The safety, flavour and nutritional quality of food are topical issues in science that impact on the quality and enjoyment of our daily lives. There is a constant demand for Food Scientists who possess strong scientific skills, combined with an understanding of how to manage the food industry's response to consumer issues concerning food safety and nutrition. The University of Reading has an established international reputation for our ability to equip our graduates with appropriate scientific knowledge and the insight to apply it effectively. Therefore, our Food Science graduates are able to pursue successful careers in the food industry, government departments concerned with food production and safety, and in education. There are also numerous opportunities for our graduates to progress to higher taught (MSc) or research (PhD) degrees in food science and related areas. Food Science is the scientific study of the quality, safety and nutritional properties of foods. The degree course provides multi-disciplinary academic training covering areas of science including chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology and human nutrition. On graduation our graduates are recognised as professional food scientists by the Institute of Food Science and Technology.

Graduating with a food degree from the University of Reading will ensure your career prospects are very good indeed. Our strong links with the food industry and our commitment to quality tuition combined with an established placement scheme make our graduates the number one choice for many employers in the industry. The food industry has stayed relatively buoyant and is the single largest employer within the UK, with over 7,000 individual food processing companies. The commercial sector is also the most stable industry during the current economic downturn with the value of the sector still increasing. After all everybody has to eat right! In stark contrast however, several large firms within the industry have identified the need for more young talent within the industry and in many cases only a Food-specific degree provides the necessary skills. Northern Foods is just one of the firms to identify this shortfall and are offering scholarships to those promising students. Many students build on successful industrial placements entering into industry to work in Technical, Quality Control, Supply Chain or Product Development. There are also commercial and management options available to you such as Account Management, Buying and Marketing.While some students decide they wish to further pursue their academic career and stay on to work in research. Many students choose not to work in the supply chain but directly with the retailers or research companies. Our recent graduates gaining employment with a wide range of companies including: Tesco, Sainsbury's, Marks and Spencer, Glaxo SmithKline, Unilever, Mars, etc.