Study Nutritional Sciences in Germany

A diet has far-reaching effects on an individual’s health. An inappropriate diet can not only lead to obesity and secondary-effect diseases such as diabetes; other medical conditions such as tumours can result from foodstuff contaminated with harmful substances.
In a nutritional science degree programme, you examine food and its interaction with the body based on scientific methods. You will learn about these methods in the early semesters of your undergraduate studies, during which you will also take classes that teach the fundamentals of mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics.

Some higher education institutions teach nutritional sciences in combination with home economics (domestic science). If you decide to focus on this subject area, you will deal with household management and other aspects of care and support on top of dietary health effects. Business and counselling aspects can also be part of your studies. All these skills will later help you organise large, collective, or institutional households such as student refectories, company cafeterias, etc.

Courses of study in nutritional science are offered by both universities and universities of applied sciences (HAW/FH). The focus may differ; if you want more integrated practical phases, a HAW/FH may be more interesting for you. By the way, there are also distance learning programmes in this field. And in some subjects such as food sciences or nutritional therapy you can apply to dual study programmes, i.e. you work in a company during your studies and receive a salary.

The duration of most Bachelor’s programmes is six semesters, sometimes seven; Master’s programmes usually take four semesters.

For a Bachelor’s degree programme, you need a higher education entrance qualification or equivalent. Some higher education institutions also have a so-called numerus clausus (NC), which means that you need a minimum grade point average. Since there are often many people interested in studying nutritional sciences, this NC can be above average. However, if you remain flexible with regard to your higher education institution, you can certainly find a degree programme that is not subject to such a restriction.

Nutritional science is a discipline made up of many sub-areas. Depending on which degree programme you choose, the focus can vary. What they all have in common is that you need basic knowledge in the natural science disciplines, i.e. biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. Since higher education institutions have an interest in ensuring that all first-year students start at a similar level of knowledge, many offer preliminary courses in these areas. Even though it is not compulsory for you to take part, it is highly recommended. Not only does it allow you to refresh your school knowledge, but you can also meet people and make friends at the same time! At some higher education institutions, you can also take an online self-assessment test before you apply, which you can use to test for yourself whether you are suitable for the course of study.

• Tuition fees: If you study at a public higher education institution, you will probably not have to pay tuition fees. There are a few exceptions, so it is best to check this before applying for a degree programme. If, on the other hand, you want to study at a private higher education institution you can expect to pay substantial tuition fees.
• Semester fees: Even public higher education institutions do not offer completely free studies. However, in international comparison, the amounts are almost negligible: You can expect to pay between 100 and 400 euros per semester. These are not tuition fees, but the so-called semester contribution. Sometimes your semester contribution covers a ticket for local public transport or you can purchase a discounted ticket. Depending on where you study, this may be valid for the city, the region or even for all of Germany. Ask your higher education institution whether such an offer is currently available.
• Rent: This will probably be your highest monthly expense. The amount of rent varies greatly from city to city. In smaller towns, far from metropolitan areas or in places that are simply not as well known or popular among students, the rent is usually lower. Look around to see if you can get a place in a hall of residence or find a shared flat – this will also make a difference to the cost of rent. As soon as you have decided on where you want to study, you should start looking, as halls of residence can fill up quickly. Here, you can find information on local halls of residence and the respective application process for most cities.
• Living costs: If you shop at discount stores and cook for yourself or eat in the student cafeteria, you can save some money on food. If you go out with friends more often in the evening, this will also have an impact on your budget. Thus, you can often save money spontaneously with relatively small changes.

To finance your studies in Germany, you should also find out about scholarships. There are many different scholarship programmes and excellent grades are not the only deciding factor. You can learn more about scholarships here and find suitable programmes directly on My GUIDE.

With a degree in the field of nutritional sciences, you have good career perspectives. After all, nutrition is an increasingly important topic in our society. Typically, your employers will be found in the food and beverages industry, in public agencies, help centres, education and care facilities, in health care centres, or the pharmaceutical industry. In addition, with this degree, you can also apply for jobs in research and teaching, production and product development, quality management and marketing, further education or in journalism and advertising agencies.