographics, as well as balancing global economic and environmental pressures.

This course comes at a time when food and its implications on our health and planet are making the headlines. From the food-waste paradox to food’s devastating environmental impact — the need for sustainable food systems couldn’t be more paramount. That’s why organisations across the world are looking for qualified experts in this area, to help resolve some of the greatest challenges we’re facing in food today.

That’s why our MSc in Sustainable Food Systems and Food Security uses a holistic system thinking approach to understand, evaluate and deconstruct the complexity of the food system, in order to formulate secure and sustainable solutions that address these grand challenges.

The course benefits from expertise from across a wide range of Schools, giving you extensive knowledge and a varying skill set to be able to tackle real-world issues effectively. You’ll also have access to world-leading research in food and other relevant topics, conducted right here on campus. This means, once you graduate, you’ll be fully equipped to pursue an exciting and rewarding career in this industry.

Applying

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in a relevant subject such as (but not limited to) earth and environment, sustainability, geography, agriculture, biology, food science, nutrition, business and management, sociology, politics or public administration.

Applicants with any of the following will be considered on a case-by-case basis:

• A bachelor degree with a 2:2 (hons) where applicants can demonstrate significant relevant work experience in a relevant specialist field.
• Professional qualifications and relevant experience.

International

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. For more information, please contact the Admissions Team.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Science (6 weeks) and Language for Science: General Science (10 weeks).

We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional and our 10 week online pre-sessional.

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.

Career opportunities

The food industry is constantly under the spotlight from government agencies to provide more sustainable systems for the future, meaning the demand for qualified specialists in this field are far-reaching.

This course will equip you with both the necessary knowledge and skills, such as systems thinking, problem solving, strategy and policymaking, to become an effective change agent who will lead the transition to more sustainable food systems. Through its interdisciplinary nature, it offers a holistic or systems-based perspective of the food system and balances critical thinking with practical solutions, which is key to enhancing employability prospects.

This programme is ideal for those intending to pursue a range of future employment roles in management and decision-making positions, in a wide range of organisations such as, but not limited to agribusiness, food processing, retail, non-governmental organisations, charities, social enterprises, governmental organisations and policy-making bodies e.g. Defra, WRAP, regulatory bodies, food standards organisations, consultancy, international organisations e.g. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Plus, University of Leeds students are among the top 5 most targeted by top employers according to The Graduate Market 2024, High Fliers Research, meaning our graduates are highly sought after by some of the most reputable companies in the field.