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Awards

Target Award

Award Description:Bachelor of Science with Honours (Fnd) - BSHF

Alternative Exit

Recruitable Target

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit

Accreditation

Association for Nutrition (AfN)

Programme Offerings

Full-Time

F2F-JMU-SEP

Sandwich Year Out

F2F-JMU-SEP

Educational Aims of the Course

Provide an honours-level multidisciplinary study across nutrition and social sciences that is in line with professional body requirements. Develop scientific thinking and practice in relation to using and undertaking empirical research in the context of nutrition. Develop graduates with intellectual, transferable, scientific and practical skills to make improvements to professional practice through nutrition and physical activity. Provide the students with employability skills and work-related learning opportunities, which enable them to apply their skills in the context of the world of work. Ensure graduates are aware of issues related to professional conduct, ethics and performance in relation to nutrition. Prepare students for a career and/or further academic study within the nutrition, health or community sectors.

Learning Outcomes

1.
Systematically explain biological basis of food and nutrition science in relation to processing, storage, synthesis and metabolism.
2.
Explore contemporary issues in nutrition relevant to education, personalised nutrition and health promotion.
3.
Evaluate qualitative and quantitative research approaches and methods as applied to the field of nutrition.
4.
Plan, conduct and report on investigations relevant to the field of nutrition.
5.
Evaluate concepts, literature and data to develop questions and solve problems in relation to nutrition.
6.
Communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions in nutrition to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
7.
Recognise and respond to moral, ethical and codes of practice relevant to nutrition.
8.
Undertake safe and effective practice with good character that is appropriate for a professional/employment context.
9.
Work effectively independently and with others, as both a team member and a leader, recognising and respecting the values of equality and diversity.
10.
Apply scientific knowledge of nutrition and nutritional requirements at a human molecular, system and population level.
11.
Investigate and describe the physical and chemical properties of food and its development.
12.
Evaluate the concept of food chain in relation to factors such as food choice, dietary intake, food quality, safety, sustainability and the environment.
13.
Explain the social and behavioural basis of food and nutrition in relation to different stages of the life course.
14.
Apply an understanding of nutrition and the implications of imbalance to the context of health, disease and wellbeing of individuals, groups and populations.
15.
Undertake appropriate methods of measurement to monitor biochemistry and anthropometry, analyse food and assess nutritional intake and diet.
16.
Evaluate the effectiveness of dietary and physical activity interventions for a range of common health conditions.
17.
Outline the development, relevance and impact of food, nutrition and health policy locally, nationally and globally.
18.
Work effectively independently and with others, as both a team member and a leader, recognising and respecting the values of equality and diversity.

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Teaching and assessment on the programme is underpinned by the use of a set of educational practices that have been shown to have most impact on student learning. This includes active learning strategies, use of formative feedback, collaborative learning, research-based teaching and use of authentic tasks. Such practices are weaved into the various teaching methods including lectures, workshops, seminars and online activities. Certain aspects are foregrounded at different points throughout the programme. For example, at Level 4 collaborative learning and formative feedback are a focus to help with transition into the programme. Research informed teaching on the programme is extremely strong. A range of staff research outputs and live projects/applied work have supported the development of the curriculum and teaching on the programme. There are clear links between staff research activity and specific modules, particularly the current and contemporary issues modules at Level 6 that draw on expert statements, systematic reviews and empirical papers that staff have published. Assessment on the programme is through a range of different methods including portfolios, reports/essays, examinations, presentations, laboratory reports, position statements and a dissertation. These have been mapped to ensure that there is progression in terms of both the subject content and also the form of assessment. Therefore, feedback on a particular assessment will help students to develop their skills in order to enhance their work for a similar type of assessment in a subsequent module. Within the assessment methods identified a range of novel and authentic strategies are used by including case studies, live briefs and empirical data collection.

Opportunities for work related learning

There is a strong work-related/work-based learning strand on the programme to support the development of employability skills and understanding of professional conduct in the area of nutrition. There are professional skills modules at Level 4 and 5, which culminate in an applied, work-based learning placement at Level 6. As the module is mandatory, every effort is made by the university to source opportunities. Self-sourcing is also considered, however, these placement must be quality assured. Placements are advertised to students on the VLE using Fact Files. During placement, students will have a named University Placement Tutor (UPT) to support learning and assessment on the module. In addition, there is the option of a sandwich year following Level 5 of the programme, which offers the opportunity to undertake a year-long placement as part of the programme. There is a significant level of support for these activities from the Faculty Placement Learning Support Unit (PLSU) and Careers Team throughout the programme. At Level 4 the PLSU host sessions to discuss the sandwich year option and outline the general support provided by the Unit. At Level 5, they re-engage students with the option of the sandwich year and introduce the work placement. At Level 6, they release the Fact Files of placement opportunities and support allocation through formal student submissions (CV and cover letter). The support from the Careers Team is based on the Future Focus training package that includes CVs, mock interviews and employability skill development.

Programme Structure

Programme Structure Description

The programme is offered as a three-year or four-year (with sandwich-year) full-time course. All modules are core to ensure appropriate outcomes in relation to the Association for Nutrition (AfN) competencies. There are four strands on the programme to structure the content into cognate areas: Professional Practice and Research; Principles of … For more content click the Read More button below. This programme structure applies to students joining from September 2021 onwards - previously validated structures apply to students who joined earlier.

Structure

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5

Level 6

Entry Requirements

A levels

Access awards

Alternative qualifications considered

BTECs

GCSEs and equivalents

IELTS

International Baccalaureate

Interview required

Irish awards

Reduced offer scheme

UCAS points

Welsh awards

Extra Entry Requirements

Can this course be deferred?

Yes

Is a DBS check required?

No

OCR National acceptability

  • National Certificate: Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications
  • National Diploma: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
  • National Extended Diploma: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications

HECoS Code(s)

(CAH02-06) allied health