Food & Nutritional Sciences and Psychology

Food and nutritional sciences and psychology address two aspects of human wellbeing that are more interconnected than they might first appear. What we eat shapes our physical health, our energy, our mood, and our cognitive function. How we think and feel shapes what we choose to eat, when, and why.

The relationship between nutrition and mental health is an active area of research, and professionals who understand both the science of food and the science of the mind are increasingly sought in public health, healthcare, and the food industry.

At Liverpool Hope you will study the biochemistry and physiology of nutrition, food safety and quality, dietary assessment, and the science of how food production and processing affect nutritional value, alongside core psychological science covering cognition, development, social psychology, and mental health. The food and nutritional sciences strand develops your understanding of how nutrients work in the body, how dietary choices affect long-term health, and how nutrition policy and public health intersect. The psychology strand gives you the theoretical and research tools to understand behaviour, perception, and the factors that influence food choices and eating patterns.

The four-year full-time programme includes a sandwich year with work placement and a year abroad, giving you direct professional experience and an international perspective on the complex relationships between diet, culture, and wellbeing.

Graduates pursue careers in dietetics support, public health nutrition, food industry research and development, health promotion, sports nutrition, community health, and research. Many continue to postgraduate study in nutrition, dietetics, health psychology, or public health. The combination is particularly relevant for those interested in the growing field of nutritional psychiatry and the use of dietary interventions to support mental health.