Nutrition and Health

Nutrition and health examines the relationship between what we eat, how our bodies function, and the broader patterns of disease and wellbeing in populations. Nutrition science is concerned with the chemical composition of foods, how nutrients are digested, absorbed and metabolised, what happens when nutrient intake is inadequate or excessive, and how dietary choices affect health outcomes across the life course. Public health nutrition extends this to examine how diet patterns vary across populations, how social, economic and environmental factors shape food choices, and what interventions can improve nutritional status at scale.

Together these strands form a discipline with direct relevance to some of the most significant health challenges facing the UK and the wider world.

At Coventry University this three-year, full-time programme develops your understanding of nutritional science alongside the practical and public health dimensions of the field. You will explore the biological and biochemical foundations of nutrition, study the evidence linking diet to specific health conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, and develop the skills to assess nutritional status and design appropriate dietary guidance. The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad and work placements, providing direct experience in healthcare, public health, food industry or research settings before graduation and giving you an international perspective on nutrition and food systems.

Graduates pursue careers as nutritionists, public health nutritionists, health promotion specialists, food industry scientists, community health workers, policy advisers and researchers in nutrition and dietetics. Some go on to further study or professional training, including postgraduate degrees in nutrition, dietetics or public health, and for those wishing to practise as a registered dietitian in the NHS, additional postgraduate training is typically required. The scientific and public health skills the degree develops are also valued in roles in the food industry, NGOs working on food security and the growing field of personalised and preventive health.