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Course overview

Registered dietitians are qualified health professionals that assess, diagnose and treat diet and nutrition problems at an individual and public health level.

As a graduate you are eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council and the British Dietetic Association, to practice as a dietitian within the UK. This course provides experiences to ensure you are safe and confident to assess dietary and nutritional needs and able to deliver dietary interventions which meet the needs of individuals, groups and populations. Placements are integral to the course – you undertake a minimum of 1,000 hours of dietetic practice in a variety of settings including NHS, public health, research, social care and the third sector.

You gain the underpinning knowledge and skills to be able to assess and treat individuals, groups and populations with a number of health conditions which impact on their diet and nutrition. In semester one you also undertake 75 hours of practice. In the second semester you undertake 13 weeks of practice placement supervised by qualified dietitians. In the third semester you further develop your dietetic assessment and management, and explore the role of dietitians in promoting health with a focus on public health interventions. You also study research and innovation in dietetic practice, preparing you for your major project in the final semester. In semester four you undertake a further 13 weeks of practice placement. And finally in semester five you undertake your major project.

How you learn

You learn through a variety of learning and teaching methods including lectures, seminars and lab-based sessions. You may have face-to-face lectures or they may be recorded and uploaded to your virtual learning environment. You also develop an online professional development portfolio to evidence your progress within the course. Your learning is facilitated by lecturers from the School of Health & Social Care and the School of Science, Engineering & Design which means that you benefit from science and health expertise within the University.

Practice placement is integral to the course and you spend 28 weeks in a number of health and social care settings. On placement you apply the knowledge and skills that you have gained in the University setting.

How you are assessed

You are assessed in a variety of ways including case-based clinical assessments, written assignments, poster development, viva voce and exams. Some modules use formative assessment to help you develop your academic writing. We provide electronic feedback from summative assessments.

Practice placement is assessed as pass or fail by your practice educator.

Career opportunities

Dietitians work in a number of different settings – these include the NHS, private practice, industry, sport and education. Whilst your practice placements are primarily within the NHS, we explore the role of the dietitian in different environments and provide careers guidance and support towards the latter stages of the course.