Health Sciences

Master of Science in Human Nutrition

The Master of Science in Human Nutrition is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in nutritional science, community nutrition, clinical dietetics, and food policy. The programme combines nutritional theory with practical laboratory work, community engagement, and research application.

Core areas include human nutrition, nutritional biochemistry, community nutrition, clinical nutrition, food science, nutritional epidemiology, diet therapy, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, laboratory sessions, field work, and research.

The programme is offered by the University of Nairobi as MSc in Applied Human Nutrition through the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Technology, and Egerton University as MSc in Nutritional Sciences through the Department of Human Nutrition. Both are public universities offering programmes over two academic years.

Students develop competencies in nutritional assessment, dietary analysis, community nutrition interventions, clinical diet therapy, and nutritional research. The programme includes coursework, examinations, laboratory sessions, field work, and a supervised research thesis, preparing graduates to address malnutrition and food security challenges.

The University of Nairobi charges approximately KES 434,750/year (KES 869,500 total) for MSc in Applied Human Nutrition. Egerton University fees not independently verified for this specific programme. Entry requires a Bachelor's degree with at least Upper Second Class Honours in Foods, Nutrition and Dietetics, or related fields from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as nutritionists, clinical dietitians, community nutrition coordinators, food policy analysts, nutritional researchers, and lecturers in nutrition across hospitals, public health agencies, NGOs, research institutions, food companies, and universities.

Skills Required

Human Nutrition and Metabolism
Nutritional Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Community Nutrition and Public Health
Clinical Nutrition and Diet Therapy
Nutritional Epidemiology and Assessment
Food Science and Safety
Nutritional Programme Planning and Evaluation
Food Policy and Food Security
Research Methods in Nutrition
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Human Nutrition and Metabolism
Nutritional Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Community Nutrition and Public Health
Clinical Nutrition and Diet Therapy
Nutritional Epidemiology and Assessment
Food Science and Safety
Nutritional Programme Planning and Evaluation
Food Policy and Food Security
Research Methods in Nutrition
Thesis Research

Certifications

KNDI Nutrition Certification
IUNS Nutrition Certification

Specializations

Clinical Nutrition

Focuses on clinical nutrition, covering diet therapy, assessment, intervention, management, and managing clinical nutrition.

Community Nutrition

Examines community nutrition, covering assessment, intervention, programmes, education, and managing community nutrition.

Nutritional Biochemistry

Covers nutritional biochemistry, covering metabolism, molecular, vitamins, minerals, and managing nutritional biochemistry.

Food Science and Technology

Focuses on food science, covering processing, safety, quality, preservation, and managing food science.

Nutritional Epidemiology

Examines nutritional epidemiology, covering assessment, surveillance, surveys, analysis, and managing nutritional epidemiology.

Food Policy and Security

Covers food policy, covering security, policy, programmes, governance, and managing food policy.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 434,750
Private, up to: Ksh 150,000
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 20 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Human Nutrition and Metabolism
Nutritional Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Community Nutrition and Public Health
Clinical Nutrition and Diet Therapy
Nutritional Epidemiology and Assessment
Food Science and Safety
Nutritional Programme Planning and Evaluation
Food Policy and Food Security
Research Methods in Nutrition
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Advanced Human Nutrition
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines metabolism, requirements, assessment, lifecycle nutrition, and managing human nutrition.
Nutritional Biochemistry
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers metabolism, molecular biology, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and managing nutritional biochemistry.
Research Methods in Nutrition
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers research design, data collection, analysis, nutrition research methods, and conducting research, preparing students for their thesis.
Community Nutrition and Public Health
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines assessment, intervention, programmes, education, policy, and managing community nutrition.
Clinical Nutrition and Diet Therapy
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers diet therapy, assessment, intervention, management, disease, and managing clinical nutrition.
Nutritional Epidemiology
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines assessment, surveillance, surveys, analysis, trends, and managing nutritional epidemiology.
Food Science and Safety
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers processing, safety, quality, preservation, microbiology, and managing food science.
Nutritional Programme Planning and Evaluation
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, management, and managing nutrition programmes.
Food Policy and Food Security
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers security, policy, programmes, governance, trade, and managing food policy.
Advanced Diet Therapy and Clinical Practice
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines advanced diet therapy, clinical practice, counselling, management, and managing advanced clinical nutrition.
Nutrition in Lifecycle and Special Groups
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, ageing, and managing lifecycle nutrition.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 29 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on a human nutrition topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and nutritional knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Clinical Nutrition
Focuses on clinical nutrition, covering diet therapy, assessment, intervention, management, and managing clinical nutrition.
Community Nutrition
Examines community nutrition, covering assessment, intervention, programmes, education, and managing community nutrition.
Nutritional Biochemistry
Covers nutritional biochemistry, covering metabolism, molecular, vitamins, minerals, and managing nutritional biochemistry.
Food Science and Technology
Focuses on food science, covering processing, safety, quality, preservation, and managing food science.
Nutritional Epidemiology
Examines nutritional epidemiology, covering assessment, surveillance, surveys, analysis, and managing nutritional epidemiology.
Food Policy and Security
Covers food policy, covering security, policy, programmes, governance, and managing food policy.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Human Nutrition programme combines lectures, laboratory sessions, field work, seminars, and independent study. Sessions cover human nutrition, nutritional biochemistry, community nutrition, clinical nutrition, and food science. Human nutrition sessions examine metabolism, requirements, assessment, lifecycle, and managing human nutrition. Nutritional biochemistry sessions cover metabolism, molecular, vitamins, minerals, and managing nutritional biochemistry. Community nutrition sessions cover assessment, intervention, programmes, education, and managing community nutrition. Clinical nutrition sessions cover diet therapy, assessment, intervention, management, and managing clinical nutrition. Nutritional epidemiology sessions cover assessment, surveillance, surveys, analysis, and managing nutritional epidemiology. Food science sessions cover processing, safety, quality, preservation, and managing food science. Programme planning sessions cover planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and managing nutrition programmes. Research methods sessions prepare students for their thesis, covering research design, data collection, and analysis. Laboratory sessions provide hands-on experience with nutritional biochemistry, food analysis, and dietary assessment. Field work provides hands-on experience with community nutrition assessment, dietary surveys, and nutrition programme evaluation. Seminars provide opportunities for presenting research findings and debating current issues in nutrition. Guest lectures from experienced nutritionists, dietitians, and public health professionals provide practical insights. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on a human nutrition topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

High demand for nutrition professionals with Kenya's growing focus on food security, malnutrition, and non-communicable diseases.
Programme offered by two public universities (UoN, Egerton), providing institutional choice.
Graduates are eligible for KNDI nutrition certification, enhancing professional recognition in Kenya.
Programme combines laboratory work, field work, and research, providing comprehensive practical experience.

Against it

UoN fees are relatively high at approximately KES 434,750/year (KES 869,500 total).
Egerton University specific nutrition fees not independently verified.
Programme requires Foods, Nutrition, or related background, limiting access for non-related graduates.
No private university confirmed offering this specific programme.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 349 health sciences courses

Public179k to 435k

179k at JKUAT435k at University of Nairobi

Private120k to 150k

120k at Great Lakes University of Kisumu150k at Kenya Methodist University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

UoN 869.5k/2=434.75k (uonbi); JKUAT 178.5k; KeMU 150k; GLUK 120k.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. UoN may offer scholarships for eligible students. IUNS may offer research grants for nutrition research. Some NGOs, hospitals, and food companies may sponsor staff for postgraduate study.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
UoN Scholarship
IUNS Research Grant

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
UoN Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 200,000Kenyan
University of Nairobi offers scholarships for eligible postgraduate students.
IUNS Research Grant
ScholarshipKsh 300,000
IUNS provides research grants for nutrition research and training.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: UoN requires Upper Second Class Honours BSc in natural and biological sciences, health sciences, or related disciplines, or Lower Second with additional training or research experience. Egerton requires Upper Second in Foods, Nutrition and Dietetics or related programme. Contact respective universities for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, laboratory reports, field reports, seminar presentations, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering human nutrition, nutritional biochemistry, community nutrition, and clinical nutrition.
Practical and Laboratory Assessment
Practical30% of the mark
Practical assessment through laboratory work, dietary analysis, nutritional assessment, and demonstrating nutrition skills.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis on a human nutrition topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and nutritional knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). University of Nairobi (public) offers MSc in Applied Human Nutrition through the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Technology, and Egerton University (public) offers MSc in Nutritional Sciences through the Department of Human Nutrition. All programmes meet CUE standards for postgraduate training in human nutrition. Graduates are eligible for KNDI nutrition certification and IUNS nutrition certification.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. University of Nairobi (public) offers MSc in Applied Human Nutrition through the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Technology, and Egerton University (public) offers MSc in Nutritional Sciences through the Department of Human Nutrition. All programmes meet CUE standards for postgraduate training in human nutrition. Graduates are eligible for KNDI nutrition certification and IUNS nutrition certification.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Clinical Dietitian
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 450,000
Provides clinical diet therapy, overseeing assessment, intervention, counselling, and managing clinical nutrition.
Community Nutrition Coordinator
High demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 400,000
Coordinates community nutrition programmes, overseeing assessment, planning, implementation, and managing community nutrition.
Nutritional Researcher
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 450,000
Conducts nutrition research, overseeing experiments, analysis, publications, and managing nutritional research.
Food Policy Analyst
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 450,000
Analyses food policy, overseeing assessment, analysis, recommendations, and managing food policy.
Public Health Nutritionist
High demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 400,000
Manages public health nutrition, overseeing programmes, education, surveillance, and managing public health nutrition.
Nutrition Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 450,000
Teaches nutrition at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

SPSS
SoftwarePrimary
SPSS for statistical analysis, covering data, statistics, analysis, and managing nutrition research data.
Nutritional Analysis Software
Software
Nutritional analysis software for dietetics, covering meal planning, analysis, assessment, and managing nutrition data.
R Studio
Software
R Studio for epidemiological analysis, covering statistics, modelling, epidemiology, and managing nutrition data.
Excel
Software
Excel for dietary analysis, covering calculations, tracking, reporting, and managing dietary data.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Human nutrition is just about diet plans.
Human nutrition covers comprehensive biochemistry, metabolism, community health, clinical therapy, epidemiology, and policy beyond just diet plans.
This programme is only for dietitians.
Nutrition skills are valuable for researchers, public health professionals, food scientists, policy analysts, and educators beyond just dietitians.
Nutrition is just about eating healthy.
Nutrition covers comprehensive science, biochemistry, metabolism, disease, public health, and food security beyond just eating healthy.
Community nutrition is just about feeding programmes.
Community nutrition covers comprehensive assessment, intervention, education, programmes, and policy beyond just feeding programmes.
Nutritional biochemistry is just about vitamins.
Nutritional biochemistry covers comprehensive metabolism, molecular biology, macronutrients, micronutrients, and genetics beyond just vitamins.
This programme has limited career prospects.
Nutrition graduates work in diverse sectors including hospitals, public health, NGOs, research, food industry, education, and government.