Study

Interdisciplinarity

The new Faculty VII offers great opportunities to deal with the extraordinarily important questions of the future concerning nutrition and health in its unprecedented interdisciplinary orientation. Our interdisciplinary study programmes produce excellently trained scientific specialists who can competently combine concepts and ways of thinking from different disciplines relevant to food, nutrition, and health.

Possible lines of questioning might be:

• Why is one particular diet more conducive to good health than another?
• How exactly does regular exercise reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease?
• What behavioural patterns and socio-economic factors prevent people from acting in the interest of their own long-term well-being?

Overarching questions of this kind remain largely unanswered. At the Faculty of Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition and Health, the new perspectives for molecular and biochemical research opened up by the methodological revolutions currently unfolding are to be combined with modern concepts from the economic, legal, social, and behavioural sciences. By networking with the proven strengths of the University of Bayreuth, fundamental insights can be gained and the corresponding social initiatives can be developed.

Internationality

A second basic orientation for Faculty VII, in addition to the emphasis on interdisciplinarity, is its international orientation.  The majority of the courses will therefore be taught in English. There is a great interest in nutrition and health in European, African and Asian countries. This is not surprising as the challenges are global. China and India, for example, are already the countries with the highest number of Type II diabetes cases. In countries such as Nigeria and Egypt, non-communicable diseases are becoming increasingly prevalent, in addition to the problems caused by the undersupply of essentials.

Study programme "Food Quality and Safety" (M.Sc.)

The English-language master's programme "Food Quality and Safety" was launched on the Campus in Kulmbach in the winter semester 2020/21. Thematically, this course focuses on ensuring and increasing food quality and safety by combining the scientific perspective with food law and quality management. This makes the course ideally suited to take up those topics already dealt with in Kulmbach in a variety of forms by industrial companies, a federal institute, state authorities and the research departments of the University of Bayreuth at work in Kulmbach.

Study programme "Global Food, Nutrition and Health" (M.Sc.)

The English-language master's programme "Global Food, Nutrition and Health" was introduced in the summer semester 2021. It focuses on the global connection between the production and provision of sufficient and safe food worldwide ("Food"), the social and cultural aspects of nutrition ("Nutrition") and its effects on health ("Health").

Study programme "Lebensmittel- und Gesundheitswissenschaften" (B.Sc.)

The German-language bachelor's programme "Lebensmittel- und Gesundheitswissenschaften" has been introduced in the winter semester 2021/22. The focus of the programme is on current challenges in the field of nutrition and health and their consideration from a holistic and interdisciplinary approach.

Study programme "Food System Sciences" (M.Sc.)

The English-language master's programme "Food System Sciences" is currently subject to the approval of the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts and will be introduced in the winter semester 2024/25. The interdisciplinary programme integrates different aspects of the food system, allowing students to gain comprehensive insights into the interfaces between Food Chemistry, Human Physiology, Food Law, and the Bioeconomy.

Please find the press release here.