Dietetics

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Students from England, Scotland, Wales or EU (except the Republic of Ireland):
Unfortunately, Ulster University is not in a position to accept applications from students from England, Scotland, Wales or EU (except the Republic of Ireland) for this course due to regulations issued by the Department of Health Northern Ireland.

Start date: September 2024

Deadlines for on-time applications

2024 entry application deadlines

For courses starting in 2024 (and for deferred applications), your application should be with us at UCAS by one of these dates – depending on what courses you apply for. If your completed application – including all your personal details and your academic reference – is submitted by the deadline, it is guaranteed to be considered.

16 October 2023 for 2024 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – any course at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, or for most courses in medicine, veterinary medicine/science, and dentistry. You can add choices with a different deadline later, but don’t forget you can only have five choices in total.

31 January 2024 for 2024 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – for the majority of courses.

Some course providers require additional admissions tests to be taken alongside the UCAS application, and these may have a deadline. Find out more about these tests at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/admissions-tests

Check course information in the search tool to see which deadline applies to you at the application weblink below.

Apply as soon as possible: Student funding arrangements mean that as offers are made and places fill up, some courses may only have vacancies for students from certain locations. It’s therefore really important that you apply for your chosen courses by the appropriate deadlines mentioned above, as not all courses will have places for all students.

All applications received after 30 June are entered into Clearing - find out more about Clearing at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/clearing-and-results-day/what-clearing

Overview
We produce high-quality and motivated graduates who can apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Dietitian.

Summary
Dietitians are uniquely qualified to translate scientific information about food and nutrition into practical dietary advice to promote health in the population. At Ulster, we deliver an engaging course that will prepare you well for a successful career in dietetics.

Teaching on the course is mainly delivered by academic staff from the world-renowned Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), a large research centre within the Biomedical Sciences Research Institute. NICHE undertakes high quality research to understand the links between diet and human development with a particular focus on obesity, cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis and ageing. We engage with a large number of local and international stakeholders including colleagues from the NHS, Academia and Industry as well as the general public and use this alongside our research to deliver a high quality degree.

Nutrition and Food Science degrees have been ranked Top 15 in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2023. Dietetics has a 92% student satisfaction rating in the National Student Survey 2022.

About this course
As well as providing impartial advice about nutrition and health, dietitians are involved in the prevention and treatment of nutrition-related problems and in the dietary treatment of disease. This course provides a sound background in nutrition, the scientific study of the foods we eat, the nutrients contained within foods and the fate of the nutrients when foods are eaten, and the effect of diet on health and well-being.

Therefore, this course includes the study of the science of nutrition and dietetics, the supportive sciences of chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, anatomy, biology, immunology, genetics, pharmacology, pathology, food science, epidemiology and statistics, as well as inputs from the social sciences, such as sociology, psychology, communication and management.

The number of places available on the dietetics course is limited by the availability of dietetics clinical placements.

Modules
Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.

Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.

Year 1
Biochemistry
Human Physiology & Anatomy
Medical Cell Biology
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Practical and Laboratory Skills
Fundamentals of Nutrition Science

Year 2
Clinical biochemistry
Pathophysiology
Immunology
Food science
Epidemiology and statistics
Assessment of Nutritional Status
Nutrition Through the Lifecycle
Biosciences for Nutrition
Dietetics Professional Practice UG

Year 3
Health Promotion and Nutrition Education
Biochemistry and Molecular Nutrition
Clinical Nutrition
Diet and clinical medicine
Nutrition Research Methodology
Food, Nutrition and Dietetics Research project

Year 4
Dietetics Practice-Based Learning 1
Dietetics Practice-Based Learning 2
Dietetic Clinical Competency
Dietetic Professional Competency

Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.

Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.

Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.

Professional recognition
British Dietetic Association (BDA)

Accredited by the British Dietetic Association (BDA) as delivering the approved pre-registration curriculum framework. Provides eligibility to apply for HCPC registration as a dietitian.

Health and Care Professions Council, the (HCPC)
Approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) for the purpose of providing eligibility to apply for registration with the HCPC as a dietitian.

Work placement / study abroad
After passing all academic modules in Year 3, you will have the opportunity to undertake two 14-week placements at approved settings. The placements, which take place within one of the five Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland, are an excellent opportunity for you to continue your personal and professional development under the supervision of experts in the field of clinical dietetics.

Ulster University,
Cromore Rd,
Coleraine
BT52 1SA
T: 02870 123 456