This is not a cookery course . Building on the definition of gastronomy as ‘ the study of all things concerning the nourishment of humankind ’, students are exposed to a wide range of topics and debates including physiology and microbiology , taste and quality , anthropology and sociology , economics and politics , agriculture and the environment , nutrition and public health . Understanding how all of these topics and issues are linked and influence each other is the basis of the gastronomical approach .
Research
The multidisciplinary nature of the field of gastronomy , and the wide-reaching and ubiquitous nature of food in our lives , means that research elements can be related to many different and disparate topics , fields and disciplines . Students examine issues around food sustainability and security , food production and marketing , the representation of food in media , as well as how food shapes identities and relationships . Staff members are currently researching the social influence of TV chefs , the notion of food sovereignty in Scotland , food as a tool for communication , new opportunities for
Scottish crofting produce , emerging trends in the teaching of food , and the growing recognition of the importance of the emerging field of gastronomy itself .
Career prospects
The course addresses a broad range of contemporary food issues , enabling students to gain employment and identify opportunities in a wide variety of food-related areas . Students will place themselves in the enviable position of being exposed to a wide range of food systems and food industry experiences and contacts . Past graduates from the course have started new food businesses and consultancies , developed new food products , initiated community projects and social enterprises , moved into campaigning and policy roles , gone on to further study and research , or taken up teaching jobs at secondary and higher levels . There is no single route into gastronomy , and there is no single route out : everyone ’ s journey is different .
‘ I think the QMU MSc Gastronomy could be the most important course in food in education in Britain at the moment . It is all encompassing . It ’ s not just narrowly about cooking , or nutrition , or food politics ; it ’ s about everything — about how food can bind us together and how important it is for health and happiness , and for life .’
Prue Leith , QMU Chancellor , chef , entrepreneur , writer and TV celebrity
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