Master in Animal Nutrition at Glasgow University: First-Year Review

In September 2022, I began the first year of the Master of Science in Animal Nutrition at Glasgow University to further my education in animal nutrition (you may have seen my regular updates on my Instagram account). In this article, I will delve deeper into the program and address some frequently asked questions. Here is my review after completing the first year.

What is this program?

This is a 3-year program, at the conclusion of which you can obtain a master’s degree in Animal Nutrition. The program is offered in partnership between Glasgow University and Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) and is entirely online and part-time. 
Each year of the program consists of 60 Glasgow credits, equivalent to 30 ECTS credits, which roughly translates to 600 study hours a year.
You can exit the program after the first year and obtain a Postgraduate Certificate, or after the second year, with a Postgraduate Diploma.

As it’s a postgraduate level program there are entry requirements to join: either a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a relevant subject, or a previous work experience. Additionally, as the course is delivered in English, non-native speakers must have passed an English test to prove their proficiency level, such as TOEFL or IELTS.

Each year is divided into roughly 3-month periods of class: semester 1 starting in September, semester 2 beginning in January, and Summer starting in April. As the program is flexible you can start in September, January, or April.

The first year consists of three courses of 20 credits each, which I will describe in more detail later in the article: Digestive Anatomy and Physiology, Nutrition Biochemistry and Metabolism, and Feed Composition and Evaluation.

The second year consists of two mandatory 10-credit courses in Summer: Current Topics in Animal Nutrition, and Research Methods for Animal Science. 
In addition, you need to select two 10-credit courses for Semester 1 and Semester 2. 
The options for Semester 1 are Feed Processing, either for Monogastrics or for Ruminants, and Applied Nutrition and Rationing again for either Monogastrics or Ruminants.
The options for Semester 2 are Equine Nutrition or Small Animals & Exotics Nutrition, and either Nutrition & Health or Feed Industry.

The final year is dedicated to a 60-credit project course titled Dissertation in Animal Nutrition.

Currently, the tuition fee for this program for the academic year 2023/2024 is £4,550, so for the whole MSc the pricing is £13,650. However, it seems that this price changes from year to year. It is possible to pay in 8 installments.

The first year

The three courses of the first year were structured in the same way: they are 10 weeks long with a catch-up week halfway through. Each week a new lesson becomes available, consisting of interactive slides narrated by the teachers (a transcription is provided for every audio content for accessibility purposes and for non-native speakers). As the lesson is pre-recorded you are free to take it in your own time. In addition to the lesson each week, you have a reading list with mandatory readings from reference textbooks and optional readings, which are generally scientific papers to further the subject of the lesson.
Each course also had a total of 3 to 4 live sessions on Zoom with the professor to ask questions, etc. The live sessions were scheduled at 7 pm London Time, and a recording was available for those who couldn’t attend in real-time.
A forum platform was also available to ask questions to the teacher or exchange with other students.

Digestive Anatomy and Physiology

The title of this course is quite self-explanatory as this course covered the anatomy and physiology of the digestive system. The class also covered histology–the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues–which is helpful to better understand the function of each part of the digestive tract.
This course also compared the digestion of various animals with a lesson on equine digestion, one on ruminant digestion, one on pigs and poultry, and one on small animals.
Finally, one lesson focused on the important subject of the gut microbiome.
There were two assessments for this course. The first one consisted of making an information leaflet on a disease of the digestive system of the animal species of our choice. The second assessment consisted of making a scientific conference poster to present a research article and pre-record a short oral presentation of the poster.

Nutrition Biochemistry and Metabolism

This class covered the metabolism of the different macronutrients (fat, protein, and carbohydrates) in ruminant and non-ruminant species. As this was a biochemistry class, this was covered at a molecular level. Two lessons focused on the specificity of ruminants with their digestion and the role of hydrogen in the rumen.
The class also focused on minerals, vitamins, anti-nutritional factors, nutrient interaction, and some plant chemistry.
The assessment for this course was a written essay (1500 words), and a one-hour quiz. There was also a formative assignment in the form of a 500-word essay.

Feed Composition and Evaluation

This last course covered feedstuff analysis using traditional methods and using near-infrared spectroscopy. It addressed different types of feedstuff and factors affecting their composition. Finally, several lessons focused on how to evaluate a feed and how it affects energy partitioning, digestibility, and protein nutrition.
The assessment was similar to the last course with an essay and quiz. There was also a formative group activity in which we had to prepare slides and an audio recording to present a specific feedstuff of our choice.

In addition to these courses, every student needs to undertake the Academic Writing Skills Programme. As its name indicates, the goal of this short programme is to learn how to write essays. It focuses as well on sourcing and referencing information, critical reading, and plagiarism, as they are all relevant to academic writing.

My overall impression

I was quite happy with this first year, as I could improve my knowledge in nutrition, in areas that would have been difficult to study by myself, such as biochemistry and histology. To my surprise, studying various species was quite enriching: it was very interesting to see how the anatomy and physiology of a species are linked to its metabolism.
As expected from a master's program, there was a serious workload: I spent at least one full day each week on the lessons, not counting the assignments and additional readings. The assignments were also more challenging and required a bigger time investment than the previous certificate I had done.
One thing that left me disappointed was the third class, which focused far too much on feed for ruminants for my interest and was quite laborious. One lesson was dedicated solely to the different types of forages, and I would have wished that this course was better divided between the types of feed for each species, as animal products and co-products received minimal attention.

Next year

I’m quite eager for this new year, starting in mid-September, especially as we have the option to select our classes. I have selected: Applied Nutrition and Rationing (Monogastrics), Feed Processing (Monogastrics), Small Animals & Exotics Nutrition, and Nutrition & Health. As usual, I will keep you posted on Instagram and write a similar review next year. 
I hope you found this article interesting whether you are contemplating this program or are curious about my credentials.