Nutrition BSc (Hons) Degree

Cardiff Metropolitan University / Prifysgol Metropolitan Caerdydd

Duration: 3 years

Study options: Delivery at Provider Premises, Full Time

Qualifications: BSc (Hons)

Course Summary

We are proud to be the only degree programme in Wales to be accredited by the Association for Nutrition professional body. This means graduates are eligible for direct entry to become Associate Nutritionists and use the letters AssocNutr after their name. Then after a few years of relevant employment can become full Registered Nutritionist using the letters RNutr after their name. This prestigious quality marker enables graduates to be recognised as professionally trained and regulated Nutritionists.

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Course Overview

We are proud to be the only degree programme in Wales to be accredited by the Association for Nutrition professional body. This means graduates are eligible for direct entry to become Associate Nutritionists and use the letters AssocNutr after their name.

Then after a few years of relevant employment can become full Registered Nutritionist using the letters RNutr after their name. This prestigious quality marker enables graduates to be recognised as professionally trained and regulated Nutritionists.

For more information visit:
www.associationfornutrition.org

Course information on this page relates to September 2018 entry.

Course Content

Foundation Year (Year 0):

This programme can incorporate a foundation year (year 0) for those students who aspire to enrol onto the first year of a science based honours degree programme within the Cardiff School of Health Sciences, who have not achieved the standard entry requirements, or who have not studied subjects that provide the necessary background within the scientific disciplines required to enter the first year of the chosen honours degree programme.

Students wishing to undertake the foundation year will apply for the degree programme they intend to progress to, using the relevant UCAS code listed on this course page (under Key Facts) and apply for entry point 0 on the UCAS website. As such, students following the foundation route will take an extra year to complete their honours degree.
Further information about the foundation year can be found by clicking here.

Degree:

The course successfully meets the curriculum recommended by the Association for Nutrition professional body. In addition it benefits from shared modules from the Dietetics and Food Science programmes. In years two and three, students are supported by the personal tutor to choose the modules which will best fit with their future career plans.

Year One:

Introduction to Public Health Nutrition
Nutrition (Macro and micronutrients)
Introductory Biochemistry
Human Anatomy and Physiology
Professional Skills and Studies
Food Studies
Sensory Analysis of Food

Year Two:

Communication
Nutritional Assessment
Research Methods
Public Health Nutrition A (Lifespan nutrition)
Sport and Exercise Physiology (Recommended for Employment in Sports Nutrition)
Food Labelling and Composition (Recommended for Employment in the Food Industry)
New Product Development 1 (Recommended for Employment in the Food Industry)
Health Sociology
Health Psychology
Nutritional Biochemistry and Physiology (Recommended for Employment in the Health Sector)

Placements:

You will also be encouraged to undertake a 30 hour placement between year two and three. Recent students have worked facilitating community cooking sessions, supporting a local breakfast club for refugees and asylum seekers, dietary analysis for sports academy players, activity volunteer on a stroke ward and volunteer teaching assistant (GSCE Food and Nutrition).

Year Three:

Contemporary Nutrition
Global Nutrition
Health Promotion
Nutrition and the Consumer
Independent Study
Public Health Nutrition B (Employability)
Placement
Dissertation
New Product Development 2 (Recommended for Employment in the Food Industry)
Nutrition in Sport and Exercise
Sustainable Food Issues.

Learning & Teaching

The course is taught by experienced Registered Nutritionists, Dietitians and Sports and Exercise Nutritionists who have previously worked in primary and secondary NHS care, public health, industry, overseas development and with sports teams and elite athletes. They use these experiences to bring real-life examples to their teaching with plenty of opportunities for case studies and practical tutorial tasks.

We make full use of our consumer kitchen facilities where students regularly work in pairs to produce a days menu for a person with specific dietary, social and health needs. This enables students to gain values skills in meal planning and portion size estimates.

Anthropometry and exercise physiology is taught using the sports physiology laboratories to enable students to gain valuable skills in core practical skills in a professional environment.

Assessment

Professional training in Nutrition suits a wide range of assessment methods. There are some exams especially in year 1 but we much prefer to assess students using a wider range of strategies including group presentations, professional portfolios, dietary analysis reports, videoed teaching sessions, group nutrition interventions with the general public, communication case studies and a mock job interview. We listen to student and employer feedback and regular review assessments to ensure they focus on the skills most valued by employers.

Employability & Careers

Nutritionists work in health improvement, with groups or communities to promote health, well being and reduce inequalities.

The role might involve working with low income groups, pregnant women or in communities requiring specific health interventions related to nutrition. Our graduates have gone onto deliver nutrition interventions in public health teams and for local councils. Others have used their skills of nutritional analysis to improve the provision of school meals.

Other career opportunities are within NHS Trusts, sports nutrition, health promotion or Government Departments. Nutritionists may also work with charities or in the food industry, either with manufacturers or retailers.
The programme has been devised to prepare graduates to join the Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register. For more information visit www.senr.org.uk.

There are also international opportunities for appropriately qualified nutritionists in emergency relief or development projects in low-income countries.

Our graduates have used their skills in New Product Development to secure employment in the food industry while others have joined food-related graduate training schemes. Every year some progress into post-graduate study either in research, teacher training or to train to become an NHS Dietitian.

Entry Requirements & How to Apply

Foundation route:

Applicants should normally have five GCSEs including English Language (or Welsh First Language), Mathematics* and Science at grade C or above / grade 4 or above (for applicants holding newly reformed GCSEs in England) plus one of the following:

56 points from at least 2 A level qualifications or their equivalent at an appropriate standard for entry into Higher Education at Year 1, but in subject areas which fail to meet the entry requirements for their intended undergraduate degree programme.
56 points from at least 2 A level qualifications or their equivalent in subject areas relevant for their intended undergraduate degree programme, but at a standard which fails to meet the entry requirements to Higher Education at Year 1.
Prospective students who do not meet the above criteria may be considered on an individual basis and may be called for interview.

For specific information on entry requirements or if your qualification isn't listed, please either contact Admissions or refer to the UCAS Course Search.

Degree:

Applicants should have five GCSEs including English Language (or Welsh First Language), Mathematics* and Science at grade C or above / grade 4 or above (for applicants holding newly reformed GCSEs in England).

Typical offers may include:

112 points from at least two A levels to include a grade C at Biology, and a grade C preferably in Food Technology or Chemistry, but another Science will be considered (acceptable Sciences - IT, Maths, Physics, and Environmental Science); Welsh Baccalaureate – Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate considered as the third subject
RQF BTEC National Extended Diploma / Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma in Science (covering Biology and Chemistry) Distinction Merit Merit
112 points from at least two Scottish Advanced Highers to include a grade D at Biology, and a grade C preferably in Food Technology or Chemistry, but another Science will be considered (acceptable Sciences - IT, Maths, Physics, and Environmental Science)
112 points from the Irish Leaving Certificate at Highers to include H2 grade in Biology and H2 grade in either Food Technology or Chemistry, but another Science will be considered (acceptable Sciences - IT, Maths, Physics, and Environmental Science)
112 points from the Access to Higher Education Diploma to include Biology and Food Technology or Chemistry
Or 'Foundation leading to BSc Health Sciences'

*For Welsh applicants sitting the reformed Mathematics GCSE, we will accept either GCSEMathematics or Mathematics – Numeracy.

If you do not meet the above entry requirements, the ‘Foundation leading to BSc Health Sciences’ is available one year full-time and will provide you with a relevant qualification that will allow you to progress to this degree upon successful completion. For further information about the Foundation course, please click here.

For applicants who are only undertaking 2 A levels or equivalent, this will be considered along with the rest of the academic profile and we may issue a graded offer in lieu of an offer using the UCAS Tariff.

If you are studying combinations of the above or if your qualification isn't listed, please either contact Admissions or refer to the UCAS Course Search for the entry requirements.Further information on our entry requirements, including qualifications from the EU can be found by clicking here.

Applications for entry directly into Year 2 or Year 3 will only be considered for those who have completed and passed the required years of an equivalent degree, which is also accredited by the Association of Nutrition. The list of accredited degrees can be found here.

International Applicants:

Before making an application, international students (those outside of the EU), should contact the International Office at Cardiff Met to discuss the necessary procedures in relation to studying with us. For further information visit www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/international.

Selection Procedure:

Selection is usually on the basis of a completed UCAS application and where relevant an interview.

How to Apply:

Applications for this course should be made online to UCAS at www.ucas.com. For further information please visit our How to Apply pages at www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/howtoapply.

Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) and Credit Transfer into year 2 & 3:

If you are interested in transferring credit from another institution to study at Cardiff Met for a course which accepts entry for year 2 and/or 3, you can find further information on this and information on how to apply on the RPL page. Please contact Admissions for any queries that you have on RPL.