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Areas of interest

Study food and nutrition , Ngā Kai me te Kaitōtika

Study food science and technology to devise new food products and technologies – or study dietetics and nutrition to help people eat well and be healthy.

Need help or know what you want to study?

Highly ranked

You're in good hands. Shanghai Ranking puts Massey in the world's top 75 universities in the world for food science & technology.

Be a specialist

Become a registered dietitian with Massey's specialist qualification accredited by the Dietitians Board.

Be connected

We'll help you build strong industry contacts. And your health qualification lets you work globally once you graduate from Massey.

Spoilt for choice

Explore your area of interest. Massey has a wide range of health qualifications, with many courses to choose from.

Overview

Get the most out of food. The most flavour. The best nutrition. Safe and efficient production processes.

Learn from world-class lecturers and researchers with experience as dietitians and food engineers. Explore new ideas at specialist facilities such as our Food Pilot plant, Nutrition and Dietetic Centre, and our on-site microbrewery. Get hands-on to solve real-world problems. Graduate work-ready, with qualifications recognised nationally and internationally.

Studying food and nutrition is a good fit if you:

  • enjoy school subjects such as biology, chemistry or maths
  • want to shape the future of food and drinks, or nutrition and healthy eating
  • like solving problems and testing new ideas.

Food science and technology courses

Courses may cover:

  • food chemistry
  • food product development
  • food safety
  • how to test new and existing food products
  • ingredients in food and drinks
  • food processing equipment and systems
  • sustainable packaging.

Nutrition courses

Courses may cover:

  • how the human body processes food and nutrients
  • nutritional requirements at all ages – and specialisations such as child nutrition or sports nutrition
  • physiological changes (how bodies react) to too much or too little of various nutrients
  • social and behavioural factors that can influence food choices
  • ways to promote dietary change and better health outcomes
  • what's in foods we eat – carbs, proteins, vitamins and more.

How to study food and nutrition

Discover what we offer if you’re interested in food and nutrition – whether you’re coming to university for the first time, changing direction or returning to advance your study or career.

Undergraduate study

An undergraduate qualification is generally the first thing you’ll study at university.

Bachelor's degrees

Degrees are the standard qualifications you do at university – the most common is called a bachelor’s. Degrees give you enough time to explore your interests, and also focus on specific subjects.

Undergraduate bachelor's degrees with honours

An undergraduate honours degree is a four-year bachelor’s degree. We also offer postgraduate honours years.

Undergraduate certificates

If you want to study at university, but aren't sure if you want to commit to a degree, try an undergraduate certificate.

Graduate certificates

Graduate certificates let you study in a subject you're interested in without doing a second bachelor's degree. Or you can use it as a bridge to postgraduate study if you already have an undergraduate degree.

Undergraduate diplomas

Undergraduate diplomas let you try university study before you commit to a degree. They’re also useful if you need to advance your career.

Graduate diplomas

Graduate diplomas can help you advance to postgraduate study or research in a subject you haven’t majored in for your undergraduate study.

Relevant undergraduate subjects to major or specialise in

When you apply to study at Massey, for some undergraduate qualifications you can choose what subject you’d like to specialise in. You can usually change your mind after you get to university, depending on the courses you enrol in.

Postgraduate study

Once you’ve graduated with a bachelor’s degree – or have equivalent experience – you’ll be ready to take on postgraduate study.

Master's degrees

A master's degree normally builds on a main subject of study from your undergraduate degree.

PhD and other doctoral degrees

Doctoral degrees, including PhDs, are the highest degrees we award. They’re very demanding and their entry criteria reflect this.

Relevant research areas at Massey

Discover research expertise, projects and initiatives relating to food and nutrition at Massey.

Food research

Human nutrition research

What our students say

“As I got closer to the end of my degree, I found that everything I had learnt throughout the four years was very practical and applicable in the food industry. And I am proud to say, that after all my hard work, I’ve got a job that I wanted to do.”
Jeen Tae Hwang

Bachelor of Food Technology with Honours

“I chose Massey because of the personable staff, campus experience and the research areas that interested me. The vast array of teamwork, placements and coursework during my master’s provided me with essential people skills, adaptability and the capacity to build quality relationships.”
Jessie Speedy
Jessie Speedy

Registered Dietitian, Sustain Speed Nutrition

Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics

Our facilities

You'll have access to a wide range of first-class facilities when you study with us.

Nutrition and Dietetic Centre

The centre combines the clinical, nutritional and research expertise of Massey dietitians and nutritionists, with the enthusiasm and creativity of our dietetics students.

Location: Auckland campus

People around a table with a laptop

FEAST Consumer and sensory laboratory and services

Sensory and consumer research, training and consultancy.
Facilities include:

  • ISO standard sensory booths
  • areas for running central location tests
  • focus groups
  • virtual reality testing.

BodPod and other specialist equipment

The BodPod is an advanced piece of equipment used to accurately and easily measure your body composition. It uses an air-displacement method to measure all the fat in your body, which sets it apart from less direct techniques of body composition measurement.

Location: Manawatū (Palmerston North) campus

Massey Student Enterprise: Develop your entrepreneurial mindset

Got a business idea? Massey Student Enterprise helps students and staff gain hands-on experience and knowledge to build a sustainable enterprise. 

Join a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and innovators, supported by people who understand your goals.

Location: All campuses and available to distance students

Jobs in food and nutrition

Food science careers can span food businesses large and small, factories, and healthcare. Some food technologists move into management, research and development, or start their own business.

Nutrition careers include work in community or iwi organisations, the health system, or for government agencies. Some jobs focus on supporting specific groups, such as sports nutrition for athletes or helping people overcome barriers to healthy eating.

Job prospects are good, with skilled workers needed to feed the world – and support people's wellbeing – now and into the future.

Careers in food and nutrition include:

  • dietitians, who give clinical advice on nutrition and healthy eating
  • flavour technologists, who develop new tastes or textures
  • food engineers, who design production processes
  • food technologists, who develop new products or packaging
  • health promoters, who work in community, health or sports organisations
  • microbiologists, who study bacteria and yeasts used in food production
  • nutritionists
  • winemakers or brewers.

Annual salary ranges for jobs

Salary ranges disclaimer

Indicative pay rates are:

Which food and nutrition qualification?

Examples of where our qualifications may take you.

Table showing jobs and what you could study to enter them.
Jobs Examples of what you could study
Dietitian Master of Science (Nutrition and Dietetics)
Food safety manager or consultant Master of Food Safety and Quality
Food technologist (new products or packaging) Bachelor of Food Technology with Honours (Food Product Technology)
Master of Food Technology
Health promoter Bachelor of Science (Human Nutrition)
Nutritionist Bachelor of Science (Human Nutrition)
Process technologist Bachelor of Food Technology with Honours (Food Process Engineering)

Accreditations and rankings

New Zealand Dietitians Board

The Master of Science (Nutrition and Dietetics) programme is accredited by the New Zealand Dietitians Board. Our graduates are eligible to register as a New Zealand Registered Dietitian (NZRD) and to practice as a dietitian in New Zealand.

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Institute of Food Technologist (IFT) approved

Both majors of the BFoodTech (Hons) are approved by the US-based Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).

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ShanghaiRanking - Food science and technology

Massey University is ranked as one of the top 100 universities worldwide for Food Science and Technology (out of 300) by ShanghaiRanking.

Learn more

Get an information guide

Download our guides to find out more about studying food and nutrition at Massey.

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