UCSI University

Overview of Master of Science in Nutrition with Management in UCSI University Malaysia

In the last three decades, diet and its impact have become increasingly important to the consumer. The food and nutrition industry has recognised the valuable contribution that can be made by suitably qualified nutritionists. Nutritionists will serve as credible sources of nutrition information, knowledge and expertise to the benefit of the industry and ultimately the consumer.

Healthy lifestyles and nutrition are the foundation of good health necessary for a good quality of life. The students of this programme will gain advanced knowledge and skills in nutrition and in the long term, will contribute to the delivery and management of health services to improve the well-being of the people. This programme is timely in that it will help to achieve the 4th strategic thrust of the 11th Malaysia Plan (2016-2020) which is to improve the well-being of the people.

UCSI University’s MSc in Nutrition with Management was developed to prepare graduates for a managerial role to oversee and manage people and businesses in a fast-paced industrial environment combined with the expanding world of health care, specifically nutrition. Aspiring postgraduate students will see this as an opportunity to further develop their careers in nutrition science while simultaneously acquiring management knowledge and competencies as practiced in food and nutrition related industries.

We train our students in the current issues in human nutrition and health, food security and sustainability, food safety and quality and food analysis in order to ensure our students acquire the necessary professional abilities in their competent nutrition career pathway. In addition to the core nutrition components, we introduce "Nutrition Entrepreneurship" in our programme with an aim to produce nutrition entrepreneurs equipped with current nutrition knowledge and relevant practical nutrition skills. On top of that, our students will be exposed to practical aspects of business planning as well as legal aspects of business ownership, international business, human resource management, information technology and "online business" perspectives in order to produce a rounded entrepreneurial nutrition profession. This programme is also suitable for those nutritionists in the retail and business sectors who wish to pursue their postgraduate studies in order to enhance their current nutrition and entrepreneurial competencies as part of their career advancement pathways. With such a wide spectrum of exposure in our programme, we will be able to produce competent and high- performing graduates who can flexibly venture into different career paths as nutrition entrepreneurs, consultants or upper management executives.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

Semester 1

• Academic Communication
• Food Acculturation and Society
• Public Health Nutrition and Promotion
• Marketing Management
• Nutrition Research Methodology*

Semester 2

• Dietary Supplements and Functional Foods
• Financial Management and Policy
• Organisational Behaviour and Management
• Master Research Project Paper 1

Food Elective Courses (Choose ONE)

• Food Security and Sustainability
• Advanced Food Quality and Safety*
• Food Analysis*

Semester 3

• Nutrition Entrepreneurship
• Contemporary Issues in Nutrition
• Master Research Project Paper 2 *

Management Elective Courses (Choose ONE)

• International Business and Management
• Human Resources Management
• Information Technology for Managers

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

?B. Sc.

A bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field with minimum CGPA of 2.50, as accepted by the HEP Senate; or

A bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field with CGPA of less than 2.50, and a minimum of 5 years of working experience in a relevant field.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

As the programme’s medium of instruction is English, students must possess one of the following qualifications:

• TOEFL: a minimum score of 410 (writing-based) or a minimum score of 79 with no less than 17 in each 4 components (computer-based)
• IELTS: a minimum score of 5.0
• An undergraduate degree with English as its medium of instruction

CAREER PROSPECTS

The most common career options include nutritionists, nutritional health educators, nutritional counsellors, private or industry consultants, public health nutritionists or nutrition executives. Overall, nutrition postgraduates can embark into their careers in various settings including community nutrition centres, government agencies, private industries, non-profit organisations, work independently in one’s own practice, engage in nutritional research and scientific work, or gain admission into any nutrition- related PhD programmes.