Master's Degree in Nutrigenomics and Personalised Nutrition

Academic year 2023-24

See the pre-registration, admission and registration deadlines for the 2023-24 academic year for this master's programme.
You can also consult this information for the academic year 2022-23.

New student profile and admission criteria

Graduates from health science programmes can access the Master's Degree in Nutrigenomics and Personalised Nutrition, specifically those with bachelor's degrees (or licentiate or associate degrees) in biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, food science and technology, oenology, pharmacy, nursing, medicine, human nutrition and dietetics, chemistry, and veterinary studies, among other studies, as can students with foreign degrees in these areas. The Academic Committee will consider admission for holders of other degrees depending on their previous education.

The Committee will consider the following criteria with the following weights (as percentages) for admission purposes:

  • Students' academic transcript, weighted according to previous studies (80%);
  • A letter of intent written by the applicant (10%); and
  • Other degree-related academic merits that students can provide (e.g., knowledge of English, specific training courses, etc.) (10%).

Admission to the 'Development and Innovation in Nutrigenomics and Functional Nutrition' pathway is dependent on the available offer of external internships in companies for the corresponding academic year.

Academic and professional goals

This master's programme is the first officially recognised programme in nutrigenomics and personalised nutrition in the world. It provides students with the knowledge that is most requested by businesses and research institutions in the new fields of health and nutrition, and it ensures that graduates will have the greatest possibility for achieving professional success. This postgraduate programme aims to train researchers and professionals in 21st-century food and nutrition sciences, covering knowledge on metabolism, gene-nutrient interactions (nutrigenomics), and food with the goal of improving nutrition and health and focusing on personalised nutrition. It includes training in molecular nutrition; the design of new foods with positive health effects within the context of functional foods; aspects related to food technologies, food safety, and their possible repercussions on public and individuals' health; and new developments in the field.

The programme offers students two possible pathways from which to choose: 

The Research-Based Pathway in Nutrigenomics and Personalised Nutrition (profile 2A) offers training that will allow professionals to be able to conduct themselves properly in the world of basic and applied research within the field of nutrition. Furthermore, it will provide them with training in the most cutting-edge sectors of the field; this includes knowledge about and how to use post-genomic era technologies and ideas related to systems biology and personalised nutrition. This pathway is recommended for those students who wish to pursue a future in research in nutrigenomics, molecular nutrition, personalised nutrition or functional foods at either public or private institutions. The education provided in this pathway will allow students to acquire all of the knowledge and abilities needed to be able to design, begin, and then carry out research work and studies that will lead to doctoral degrees.

The Business-Career Pathway in Development and Innovation in Nutrigenomics and Functional Nutrition (2B) also provides training related to state-of-the-art research and nutrition, but with a decidedly career-oriented character that will allow students to acquire the knowledge and abilities needed to be able to independently handle themselves in the business world related to nutrigenomics, personalised nutrition, molecular nutrition, functional foods and food safety. Although this pathway is more business-oriented, it also gives access to doctoral studies, since the training gained from writing a PhD is also applicable to business settings.

The Master's degree in Nutrigenomics and Personalised Nutrition is an official public study programme that fully conforms to European Higher Education Area guidelines and provides access to doctoral level studies.

With the contents that are developed throughout the master's degree students will acquire the following set of skills (general contents marked with a G; specific ones with an E):

 General (G)

G1 - The ability to organise and plan activities in the field of research
G2 - The ability to apply critical, logical, and creative thinking to research
G3 - The ability to incorporate scientific advances into the professional field
G4 - The ability to work independently and with initiative
G5 - The skills and flexibility to solve problems efficiently
G6 - The ability to develop hypotheses and design studies to verify them
G7 - The ability to analyse data and draw conclusions from research results
G8 - The ability to do interdisciplinary work
G9 - Respect for intellectual integrity and ethics
G10 - The ability to value and participate in work groups
G11 - The ability to collect and summarise the research and professional literature of the discipline
G12 - The ability to critically analyse relevant literature
G13 - The ability to articulate knowledge in oral and written presentations
G14 - Advanced understanding of the overall context in which this speciality is carried out
G15 - The ability to carry out work in English (the internationally recognised language in the discipline)
G16 - Learning from the possibilities and capabilities offered by ITC (information and communication technology) in the field of study
G17 - Appreciation of the fact that an advanced level of knowledge provides leadership abilities in the discipline
G18 - An understanding of the value that the acquired knowledge has for the community
G19 - The ability to get involed in issues facing modern society
G20 - The ability to analyse the risks and benefits of nutrients and other components of foods

Specific (E)

E1 - An understanding of the molecular basis of the interactions of nutrients with the genome and their expression
E2 - An understanding of the relationship between nutrients and the state of health
E3 - An understanding of the relationship between diet and diseases
E4 - Application of knowledge in the field in order to promote health
E5 - An in-depth understanding of the field of nutrigenomics and personalised nutrition and their impact on society
E6 - The knowledge and ability to apply the idea of systems biology
E7 - An understanding of the bioactive and functional components of foods
E8 - Knowledge about energy metabolism regulation and the influence of the functional components of foods
E9 - An understanding of the complexity of the metabolism of nutrients
E10 - Integration of knowledge about the main metabolic pathways and the role that nutrients play both in health and disease
E11 - The ability to properly design experimental studies and apply them to the field of nutrigenomics and molecular nutrition
E12 - The proper application of statistical analysis in the field of nutrigenomics
E13 - Knowledge about the sources of financing for research, advancement, and innovation in the field of study
E14 - Application of specific laboratory techniques related to the field of molecular nutrition and nutrigenomics
E15 - Knowledge of the latest advances in the field of nutrigenomics, personalised nutrition, and molecular nutrition as well as the acquisition of the abilities needed to keep onself up-to-date on these matters
E16 - An understanding of how businesses in the sector and their R&D departments work
E17 - The ability to easily fit into a work environment in the fields of nutrigenomics, personalised nutrition, molecular nutrition, and functional foods
E18 - The ability to fit into an environment related to food safety and the implications that they have on the field of new foods
E19 - Knowledge about the composition of foods and the effects of modifications stemming from human manipulation
E20 - An understanding of the foundations of food laws
E21 - Knowledge about intellectual property rights in the field
E22 - Knowlede about the market in the field of nutrition
E23 - An understanding of the various fields of knowledge that make up nutrigenomics and personalised nutrition
E24 - Knowledge about the basic foundations of chronobiology and the states of control

Access to other study programmes and career opportunities

PhD in Nutrigenomics and Personalised Nutrition

PhDs related to this branch of knowledge

Other information points

Careers Guidance and Placement Department (DOIP) (https://fueib.org/es/universitaris/28/futuro-profesional)

Grants, contracts and researcher mobility (https://www.uib.es/es/recerca/ajuts/beques_mobilitat/)

Structure of the study programme

This master's degree consists of 84 ECTS, of which students must take a minimum of 60 (one academic year). The students must choose one of the two specialities available: Research in Nutrigenomics and Personalised Nutrition (module 2A) or Development and Innovation in Nutrigenomics and Functional Foods (module 2B) (see the "Academic and professional goals" on this page). When pre-registering, you must indicate your preferred specialisation pathway:

  • The Research in Nutrigenomics and Personalised Nutrition pathway (profile 2A) is recommended for students who wish to pursue a career in research and innovation in the fields of nutrigenomics and personalised nutrition, either in public or private institutions.
  • The Development and Innovation in Nutrigenomics and Functional Nutrition pathway (profile 2B) is recommended for those students who want to pursue a career in business settings with applications in the fields of nutrigenomics and personalised nutrition.

The programme comprises mandatory and elective subjects which are common to both specialities, and subjects specific to each pathway. Both involve the completion of a Practicum (9 ECTS) and a Master's Thesis (TFM, 6 ECTS), both of which are compulsory (see below).

In order to be awarded the degree, students must pass 60 ECTS as per the following:

  • 25 ECTS from mandatory subjects common to the two specialities. These subjects combined offer a comprehensive training of the basic fundamentals of nutrigenomics and personalised nutrition, covering the molecular, metabolic and experimental knowledge necessary for students on the master's and PhD programmes.
  • 12 ECTS from the speciality on which students are admitted (2A or 2B).
  • At least 8 ECTS, to be selected from the remaining master's electives, both from the speciality not chosen and from common electives
  • 9 ECTS from the Practicum
  • 6 ECTS from the Master's Thesis

The general structure of the different courses can be viewed on the "Subjects" section of the Master's Degree in Nutrigenomics and Personalised Nutrition.

Since the creation of the Master's Degree in Nutrigenomics and Personalised Nutrition the UIB has collaborated with the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) and the University of Barcelona (UB), which offer another official master's degree (the Master's Degree in Nutrition and Metabolism), through a special agreement for the sharing of subjects by means of telematic tools. (Full document of the agreement protocol.)

Specification of the characteristics of the Practicum and the Master's Thesis (or training courses stage)

Students must compulsorily take a practicum-type subject, whether they follow pathway 2A (with a research project) or 2B (with an external placement at a company in the sector) (see subject descriptors). Students must carry out extensive practical work under the supervision of a lecturer with a doctoral degree who teaches in the master's (for the research work). However, they may also choose to work with a tutor from one of the companies associated with the degree (for the work placement), but the chosen person must work in collaboration with a lecturer with a doctoral degree who teaches in the master's, who must also monitor the student's work for the time the placement lasts.

The Practicum subject consists of 9 ECTS and is closely linked to the Master's Thesis (TFM) (6 ECTS). The assessment must incoporate a report on the work undertaken and the learning acquired during the Practicum, including the results and the scientific discussion of these (see the TFM subject sheet). This report must be presented in a public oral defence before an examination panel approved by the master's management, and shall include lecturers with a doctoral degree who teach in the degree and, where appropriate, it may also include external members from the business world or guest lecturers. The panel shall assess the report and its defence. To carry out this assessment, the panel has a rubric with the items to be considered and the possible scores for each item (see the rubric at this link).

Academic, scientific, and professional relevance and interest

Now, in the 21st century, the science of nutrition incorporates knowledge about the metabolism, food, and the interactions between genes and nutrients (nutrigenomics) in order to improve people's diets and health and to offer an increasingly personalised nutrition. These master's and PhD level studies aim to train professionals who are specialised in the field, from researchers who contribute to the field with their own findings, to professionals who participate in the design of new foods with positive effects on health within the field of functional foods and the aspects related to food technologies and who understand the field of food safety and the related laws and regulations, to professionals dedicated to researching molecular nutrition. It is important to bear in mind that society is constantly raising new questions related to these fields, and it is continuously demanding greater advances, and thus more qualified professionals.

Additionally, it should be noted that there is a series of indicators that highlight the scientific, academic, and professional relevance of this studies and the teaching staff:

  1. The significant number and relevance of publications from research groups involved in the project.
  2. These studies are supported by specialists from the European Network of Excellence in Nutrigenomics Research, the NuGO (European Nutrigenomics Organisation). Backed by a European Commission label as a 'Network of Research Excellence' and by the scientific merits of its members, the NuGO is a unique network in this field, and the members of the UIB's research group which coordinates these studies, headed by Dr Andreu Palou, are among the NuGO's founding members. The existence of this organisation in the European context highlights the significant level of interest that the topics of nutrition and nutrigenomics (which are the basis for the contents in this master's and doctoral studies) are generating.
  3. The membership and outstanding participation of research groups involved in these studies in the  CIBER network (Networked Biomedical Research Centres), within CIBER (Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition), an initiative by the Spanish Government to bring together groups of excellence and promote high-level research in biomedicine and health sciences in thematic areas of interest for the National Health System, through the development and promotion of stable networked research structures with their own legal personality.
  4. The continuous funding of the research of the groups involved in these studies by the European Union, the Spanish Government and regional governments.
  5. The extensive experience in carrying out research work and projects in collaboration with international partners of the researchers involved in the master and doctoral training, which have resulted for years in the request for and development of international research projects and scientific cooperation networks, the publication of original articles in high-impact journals and the exchange of researchers; both trainees and experienced doctors. These include projects funded by different EU programmes such as BIOCLAIMS (BIOmarkers of Robustness of Metabolic Homeostasis for Nutrigenomics-derived Health CLAIMS Made on Food; FP7-244995), coordinated by the UIB group which coordinates the master's and PhD programmes; IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants: FP6-2004-FOOD-3-A016181-2); I. FAMILY (Determinants of eating behaviour in European children, adolescents and their parents; ref. 266044); DIABAT (Recruitment and activation of brown adipocytes as preventive and curative therapy for type 2 diabetis; HEALTH-F2-2011-278373); SALUX (European Network to follow-up the reformulation of food; ref. 2010 12 10); i EUROCAROTEN (European network to advance carotenoid research and applications in agro-food and health; Cost Action CA15136).
  6. In addition, researchers involved in this study programme also have extensive experience with business contracts, which has led to various opportunities for collaboration contracts with businesses such as Flora-Unilever, Mercadona, Cognis, Puleva Biotech, Natraceutical and Casa Tarradellas, among others, including important contracts within the strategic programmes CENIT and CIEN of the Spanish Government, co-financed by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) (such as the CENIT-2008-1004 PRONAOS led by Puleva Biotech, S.A. and the SMARTFOODS project, of the Strategic Programme CIEN, IDI-20141208). In addition, lecturers linked to this programme have promoted ALIMENTOMICA, a university- and techonology-based company in which the UIB participates, whose aim is the research, development, innovation and commecialisation of new knowledge and products in the field of food and health. These collaborations have had a very positive impact on the master's and PhD in Nutrigenomics and Personalised Nutrition, as they have led to collaborations for the active involvement of companies in these study programmes.
  7. The notable presence in highly prestigious European foundations and institutions, such as the ILSI (the International Life Sciences Institute; a foundation that includes major worldwide food companies, such as Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Danone, etc.) and the FIAB (the Spanish Federation of Food and Drink Companies). Presence in official institutes should also be noted, such as the AESAN (the Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food and Safety), whose Science Commission was presided over by professor Palou and in which programme professor Catalina Picó now participates, and the SCF (Scientific Committee on Food), between 1997 and 2002, which continued as a scientific panel on nutrition (diet, nutrition, and allergy products) for the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), and in which professor Palou also served as vicepresident. Both institutions (the AESA and the EFSA) represent the main official governmental institutions on matters related to food safety in Spain and the European Union, respectively.

To summarise, the master's and doctoral study programmes in nutrigenomics and personalised nutrition offer specialised education, aimed at training professionals in the field of molecular nutrition with special attention being given to new technologies such as transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and systems biology, as these areas are fundamental for new professionals in the world of nutrition. Also of increasing importance is having knowledge about issues related to food safety and quality as well as functional foods. The need for these professionals stems from the interest that society is placing on having a better quality of life through proper personalised nutrition based on the new knowledge of gene-nutrient interactions and the application of new diagnostic tools based on early markers of diseases. Additionally it is increasingly evident that, aside from applying nutritional concepts to the general public, the use of personalised nutrition is ever more relevant as it allows one to go more in-depth with regard to the nutritional and metabolic characteristics of small groups and populations, and even individuals.

Final Exam

Specified in the "Evaluation criteria and exams" and "Structure of the study programme" sections of this descriptor (for information on the characteristics of the internship and the Master's thesis).

Evaluation criteria and exams

Specific assessment criteria are defined for each particular subject in the Master's programme, and they can vary depending on the type of subject and the specific objectives the subject aims to reach. More information can be found in the subjects section. However, in general, the following assessment methods are used (in some subjects, students can choose which kind of assessment they would like):

  • Turning in and defending a request for a hypothetical project concerning topics covered in the class,
  • Defending and/or turning in theoretical work (tutorials and work that can be done individually or in a group),
  • Mid-course exams (for example, two exams with one multiple choice section and one short answer section that involves interpreting experimental data),
  • Final exam (exam with one multiple choice section and one short answer section that involves interpreting experimental data),
  • Etc.

Also, for information on the nature of the internship and Master's thesis, see the "Structure of the study programme" section.

 

Study programme leadership

Dra. Catalina Picó Segura
Category
CU
Telephone
971 17 3454 o 971 25 9797
Dra María Luisa Bonet Piña
Category
Full Professor
Telephone
971 17 2734

Related web pages:

Molecular biology, nutrition, and biology laboratory - LBNB  (http://palou.uib.es).