Nutrition and Health BSc (Hons)

Course overview

The field of nutrition is growing in importance and graduates from this course will be able to access a wide range of career opportunities.

Nutritionists are needed to work with individuals, groups and communities, the food industry, regulatory bodies and policy makers to promote healthy diets and appropriate food choice.

• The course aims to draw on the expertise of academics from biological and analytical sciences and public health nutrition to provide an integrated course, centred on nutrition and healthy eating, food safety and regulatory processes, food analysis and public health.
• You’ll have the chance to gain hands-on experience of a wide range of scientific techniques. Assessments are designed to mimic real-life scenarios, such as analysing nutrient intake from a food diary, developing dietary interventions and designing health promotion campaigns.
• Throughout the course, you will receive insight from researchers and current practitioners who will bring you the latest issues on a wide range of nutritional and health topics.

The January start for this course is condensed in Year 1. Please see the ‘How you’ll learn’ section below for more details.

Why you should study this course

• No.19 for Food Science in The Complete University Guide 2024.
• Support applying for placements to gain crucial real-world experience².
• Supported and taught by an academic team which includes registered nutritionists, food scientists, microbiologists, and food safety experts (staff may be subject to change).
• Gain hands-on experience of a wide range of industry techniques in our modern laboratories based in the Alison Gingell Building⁴.

If you choose to start this course in January you will study exactly the same course but over a slightly shorter timescale in Year 1. This is ideal if you missed the September start, want to transfer from a different university or course or just need a bit more time to prepare for life at university.

Careers and opportunities

You will be taught in a variety of settings, including laboratories and a purpose-built kitchen, so that you have the chance to develop the analytical and practical skills required by employers – working with accuracy and precision to obtain data and results.

Where possible, coursework uses applied tasks that mimic the skills needed in jobs to help ensure you are attractive to potential future employers, such as collection and interpretation of nutritional data to assess nutrient intake from a food diary, or critically appraising evidence to inform the public of current nutrition and health topics. We also offer the opportunity for industry visits and fieldtrips², which have previously included trips to a local food bank and conferences such as Food Matters Live.

You will also have support with applying for short and long-term placements to gain the experience employers desire. Past students have undertaken one-year placements in the food industry with organisations such as Coventry City Council and Public Health England².

The careers team can help you find suitable work placements and give you advice on how to get the most out of them.

The need for nutritionists is growing with the increasing incidence of diet-related health conditions such as obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

Consequently, graduates from this course should be well equipped for a wide range of roles in the field of nutrition and health – from working on emergency relief projects in low income countries to devising health initiatives to target dietary intakes of specific groups, such as pregnant women, school children and the elderly.

Opportunities may exist within local authorities, charitable organisations, the NHS, parenting organisations, health promotion, and the food and leisure industries. You could also find yourself advising policy makers, regulatory bodies or working in education or the media.

You will be strongly encouraged to take a year out by applying for a work placement or completing a summer internship².