This MSc. programme comprises coursework and directed research. The normal duration of a Full-Time programme is 1 year, but it may be extended to a maximum of 3 years. The programme will be offered annually. There will be two academic terms in a year:

*Each course will have a 3-hour session per week in the evening. Classes will be conducted on the CUHK campus.

This MSc. programme is a part-time degree comprising coursework and directed research. The normal duration of programme is 2 years, but it may be extended to a maximum of 4 years. The programme will be offered annually. There will be two academic terms per year:

* Each course will have a 3-hour session per week in the evening. Classes will be conducted on the CUHK campus.

Full-time or Part-time teaching staff from the Food and Nutritional Sciences Programme, or School of Life Sciences as well as other qualified/experienced/professional individuals.

English

Students must complete 6 out of 7 elective courses and 2 required courses (directed research project) for graduation.

Elective Courses

Required Courses (Directed Research Project)

A total of 24 units are required for graduation.

FNSC 5430 Food Toxicology andSafety (3 Units) (Elective)

Food can be contaminated with naturally occurring toxicants and/or man-made chemicals that have adverse health effects to humans at any stage of its production and handling. The objective of this course is to gain knowledge on the key concepts and principles of food safety and toxicology. Students are expected to develop an understanding of the nature and properties of the toxic substances in foods as well as the nature and magnitude of the hazard they represent to humans, with the aim of preventing health risks due to food intake. Topics on food safety include food hygiene, food poisoning, food legislation and food safety control systems. Topics on food toxicology include its general principles, biochemical and physiological mechanisms of action of food toxicants, and methods for food safety assessment. Emphasis will be placed on the evaluation of current issues in food safety toxicology including risk assessment and management.

• Basic concepts of Toxicology
• Food safety, personal and environmental hygiene, food safety regulation and food hygiene management

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FNSC 5110 Chemical, Physical, and Microbiological Characteristics of Food (3 Units) (Elective)

This course applies the knowledge of the physical and chemical behavior of food components in the context of food manufacturing and storage, with emphasis on both safety and nutritional attributes. It also aims at developing chemical, microbiological and sensory analyses to assess the quality and safety of foods.

• Chemical, Physical and Microbiological Properties of Food Components
• Advanced Chemical and Microbiological Analysis of Food
• Sensory Evaluation of Food

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FNSC 5210 Food Processing Technology and Food Biotechnology (3 Units) (Elective)

This course reviews the causes of food spoilage and quality loss. Principles and effects of traditional food processing and food preservation technology on food quality will be covered. New and emerging processing technology will also be covered. The course highlights the latest industrial applications of food biotechnology with emphasis on the production of food and food products through molecular biology, bioprocess engineering and microbial biotechnology.

• Principles of Food Processing and Preservation
• Emerging Processing Technology
• Food Biotechnology

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FNSC 5120 Nutrition and the Challenge of Non-communicable Disease (3 units) (Elective)

This course is directed to students and health care professionals who require more in-depth nutritional knowledge for their work. The course will emphasize the therapeutic nutrition in modification of the nutrients or other aspects of a normal diet to meet a person’s nutritional needs during an illness. The course consists of three modules:

• Public Health and Nutrition Policy
• Nutrition and Non-Communicable Diseases
• Nutrition and Diet therapy

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FNSC 5220 Nutrition and Immunity across the Life Span (3 units) (Elective)

The course is designed to meet the expanded needs of a broad spectrum of students with varying nutritional background. It covers nutritional needs at different stages of human development, nutrient-gene interaction, diet and human immune function, and food allergies. Three modules are:

• Marco & Micronutrients
• Nutrition across the Life Span
• Nutrition and Immunity

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FNSC 5420 Applied Nutrition (3 units) (Elective)

This course presents applied aspects of nutrition with emphasis on weight management, functional foods, and nutritional values of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, with a view to enhance health status and quality of life. Each of these modules addresses a specific issue that is the interest of public and presents the progress in these exciting new researches. Three modules are:

• Fitness, Nutrition and Weight Management
• Research and Development in Functional Foods
• Research and Development in Functional Foods

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FNSC 6313 Directed Research and Seminar I (3 units) (Required)

In this course, students will undertake a research project or review a topic of their choice in areas of either nutrition or food science and technology under the supervision of a faculty member. Each student is required to submit a written progress report about his or her research on completion of the course.

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FNSC 6413 Directed Research and Seminar II (3 units) (Required)

In this course, students will undertake a research project or review a topic of their choice in area of either nutrition or food science and technology under the supervision of a faculty member. The results of the research or literature review will be presented in a seminar and be formally written in the form of a final report.

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FNSC 5320 Nutritional Physiology (3 units) (Elective)

Nutrient Metabolism
Diet & Disease

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Assessment for required courses is based on written examinations and assignments while that for directed research projects is based on seminar presentation and written report.

All students are required to pass all assessments and obtain a cumulative overall GPA of at least 2.0 in order to graduate.

*Please refer to Postgraduate Prospectus or Graduate School Homepage for details.

• *Registered dietitians may be exempted for a maximum of TWO 3-unit nutrition courses with a Total of 6 unit credits in the required course;
• Bachelor degree holders of nutrition or food science and technology may be exempted for a maximum of ONE 3-unit courses with a Total of 3 unit credits in the required course;
• Students holding a Master degree with research training in the food science and technology and nutrition areas may be exempted for a maximum of 6 units in the project requirements.
• In any case, the total number of unit credits exempted cannot be more than 6. (Subject to the approval of Graduate School)

*only applicable to the registeration obtained from the following countries: Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and United States