Master in Public Health Nutrition

Master in Public Health Nutrition is one of 3 English-taught Public Health programmes at Master's Degree level in the register, offered by 3 institutions. 1 of them lists an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. 3 are recorded as free for EU, EEA and Swiss students.

Public Health Nutrition at Oslo Metropolitan University is a specialisation within the Master's in Health Sciences. It is taught in English at Pilestredet Campus in Oslo, runs full time over two years, and carries 120 ECTS credits. The programme is cancelled in 2026, so check the programme page before you plan anything around it.

What you study

The programme looks at nutrition and nutrition policy through a public health lens, with an international context. You learn to assess the extent, causes and consequences of diet and nutritional challenges among different groups of the population. You also look at health-promoting and preventive work, and at how strategies and measures for healthy and sustainable diets can be implemented and evaluated.

Food and nutrition policy is part of the content, including key political actors and processes. The programme covers national and global perspectives, with particular focus on the relationship between food systems, diet and sustainability. On the page, OsloMet lists what you will be able to do:

• Understand how food and nutrition policy, and social, cultural, economic and climate-related factors, relate to health and nutrition at local, national and global level
• Monitor and assess the extent and causes of diet and nutritional challenges among population groups
• Use theories, models and strategies, and knowledge of political actors and processes, to plan, implement and evaluate nutrition-related health-promoting and preventive interventions and policies
• Promote equitable access to safe, healthy and sustainable food through all life phases

How the programme is organised

The first two semesters are theoretical courses in public health nutrition and research methods, plus a course in quality improvement and implementation of evidence-based practice. Some courses are taught jointly with other specialisations in Health Sciences.

The third semester is more open. You can take elective courses at OsloMet, go on exchange to a partner institution, or spend the time on your thesis. The thesis can be either 30 ECTS credits or 50 ECTS credits. Exchange is also possible while writing the thesis, whether to do research, join a research network at a partner institution or carry out fieldwork.

Who it suits

This master's suits students who want to work with nutrition at population level rather than in a clinic. You should be comfortable with policy, food systems and sustainability as well as nutrition science, and interested in how interventions are planned and evaluated. The programme is a specialisation in Health Sciences, so expect to work alongside students from other health specialisations in shared courses.

Admission, language and next steps

You need a bachelor's degree or equivalent with at least 80 ECTS credits in food or nutrition sciences or public health, and at least 30 of those 80 credits must be in nutrition. You also need an average grade of at least C on the ECTS scale for your bachelor's degree, and proof of English proficiency. Applicants are ranked on the grade average of the bachelor's degree.

You apply through Søknadsweb, where you fill in your details and upload the required documents. Deadlines depend on where you apply from: 1 November for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland; 1 March for early admission for EU, EEA and Swiss applicants and for non-EU/EEA citizens with a Norwegian national ID number living in Norway; 15 April for ordinary admission for the same groups. Confirm the details on the programme page, since the programme is cancelled in 2026.

Students from the EU, EEA and EFTA pay only the semester fee. Students from outside the EU, EEA and EFTA pay tuition fees set by the institution, in addition to the semester fee.

Master’s applications go straight to Oslo Metropolitan University, not through the national admission service (NUCAS). Study in Norway states that you need a bachelor’s degree comparable to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS), including courses equal to at least one and a half years of full-time study relevant to the programme. The institution lists its deadline as: Outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland: November 15 EU/EEA/Switzerland: March 1 (early admission) / 15 April. The register shows 15 November 2026 as a deadline date for this programme. Deadlines are set by each institution for each programme, so confirm yours. Entry requirements and language tests are also set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, study permits and housing.