Nutrition, BSc (Hons)

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed vulnerabilities in the global food system, emphasizing shifts in consumer demands and the urgent need for food sustainability. This course equips students to address these challenges by fostering healthy communities and building a resilient food system. It examines how the body processes nutrients and their influence on health, including diet-related diseases like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and certain cancers. Students will apply cutting-edge research to tackle global nutrition issues, integrating nutritional biochemistry, physiology, and practical techniques. The curriculum covers drivers of food choice, public health nutrition, nutrient-gene interactions, and sustainable practices, with opportunities to work in specialist labs on real-world projects.In the first year, foundational principles of nutritional science are explored, including food composition and its role in global systems. The second year focuses on evidence-based nutrition, research skills, and hormonal influences on eating behaviors. The third year applies knowledge to areas like molecular nutrition, public health, and dietary behavior change, culminating in a personalized dissertation with expert guidance. Accredited by the Association for Nutrition, graduates can achieve Registered Associate Nutritionist status.

In the first year, you will learn the basic principles of nutritional science, by looking at the human body and the foods we eat. This covers the composition of food, the nutrients they contain and how the body uses them. You'll explore the global food system and how the food eaten by animals impacts on food production. In the second year, you will study evidence-based nutrition. This will require you to use the latest research to understand global nutrition challenges and investigate how hormones affect what we eat, and when. You'll develop skills necessary to practice nutrition in professional modules taught by an experienced practitioner nutritionist, and learn how to determine nutritional needs through anthropometric assessment. In the third year, you will apply your knowledge to topical fields, to prepare you for professional practice. You’ll study molecular nutrition, public health and sustainability. To prepare you to work with clients, you'll be trained in nutritional psychology and dietary behaviour change. You will develop professional research skills on your dissertation. Expert researchers will work with you one-to-one on a project of your interest.