Dietetics

Dietetics is the science and practice of using food and nutrition to promote health, prevent disease and support clinical treatment. Dietitians are the only regulated healthcare professionals qualified to assess, diagnose and treat nutritional conditions, and they work across a wide range of settings, from hospitals and community health services to public health, food industry and research. As the relationship between diet and conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and cancer becomes better understood, the role of the dietitian becomes ever more central to healthcare.

At Coventry University, this three-year full-time programme develops both the scientific foundations and the clinical skills you need to practise as a registered dietitian. You will study nutritional biochemistry, physiology and the evidence base for dietary interventions in a wide range of conditions, while also developing the communication, counselling and behaviour-change skills needed to support patients and clients in making meaningful changes. Clinical placements are built into the programme, giving you supervised practice experience in different healthcare environments and the opportunity to apply your learning with real patients before you graduate.

Completion of the degree enables you to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council as a dietitian, opening access to a regulated profession with strong employment prospects. Registered dietitians work across NHS hospitals and community health services, in specialist settings such as eating disorder units and critical care, in public health and health promotion, in sports nutrition, and in the food industry in roles involving product development and nutritional labelling. Some graduates pursue postgraduate study or research in nutrition and dietetics, while others develop specialisms through continuing professional development.