MSc Gastronomy

The MSc Gastronomy takes a multidisciplinary approach to examining and better understanding how food works in our world. Many other food-related studies, whether in health sciences, hospitality, agriculture, marketing, or social sciences, approach food from a particular angle. Our MSc Gastronomy programme recognises that none of these specialities operates independently and that the interconnected nature of food is one of its most important, and most overlooked, characteristics.

It is increasingly recognised that reductionist approaches to tackling food-related issues are ineffective and that a more comprehensive and holistic approach is required if we are to understand the many ways that food influences our lives, and effectively address the many injustices and inequalities that are manifest in the current food system. This programme takes an engaged, critical and broad-ranging approach to examining the many ways that food ‘nourishes’ us, how it shapes who we are and how it can be used as a tool for positive social and environmental purposes.

Your studies will be brought to life with field trips to a diverse range of food-related businesses and organisations – from livestock markets to Michelin starred restaurants, large-scale farm operations to artisan food producers, supermarket distribution warehouses to government research centres and more. Through input from a wide range of specialist, expert and industry speakers, you will gain exposure to the diverse influences that affect how we produce, process, represent, practise and consume food. Scotland is often the showcase for this, but we retain a global outlook and the concepts covered are transferable to other cultures and countries.