Dietetics

Dietetics is an applied science concerned with how food and nutrition affect human health. Dietitians work at the evidence base of nutrition, translating research findings into practical guidance for individuals and communities, and they do so across a wide range of settings from hospitals and clinics to public health campaigns and food industry consultancy. The discipline draws on physiology, biochemistry, and behavioural science to understand not just what people eat but why, and what the consequences of different dietary patterns are for health across a lifetime.

On this four-year full-time degree at the University of Plymouth, you will build a thorough understanding of human nutrition from its biochemical foundations through to its role in health and disease. You will examine the global food system, investigating how food is produced, distributed, and consumed, and explore how diet interacts with lifestyle factors across all stages of the life course, from infancy and childhood through to old age. A significant part of your training involves learning to assess dietary intake accurately, to evaluate nutritional requirements, and to develop and communicate dietary recommendations based on sound evidence.

The programme balances theoretical study with practical skills, preparing you to apply nutritional science in real-world health contexts.

Dietetics is one of the Allied Health Professions regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council. Completing an accredited dietetics degree is the required route into professional practice in the United Kingdom. Graduates work as registered dietitians in NHS settings including acute hospitals, community health teams, and specialist services such as oncology, renal care, and diabetes management.

Opportunities also exist in public health, the food and pharmaceutical industries, sports nutrition, research, and international development. For those with a strong interest in the science of food and a commitment to improving health outcomes, dietetics offers a career with direct and meaningful impact.