Human Nutrition

In this course, you will explore the relationship between diet, health and disease, and investigate the issues facing global food systems, food sustainability and public health.

Our Human Nutrition course dates back over 30 years, so our team of experts bring a wealth of experience along with a detailed knowledge of the latest developments in the field. You will study in a university with a long-standing reputation for nutrition research and learning. You will be taught by Registered Nutritionists, and other health professionals, actively involved in research and knowledge exchange. They can train you to develop the knowledge and employability skills you need to pursue a career as a professional nutritionist or to move on to further studies.

What you will study

You will be trained in a broad range of nutrition topics that are of current relevance, including the fundamentals of nutrition: from human biochemistry and physiology to public health, epidemiology, and nutrition and disease.

You’ll explore how the food we eat affects the human body, and how our diets influence both our physical and mental health. You’ll investigate the current challenges facing vulnerable population groups and learn about the importance of global and local nutritional policy. There will also be opportunities to tailor your learning with optional modules in theory and research methodologies.

You will take part in laboratory sessions where you can practise different methods of dietary assessment and analysis that you can use as a nutritionist. You can also learn how to conduct an anthropometry assessment of nutritional status, as well as methods of assessing household food (in)security.

Our programme includes discussions and debates on contemporary issues such as food sustainability, food policy and public health, and personalised nutrition.

The course will help you to develop skills around communication, professionalism and practice that you need to work both independently and within multidisciplinary teams as a professional nutritionist.

Research project

As part of the course, you will conduct a research project on a topic that interests you, under the supervision of an expert staff member. This could include primary data collection projects, secondary data analysis projects, or literature reviews. Previous projects include:

• A primary data investigation into whether men and women respond differently to interventions aimed at reducing meat consumption.
• A secondary data analysis studying the effect of cow milk on colitis.
• A narrative review investigating consumer understanding of added sugar on packaging labels.

Your research training will also give you the chance to learn about the ethics of scientific research, research methodologies, statistical analysis, and how to critically evaluate scientific studies.