Food Security (MSc) (2023 Entry)
Explore our Food Security taught Master's degree.
Consider the critical factors influencing global food security on Warwick's Food Security MSc, where you will analyse the contributions of climate change, biodiversity, land use, labour, diet and urbanisation. Join the University of Warwick's School of Life Sciences, with 90% of our research rated as 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent' (REF 2021).
Course overview
Delivering global food security is one of the critical challenges of the 21st century. Each nation needs to balance local food production with imports and consider environmental and economic impact. This master's course considers the critical factors influencing global food security including the contributions of climate change, biodiversity, water, soil, land use, labour, diet and urbanisation.
Skills from this degree
You will gain:
- An understanding of current food production and distribution practices with an appreciation of how they can fail and ensuing health and policy issues
- An ability to critically evaluate how constraints on crop production can change due to biotic and societal pressures
- An ability to select and apply appropriate tools or techniques to tackle a food security question or problem
- Transferable skills including team working, communicating with peers and sector specialists, organising, planning and oral presentation
- Research skills including scientific report writing, conducting surveys, problem solving, data analysis and project work
General entry requirements
Minimum requirements
2:ii undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a related subject.
English language requirements
You can find out more about our English language requirementsLink opens in a new window. This course requires the following:
- Band A
- IELTS overall score of 6.5, minimum component scores not below 6.0.
International qualifications
We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.
For more information, please visit the international entry requirements pageLink opens in a new window.
Additional requirements
There are no additional entry requirements for this course.
Core modules
- Soil, Sustainability and the Environment
- Advances in Crop Protection
- Project/Work Placement/Dissertation
- Environmental Accounting
- Climate Change
- Organic and Low Input Systems
- Challenges of Global Food Security
- Biosciences, Politics and Social Acceptability
Read more about our core modules on our Life Sciences website.
Optional modules
Optional modules can vary from year to year. Example optional modules may include:
- Biodiversity, Conservation and Ecosystem Services
- Biological Invasions in Changing Environments
- Microbiomics and Metagenomics
- Marketing Management
- Business Strategy
- Climate Change and Development (Law)
- Thinking Water (IATL)
- Habitability in the Universe (IATL)
Our optional module lists are subject to change each year to keep the student learning experience current and up-to-date. You can find the most up to date list on the Life Sciences websiteLink opens in a new window.
Teaching
You'll be taught by expert scientists who undertake research in solving major global challenges in areas such as food security, disease control, bioenergy, systems biology, neurobiology and climate change. Also, external professional experts teach on selected modules giving a vital extra dimension to your teaching experience.
Teaching is via facilitated sessions, including interactive lectures, short question and answer sessions and interactive workshops/tutorials and field visits. Individual and team learning will be used for case study analysis.
Class sizes
Class sizes for this course vary between 5 to 90 students.
Typical contact hours
Depending on the module contact hours vary between 15-25 per week.
Assessment
Assessment is continuous and varies between modules. It typically includes essays, seminar presentations, practical reports, oral evaluation and assessed group work.
You will undertake an individual project during the third term and there is an option to undertake a work-based placement as part of your project. Your project/placement will be assessed by a seminar presentation and either a 15,000 word thesis or a 6,000 word journal article.
Reading lists
Most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library. If you would like to view reading lists for the current cohort of students you can visit our Warwick Library web page.
Your timetable
Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules, compulsory and optional, and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you and you will be able to choose your optional modules when you join us.
Your career
Graduates from the School of Life Sciences taught Masters courses have gone on to work for employers including:
- Pfizer
- Severn Trent Water
- Eurofins Agroscience Services
- Novartis
- Philips Healthcare
- Rothamstead Research
- NGO Client Earth
- Public Health England
They have pursued roles such as: research associate, science editor, regulatory affairs officer, marketing manager, business and financial project management professionals, environmental health professionals, agronomist, and climate change consultant.
Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant offering impartial advice and guidance together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:
- Careers in Life Sciences Networking Event
- Careers in Science
- Warwick careers fairs throughout the year
- Mock Interviews for Life Sciences students
- Interested in Careers in Scientific Publishing
Life Sciences at Warwick
Warwick Life Sciences is an international centre of excellence with more than 90% of our research rated as 'world leading or internationally excellent' in the REF 2021 assessment. Our focus is in excellent teaching and research with impact.
Find out more about us on our websiteLink opens in a new window
Our Postgraduate Taught courses
- Biotechnology, Bioprocessing and Business Management (MSc)
- Environmental Bioscience in a Changing Climate (MSc)
- Food Security (MSc)
- Medical Biotechnology and Business Management (MSc)
- Sustainable Crop Production: Agronomy for the 21st Century (MSc)
Our Postgraduate Research courses
Tuition fees
Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and registration and some student amenities.
Taught course fees Research course fees
Fee Status Guidance
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.
Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?
If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.
Find out more about how universities assess fee status
Additional course costs
As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.
For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on the course web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module Catalogue (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).
Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2022/23 year of study). Information about module department specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:
- Core text books
- Printer credits
- Dissertation binding
- Robe hire for your degree ceremony
Scholarships and bursaries
Scholarships and financial support
Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.
Living costs
Find out more about the cost of living as a postgraduate student at the University of Warwick.
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