Food security is providing nutritious, safe and affordable food for all. Being able to do this sustainably is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Food practitioners need to be able to respond to food security and safety concerns, shifting attitudes towards food and farming, changing diets and demographics, as well as balancing global economic and environmental pressures.
This programme comes at a time when food and its implications on our health and planet are making the headlines. From the food-waste paradox to food’s devastating environmental impact — the need for sustainable food systems couldn’t be more paramount. That’s why organisations across the world are looking for qualified experts in this area, to help resolve some of the greatest challenges we’re facing in food today.
Food is the single strongest lever to improve human health and environmental sustainability; however, transforming our food system is not an easy task. Our food system is highly complex; it works across different scales, from the local to the global, it involves a wide range of interconnected actors, it has environmental, social, economic and political drivers and implications.
This programme uses a systems thinking approach to understand, evaluate, and deconstruct the complexity of the food system, in order to formulate sustainable and just solutions addressing the grand challenges we are facing, such as food security and global environmental change.
The programme introduces students to a wide range of disciplines underpinning food sustainability and food security and helps them successfully apply their knowledge and skills to the real-world challenges food sustainability and food security present. The programme is unique and innovative; it brings together expertise from across the faculties of the University of Leeds for example from the schools of Earth, Environment and Sustainability, Food Science and Nutrition, Geography, Biology, the Institute for Transport Studies and Leeds Business School. The programme’s strength lies in its interdisciplinary nature and the integration of concepts, approaches, and perspectives from different disciplines in each module, offering a seamless narrative across the programme. The interdisciplinary nature of the programme ensures that the students build a deep appreciation of the contribution, strengths and limitations of each approach, and develop the ability to cross over disciplinary boundaries in order to form viable and constructive propositions.
The programme builds on the success of the University’s interdisciplinary research on the theme of Food. Through strong collaborations with University of Leeds Global Food and Environment Institute the students will not only be exposed to cutting edge research but also given the opportunities to collaborate with our non-academic partners (e.g. industry, policy makers, non-governmental organisations, third sector).
The programme is designed to provide a holistic understanding of food system issues such as food security and to promote interdisciplinarity. The modules are not designed according to a thematic/ disciplinary structure (i.e. a module on natural science, followed by a module on food science, a module offering a human geography/critical perspective, followed by a module on the business perspective etc.). Instead, the first 30 credit module (Introduction to Sustainable Food Systems) offers the ‘big’ picture perspective and demonstrates that the different elements of the food system are interconnected and they do not work in isolation. The module on Research Skills equips students with an understanding of how research methods can help them to explore food systems challenges. Modules on food consumption, food production and food security go into detail on the issues relevant to the different parts of the supply chain. The module on Sustainable Food Supply Chains and Trade links production with consumption to illustrate that
strong sustainability outcomes and food security are achieved through integration of food production, distribution and consumption. Students will also complete an independent research project, giving them the opportunity to focus on an area of their interest (related to sustainable food systems), putting learning into action, and honing the research skills developed during the programme. All key disciplinary or theoretical perspectives are embedded in each module and explored within the context of that given module.
Experiential learning is delivered in the form of a number of fieldtrips to food production and consumption sites, including a weeklong fieldtrip to a food producing region in the UK. Through these fieldtrips students are exposed to the global nature of our food system, and the challenge of reconciling competing local and global, environmental, economic and social priorities. Other off campus learning opportunities are offered through collaboration with commercial partners such as the University of Leeds Farm. The University of Leeds Farm is operated as a commercial business, which also hosts research and innovation projects and can provide a platform for collaborative research and innovation with industry, government and public research organisations.
On completion of the programme students should have provided evidence of being able to:
1. Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of concepts, information and techniques at the forefront of the different disciplines investigating food systems sustainability and food security
2. Apply systems thinking approaches to critically and creatively evaluate the complexity, current and future challenges, research and advanced scholarship in food systems
3. Apply new analytical frameworks to understand and evaluate food as a socio-technical system
4. Diagnose and solve the real-world challenges food sustainability and food security presents, incorporating diverse resources such as existing knowledge, data collection, interpersonal skills, reflection and reasoning ability
5. Demonstrate competence in crossing disciplinary boundaries in the pursuit of sustainability solutions in the food system
6. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of techniques (e.g. stakeholder engagement, knowledge co-production) applicable to food systems sustainability and food security practice, research or advanced scholarship
7. Take a proactive and self-reflective role in working and developing professional relationships with stakeholders across the food systems to achieve sustainability outcomes and food security
8. Proactively formulate ideas and research questions, and develop, implement and execute plans by which to evaluate these
Problem based learning is at the heart of this programme. The programme confronts students with complex sustainability challenges that require them to incorporate diverse resources such as existing knowledge, data collection, interpersonal skills, reflections and reasoning ability in order to meet these challenges.
Ultimately, this programme equips students with the necessary knowledge and skills (such as systems thinking, problem solving, strategy and policy making) to become effective change agents that will lead the transition to more sustainable, efficient, healthier, and fairer food system.
Students will be considered for the award of MSc Food Systems and Food Security if they pass 150 credits of modules including any listed Pass for Progression (PFP) modules and achieve an overall average mark of 50 or above, calculated across the 180 credits of modules.
Students who are not eligible for this award will be considered for the awards of Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) or Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert). Please review the University of Leeds Academic Regulations for further information on these awards.
This programme may include field activities. Should a planned destination be deemed unsafe or unviable, we will
alternative means for students to meet programme learning outcomes.
[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]
View Timetable
Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules
| Code | Title | Credits | Semester | Pass for Progression |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOEV5100M | Introduction to Sustainable Food Systems | 30 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| FOEV5103M | Sustainable Food Consumption | 15 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| FOEV5104M | Sustainable Food Supply Chains and Trade | 15 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| FOEV5108M | Sustainable Food Production and Food Security | 15 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| FOEV5110M | Food Systems Fieldtrip | 30 | Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) | |
| SOEE5014M | Research Skills | 15 | Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) | |
| SOEE5020M | Research Project | 60 | 1 Sep to 31 Aug (12mth) |
Last updated: 30/04/2026 16:10:13
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