The department of family and community sciences (formerly home science) of Allahabad University (AU) will be launching a new five-year integrated course in food and nutrition in the next academic session.

The board of studies (BoS) concerned and the academic council of the central varsity have already given their approval to the course to be called Integrated BSc-MSc Food and Nutrition, varsity officials said.

The course is exclusively for women and the department, initially, will offer admissions to 20 candidates, they added.

As per the provisions in the new National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, there will be multiple exit points for the students. Depending on the year of exit, the students will be awarded either certificate, diploma or degree.

Head of the department Neetu Mishra said: “There will be multiple entry and exit points. Candidates will be awarded certificates in food and nutrition if they drop out after the first year, diploma after the second year, bachelor’s degree after the third year, bachelor’s (with honours) after the fourth year and master’s after five years.”

Candidates who have completed BSc in home science or nutrition under the old education system can get direct admission to the fourth year.

She added the students would be taught about the benefits of healthy food, food microbiology, food processing, human development, therapeutic food counselling, etc.