Agriculture

Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science and Nutrition

The Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science and Nutrition is a doctoral programme offered at JKUAT through the Department of Food Science and Technology. It is designed to produce scholars capable of advancing research at the intersection of food science and human nutrition. The programme addresses Kenya's food science and nutrition research and public health development needs.

Students engage with advanced topics in food science, human nutrition, food chemistry, nutritional biochemistry, food processing and nutrition, food safety, diet and disease, public health nutrition, food product development, nutritional epidemiology and research methods.

The curriculum emphasises original research that develops food science and nutrition insights for Kenya's food security and public health challenges.

Kenya's food processing industry, malnutrition burden, non-communicable diseases, food fortification, school feeding programmes, dietary guidelines, food safety regulation and the demand for integrated food and nutrition research create demand for doctoral-level food science and nutrition expertise. The programme supports Kenya's food security and nutrition improvement goals.

Teaching is delivered through coursework, laboratory sessions and supervised research. At JKUAT, the Department of Food Science and Technology offers PhD in Food Science and Nutrition. JKUAT PhD total approximately KSh 510,500 over 3 years. Application fee KSh 1,500. JKUAT also offers BSc in Food Science and Nutrition and MSc in Food Science and Nutrition as pathway programmes.

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, food and nutrition researchers, public health nutritionists, food product developers and nutrition policy analysts. They work in universities, Ministry of Health, Kenya Bureau of Standards, food companies and international organisations.

Duration: 3-4 years
Public, up to: Ksh 464,000
Private, up to: Ksh 313,700
Job market: High

The programme

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

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 4 students
Award: PhD

What you study

10 subjects

Advanced Food Science and Processing
Human Nutrition and Metabolism
Food Chemistry and Nutritional Biochemistry
Food Safety and Quality Assurance
Diet and Non-Communicable Diseases
Public Health Nutrition and Policy
Food Product Development and Fortification
Nutritional Epidemiology and Research Methods
Food Microbiology and Foodborne Diseases
Community Nutrition and Health Promotion

Modules

8 in the programme

Advanced Food Science and Processing
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Food science, exploring cutting-edge developments, theoretical frameworks, and research methodologies at the forefront of the discipline.
Human Nutrition and Metabolism
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Human nutrition, covering nutritional science principles, dietary assessment methods, and their application in public health.
Food Chemistry and Nutritional Biochemistry
Year 1Semester 33 creditsCore
Food chemistry, covering chemical principles, analytical techniques, and their application in research and industrial contexts.
Food Safety and Quality Assurance
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Food safety, covering quality assurance principles, control methodologies, and their application in professional standards.
Diet and Non-Communicable Diseases
Year 2Semester 23 creditsCore
Diet and disease, covering theoretical foundations, practical methodologies, and contemporary research developments relevant to doctoral study in this area.
Research Methods in Food Science and Nutrition
Year 2Semester 33 creditsCore
Research methods, covering quantitative and qualitative approaches, data collection techniques, and analytical frameworks relevant to doctoral-level research in the field.
Departmental Seminars
Year 3Semester 13 creditsCore
Research presentations and peer review, providing a platform for doctoral candidates to present research findings, engage with peer feedback, and explore contemporary debates in the field.
Thesis Research
Year 3Semester 26 creditsCore
Doctoral thesis research and dissertation writing, involving original research, literature review, data analysis, and the production of a doctoral dissertation contributing new knowledge to the.

Specialisations

Public Health Nutrition
Research on public health nutrition
Food Safety
Research on food safety
Nutritional Epidemiology
Research on nutritional epidemiology
Food Product Development
Research on food product innovation

A day as a student

A typical day involves conducting food and nutrition research, analysing food samples, reviewing nutrition literature, attending seminars on food processing, meeting with supervisors to discuss research progress, and engaging with KNDI, KEBS and food companies for research collaboration. Laboratory and fieldwork are common.

The trade offs

In its favour

Kenya's food industry and malnutrition burden create demand
Access to KNDI, KEBS and food companies
Research contributes to food security and public health

Against it

Requires multidisciplinary knowledge
Laboratory equipment and reagents are expensive
Balancing food science with nutrition research is challenging

What it costs

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

What it costs, and where

Against 303 agriculture courses

Public170k to 464k

170k at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology464k at University of Nairobi

Private168k to 314k

168k at Kenya Methodist University314k at Kabarak 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 464K/yr (foodtech.uonbi.ac.ke), JKUAT 170K/yr. KeMU 168K, Kabarak 314K/yr

HELB provides postgraduate loans. DAAD offers scholarships for postgraduate study. NACOSTI provides research grants for science and technology research.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
DAAD Kenya Scholarship
NACOSTI Research Grant

Scholarships

3 recorded

DAAD Kenya Scholarship
ScholarshipKenyan
Postgraduate students in Kenya
NACOSTI Research Grant
GrantKenyan
Science and technology researchers in Kenya
HELB Postgraduate Scholarship
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan postgraduate students

Getting in

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

What you need

KCSE mean grade: Masters Degree
Alternative entry: At JKUAT: MSc from JKUAT or recognised institution. Department of Food Science and Technology. PhD in Food Science and Nutrition. Total approximately KSh 510,500 over 3 years. Application fee KSh 1,500.

MSc in Food Science, Nutrition, Biochemistry or related field
Relevant Masters from recognised university

How you are assessed

3 components

Coursework
Continuous assessment30% of the mark
Assignments, laboratory projects and seminar presentations
Thesis
Thesis50% of the mark
Doctoral thesis research, submission and oral defence
Thesis Proposal Defence
Oral defence20% of the mark
Defence of research proposal before faculty panel

Accreditation

Accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Offered at JKUAT (Department of Food Science and Technology, PhD in Food Science and Nutrition, total approximately KSh 510,500, application fee KSh 1,500). KNDI regulates nutrition professionals. KEBS regulates food standards.

Accredited by

Kenya Nutritionists and Dieticians Institute
Professional
Regulates nutrition and dietetics professionals in Kenya
Commission for University Education
AcademicRequired
Statutory body responsible for accreditation of university programmes in Kenya

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

4 roles

University Professor
High demandKsh 180,000 to Ksh 450,000
Teaching and research in food science departments
Food Product Developer
High demandKsh 220,000 to Ksh 550,000
Product development at food companies
Public Health Nutritionist
High demandKsh 200,000 to Ksh 500,000
Public health at Ministry of Health
Food and Nutrition Researcher
High demandKsh 200,000 to Ksh 500,000
Research at KIRDI and research institutes

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as university professors, food and nutrition researchers, public health nutritionists and food product developers. They work at Ministry of Health, KEBS, food companies and universities.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Certifications

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Food science and nutrition is just about diet planning.
The field covers food chemistry, processing, microbiology, nutritional biochemistry and epidemiology.
There is no demand for this PhD in Kenya.
Kenya's malnutrition and food industry create demand.
Food and nutrition research is purely dietary.
The programme uses biochemistry, microbiology, clinical research and statistical analysis.
Only nutritionists study this PhD.
The programme attracts food scientists, biochemists and public health professionals.