Nutrition and Health with foundation year

Nutrition and health is the applied science of how dietary choices affect the human body across the lifespan, from foetal development and childhood through to older age, and how nutritional knowledge can be used to promote health, prevent chronic disease, and support wellbeing at both individual and population levels. It draws on biochemistry, physiology, epidemiology, and behavioural science to examine how the body uses nutrients, what the consequences of deficiency and excess are, and how eating patterns relate to the major health challenges facing contemporary societies, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and malnutrition.

At Coventry University, the Nutrition and Health degree with Foundation Year runs over four years in full-time mode. The foundation year provides a scientific and academic entry point for students who need to build their foundations before entering the main degree. The main programme develops your understanding of nutrition science and its applications through practical laboratory and community work, and includes a sandwich year, a year abroad option, and a work placement, giving you structured professional experience in nutrition-related or public health settings.

These applied elements are important in a field where evidence-based practice and practical skills are central to professional competence.

Graduates in nutrition and health work across a wide range of sectors. Public health nutrition, community health, the food industry, sport and exercise nutrition, research, and health promotion are all common destinations. Government health agencies, NHS services, local authorities, food companies, sports organisations, and international development bodies all employ people with this background.

For those who want to qualify as a registered dietitian, the degree provides a strong scientific foundation for further study and clinical training. Postgraduate study in dietetics, public health, or food science is a natural next step. The typical entry tariff is 136 points.