University of Bristol - Social Sciences

MSc Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public Health

This programme focuses on developing your research, policy, and practice skills in the combined fields of diet, physical activity, and public health. Developing these skills is vital in addressing genuine issues of concern to policymakers and practitioners globally.

The programme will help you to critically examine key interactions at the interface of epidemiology, behaviour change and policy-relevant research in these connected fields. It will also help you develop important skills in designing and evaluating research and interventions.

You will be taught by academics at the forefront of real-world research and with knowledge grounded in applied situations. Recent collaborations have seen research undertaken with the World Health Organisation (WHO), the National Health Service (Meals on Wheels) and national governments in Southeast Asia.

You will learn to address questions such as 'What is the policy implication?', 'What research design will answer this question?', 'What intervention needs to happen?', and 'How will it be evaluated?'. This will be invaluable in roles where you may be required to pitch your future projects to policymakers, commissioners, and funders. Skills gained in critical thinking, report writing, and evaluation will also be transferable to your future career.

This MSc was one of the first to recognise the need for specialisation in the three intertwined disciplines of nutrition, physical activity, and public health to tackle non-communicable diseases. The programme will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of the evidence around the role of nutrition and physical activity in public health; the factors that influence people's physical activity and eating behaviours; and how to develop and evaluate nutrition and physical activity interventions. It will suit graduates or professionals (with or without directly relevant experience or qualifications) who are interested in pursuing a career in nutrition, physical activity, public health or relevant fields. The complex and inter-discipline nature of these issues means that applicants with a non-health background are also welcome to apply and the skills developed during this programme are useful in a wide range of career paths. For example, in the fields of Geography, Economics or Engineering.

The programme is delivered over one year, allowing you to return to work, progress your career and start to bring your knowledge into practice in a short period. We also have a part-time option set over 2 years.