BSc (Hons) Nutrition (with Foundation Year option)

Core units

• Academic Study Skills: You will gain the fundamental academic and research skills required for degree level study. The unit will introduce you to a broad grounding in literature searching, literature review, data collection, methodological approach, data analysis and interpretation and ethical practice. It will also support you to begin to develop a critical and analytical approach to your work and identify areas for personal development. 
• Applied Sciences: You'll gain a basic understanding of some fundamental aspects of science underpinning more specific disciplines, and an appreciation of how various scientific disciplines impact human life. You'll understand the differences between pure and applied science, as well as the roles of different ways applied science can be funded, and implications of these funding mechanisms. 
• Introduction to Biology: Biology is the study of life and hence knowledge of plant and animal cell biology is fundamental to understanding wider concepts in biology. This unit also introduces key themes in human, environmental and ecological sciences to provide a sound underpinning in knowledge for future studies. 
• Introduction to Psychology: This unit is designed to prepare you for advanced coursework in psychology. You will complete the unit with a good understanding of the various areas of psychology and how they seek to explain behaviour. 
• Mathematics in Science: You will build your confidence in mathematics, in order to perform calculations on a range of scientific data from biology, chemistry and psychology and to be able to represent the findings in an appropriate format, including graphs. In order to carry this out, it is essential to be able to convert the data between systems of units and to understand how to present very large and very small numbers in standard form. Basic statistical analysis of tabulated data will be carried out to introduce the concept of confidence limits and familiarisation of statistical testing.
• Foundation Year Project: You will carry out a research task on scientific topics chosen by the unit leader which you will be able to conduct a scientific investigation on. You will devise your own investigation and produce a literature review as a final scientific report. 

Core units

• Beginning Research: You will be introduced to the concepts, principals and skills of social and scientific research enquiry and to the role of research more widely in a variety of rehabilitation, nutrition, sport and exercise related contexts.
• Principles of Food & Nutrition: This unit examines the basic concepts of nutrition and food, including an understanding of the nutritional requirements of the population throughout life.
• Human Anatomy & Physiology: Giving you an overview of the structure and function of the human body, you will be introduced to the principal concepts underlying pathophysiological processes that disturb health. Key biological and physiological practical techniques relevant to measuring human health and disease are covered, together with the skills you will need for the analysis and presentation of the resulting data.
• Foundation Psychology in Understanding Human Behaviour: You'll gain an awareness and understanding of a number of key social influences on health (income and poverty, social class, discrimination) that may impact on individual and/or group behavioural change.
• Professional Values in the Food Chain: This unit highlights the dependence of adequate nutritional status on the food chain, introducing the students to current topics and challenges of global complexities of food supply. The role of the professional nutritionist is discussed within this setting and the wider context of nutritional practice.
• Chemistry: You will be provided with an understanding of some aspects and processes within fundamental chemistry and analytical chemistry and develop your laboratory skills. The unit will predominately be delivered through lectures and practical laboratory sessions. The laboratory sessions will enable reinforcement of the theoretical concepts by dealing with experimentally generated data and will allow for one-to-one and small group discussions.

Core units

• Nutrition in Health & Disease: You’ll gain an understanding of the link between nutrition, health and disease, as well as an ability to apply knowledge and skills of how nutrition can maintain health and prevent ill health in individuals and groups.
• Food Processing & Product Development: In this unit you'll learn to develop an innovative food product or modify an existing food product by employing a different a different method of presentation, utilisation or food preservation technique.
• Promoting Health & Wellbeing: This unit builds upon learning acquired in the Foundation Psychology unit in first year.
• Food Safety & Microbiology: In this hands-on unit you’ll develop practical microbiology skills, such as the aseptic technique, that many quality control employers expect you to have experience of.
• Biochemistry: Building on learning from year one, in this unit you will gain an appreciation of systems biology through the introduction of metabolism interconnectivity, and an overview of macromolecules and their metabolism. Topics will include the structure and function of DNA and enzyme structure and kinetics.
• Conducting Research: Prepare for independent research and develop your knowledge and critical understanding of social and scientific research applied to a range of nutrition, rehabilitation and sport and exercise science related contexts. You’ll learn how to critically evaluate research problems, and apply coherent ethical research designs and appropriate analysis.

As well as the 20-day (minimum) placement in your third/fourth year, you also have the option of taking a minimum 30-week placement at the end of your second year of study. Whether you choose the three- or four-year option, you will complete the following units in your final year.

Core units

• Research Project: This enables you to develop and apply skills in research design and in the collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data, and to evaluate your findings in the context of published literature.
• Nutritional Requirements Throughout Life: The aim of this unit is to develop a detailed understanding of the nutritional requirements of the population, throughout the stages life, and the provision of appropriate dietary recommendations.
• Advances in Applied Nutrition: This unit will provide you with an insight into the nutritional issues encountered within a community setting and will get an understanding of the application of evidence based nutrition in the formulation of dietary guidelines.
• Psychological & Social Aspects of Health and Wellbeing: You'll develop the knowledge and skills required to facilitate lifestyle changes and to consider innovative practical recommendations to exercise/nutritional intervention designed at improving and maintaining health and quality of life.
• Placement: A 20-day placement with an agency of your choice.

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry.

If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

Download the programme specification (pdf 599kb)

Download the foundation year programme specification (pdf 338kb)

We have specialist nutrition labs, which are home to state-of-the-art equipment to support practical teaching in nutrition, human physiology and food safety. You will also have access to a well-equipped food processing and development unit and simulation skills facilities, giving you the best opportunities to learn.

We’re continuing to enhance our state-of-the-art facilities too – with a brand new, £42 million building currently under development, that will house our Health & Social Care courses.

Visit our facilities page to find out more – you can also take a 360° tour to get a feel for where you’ll be studying while you’re based on our Lansdowne Campus.

A placement should be a highly rewarding experience for you and the employing company and we do our best to ensure that everyone involved feels that they have got the most that they can from the experience.

Placements provide a great opportunity to make your first career steps and enhance your employability while you’re completing your studies. You’ll get the opportunity to:

• Put the theory learnt throughout the course into professional practice
• Enhance your study and help you decide on subject options (where appropriate)
• Learn a wide range of skills such as time management, problem-solving and team work (all of these are important to succeed in any career)
• Make contacts, as it is not uncommon for our students to be offered permanent positions to return to after graduating
• Gain a real insight into how the industry operates in roles that would be almost impossible to achieve for an outsider
• Many of our students, during their placement, are given responsibilities normally associated with graduate trainees.

This course offers a fantastic opportunity to gain valuable experience in the workplace. You'll have the option of completing your placement locally or nearer home. Placements are wide-ranging and give you the opportunity to pursue your own areas of particular interest in nutrition.

You'll undertake a practice placement before the start of the third year, which is designed to give you first-hand knowledge within the workplace of your choice. By completing this placement you'll greatly enhance your employability prospects.

You can also opt to take a year out between the second and final year as further work experience (while ideally paid, there is no guarantee that this is the case and some students elect to work unpaid or on a voluntary capacity).

You can also choose to take your placement abroad, giving you the opportunity to develop yourself personally, academically, and professionally and gain skills to help you stand out in the job market.

You will begin your placement after completion of your second year of study. All students complete a 20-day placement before starting their third year.Students who take a year out between the second and final year must complete a minimum 30 weeks on placement to be eligible for a sandwich award.

The faculty running your course will offer the support of a Placement Co-ordinator. 

They’ll help you plan your placement so you get the right experience for you. That includes offering help and support if you need to move to another part of the UK – and even another country – to get the most out of your time.

We’ve also built close industry links over the years – so our network of employers that are keen to work with placement students is always growing. Or if you’d prefer to arrange your placement independently, we can offer advice on how to do that too. 

• Food industry: Nestle, Unilever, Quattro Foods, Drinks Create, Adelie Foods, Italia Formaggi, Compass Group, Great British Biscotti company, William Orr and Son, Lorama Foods, Montezumas, Nutribox Meals, Campden BRI, Sensient flavours
• Community Nutrition projects: Brighton and Hove Partnership, Food Cycle
• Local Government and NGO’s: Public Health Dorset, Health Promotion Devon
• Public health teams within councils
• Charitable organisations: Stable Family Farm Trust, Lewis Manning Hospice, Trussell Trust, Faithworks Wessex Food Bank
• Private consultant nutritionists
• Dietetic teams at hospitals and within the local community
• Food technology and catering departments within schools
• Sport and exercise nutrition with BH Live and AFC Bournemouth 
• International placements: Heart Association, Finland; Kaya Responsible Travel, Costa Rica; Shiloh Synergy, South Africa; Interburns Hospital, India.

AccessBU: AccessBU provides you with the opportunity to tell us about your circumstances that are not always evident in your UCAS application. This widening access initiative also considers relevant criteria such as being in care or if you live in an area with a low participation rate in Higher Education - if you are eligible, your offer could be up to 16 UCAS tariff points below the published tariff.

Apprenticeships: We recognise the transferable knowledge and skills gained through apprenticeships and welcome applications from students with a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship recognised by the Institute for Apprenticeships. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Deferred entry: We are happy to consider eligible applicants for deferred entry. If you have already submitted your application, please submit your deferral request through our website.

Direct entry: We welcome applications from students who have previously studied at degree level at other institutions and wish to transfer onto a BU course. Our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) procedure enables credit awarded from one institution to contribute to a BU award, subject to an application process. Please visit our RPL webpage for more information.

Mature applicants: We recognise that mature applicants may have a wealth of experience rather than formal qualifications, so we’ll consider your application on these merits if included in your application. You’ll need to apply to BU in the usual way through UCAS and you may be invited to an interview to discuss your suitability for the course based on the experience you tell us about in your application.

We select candidates for this course by looking at your application. For that reason, make sure your application really stands out from the crowd, and leave us in no doubt as to why you should be joining BU. We may ask you to provide a portfolio and/or take part in an online interview. You can find some handy hints about filling in your UCAS form on our how to apply web pages.

Additional reference

In addition to the reference on your UCAS form, once we’ve received your application we may contact you to ask for a second reference; depending on the course you’ve applied for, this may be an academic reference, or from an employer or person who knows you in a professional capacity.

Our offer-making will typically be based on your most recent qualifications, including any required subjects where applicable. We'll consider all qualifications when assessing your application, although these may not be part of our offer.

If you do not meet the criteria of your original offer, we may still offer you a place. We will review your whole application and consider all academic qualifications (including those not in the offer) to see if you have the academic potential to succeed on the course. If we feel the answer is yes, we will confirm your place.

We look at individual applications and make a tailored offer based on your potential to succeed on the course considering a range of factors, including your academic achievements, work and other experience, reference and personal statement, and in some cases, your performance at an interview or a portfolio review. Typically, we make an offer at the bottom of the tariff range.

AccessBU gives you the chance to tell us more about you and your life experiences if you haven’t had the same educational opportunities as other applicants. If you are eligible for AccessBU, your offer could be up to 16 UCAS Tariff Points below the published tariff.

We have recently reviewed this course to take advantage of new approaches to learning and teaching, as well as developments in industry. As the aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, teaching, learning and assessment methods may have changed as a result of the review, you can find relevant information for your year of entry in the appropriate programme specification. 

Among the roles you can undertake after completing this course are:

• Registered associate nutritionist
• Nutrition policy advisor (for local or national government)
• Researcher
• Dietetics (after postgraduate qualification)

• Nutritional advisor in the food industry and health sectors

• Technical roles in the food industry responsible for traceability, product quality, product development

• Independent nutritionist advising individuals.

• Postgraduate study including dietetics

Once you have completed an undergraduate Honours degree, you can further develop your education by studying for a postgraduate degree, such as our MSc Nutrition and Behaviour course. 

Please visit our postgraduate section for further details about our range of Master's degrees.

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Materials for laboratory and mandatory field-based teaching activity
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team
• Professional body accreditation of the course
• Lab coat and glasses
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and/or fieldwork and non-financial support whilst on placement.
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service.
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces.
• Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme.
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills.
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds

• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses

• Accommodation and living costs. Please visit our website for more information

• Travel costs to and from the University campus (including for occupational health referrals if required). An annual bus pass can be purchased alongside your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately

• If required by your placement, you will need to meet the cost of an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check as a condition of enrolment, including any Post Office verification charges

• Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas) if this is part of your course of study. Placement year funding information can be found on our website.

• Professional Body membership and registration post qualification. Association for Nutrition membership fee.

• SportBU membership

If you need to repeat one or more units during your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full-time fee.

The Pure Package, a premier London diet meal delivery service, has launched an annual educational scholarship ‘The Healthy Futures Award’.

The winner will receive: a gift of £1,000 to support your payment of tuition fees and the opportunity to undertake a paid work based learning experience at the Pure Package HQ.

Eligibility criteria:

• Is currently studying relevant nutrition programme
• Has been offered a place to study nutrition-related course with Bournemouth University

For more information and to apply, please visit The Healthy Futures Award webpage.

Joanne is an experienced Food Scientist and nutritionist and has worked with several large multinational organisations developing new food and beverage products for the European market.

She is also a company director and partner in 1,000-cow dairy farm business supplying to an international-focused farmer-owned co-operative processor. Joanne's research is focused towards improving food, fluid and general nutrition delivery for elderly receiving social care in its broadest context. 

Jane is an Associate Professor, Registered Nutritionist and Dietitian and Head of Education (Health Sciences) in the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences. Her research is committed to key nutritional problems faced by older people that impact on health and wellbeing, especially the complex problems faced by people living with dementia.

She co-leads the Bournemouth University Dementia Institute (BUDI) and has led key research to understand nutrition and delivering dignity in dementia care funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing.

Jane has a seconded role as Clinical Lead for the Nutrition in Older People Programme – Wessex Academic Health Sciences Network to advise and support funded research and implementation projects working with NHS and across social care. She has secured European Commission funded research (Horizon 2020) to understand the contribution of local sustainable food systems to nutritional health and wellbeing that will identify new competencies for training in public health nutrition.

Jane is committed to advancing the professional practice of nutritionists and has been an elected Council member and Trustee for the UK Association for Nutrition (AfN) that defines and advances standards of evidence-based practice across the field of nutrition and currently sits on the AfN course accreditation and certification committees.

Jaqueline’s main interests are applied nutrition involving cohort studies of nutrition in infancy and in pregnancy, working on the first guide to the treatment of severe malnutrition, food and nutrition of school aged children. She researched the food choices of South Asians in Scotland and evaluated the Scottish Health Award Scheme to enable better nutrition health promotion there. Jacqueline commissioned research to inform the development of the nutrition profession as Nutrition Society until 2009 and is an assessor for the AfN and UK Public Health Register.

Jaqueline has taught at and been an examiner at universities in Jamaica, England and Scotland and undertaken international consultancies in professional development, clinical nutrition and nutrition policy. She is currently a Visiting Fellow at Bournemouth University.  

Gill is a registered public health nutritionist with the association for Nutrition (UKVRN) and a member of the nutrition society. She has been involved with and lectured on the Nutrition programme for 17 years specialising in Psychology, health and wellbeing. Her areas of interest involve the psychology of eating practice, food choice, and behavioural changes for improved health and wellbeing.

She has extended her interests to include mindfulness-based approaches to improve wellbeing, in particularly its use and applications to eating practice. Gill is currently undertaking a Qualitative PhD using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach in exploring the process of mindfulness in the context of health and wellbeing in those who have adopted a home practice toward positive lifestyle changes.

Gill also has a keen interest in student welfare as well as a keen advocate of the student experience. She also has a key role in the provision of the Peer assisted learning scheme for first year students on the programme since it was launched 2009.

She continues to support this scheme and has successfully brought PAL also into the second year of the programme to continue to benefit students through their learning experience.