Human Nutrition

Human nutrition is the science of how nutrients from food affect the function, health, and wellbeing of the human body across the life course. It draws on biochemistry, physiology, epidemiology, and behavioural science to examine how what we eat influences our risk of disease, our physical and cognitive performance, and our long-term health outcomes. As diet-related conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease continue to represent some of the biggest challenges to public health, the expertise of trained nutrition professionals is in growing demand.

At Westminster, this three-year full-time programme examines how nutrients and eating patterns impact health and wellbeing, and the role of diet in both promoting health and contributing to disease. You will develop a thorough grounding in nutritional biochemistry and physiology, alongside the research methods and evidence appraisal skills that underpin professional practice. A sandwich year in industry and a work placement are built in, giving you professional experience in nutrition-related settings, and a year abroad broadens your perspective on how nutrition science is applied in different cultural and public health contexts.

Westminster's location in London provides access to diverse population groups and a wide range of placement environments.

Graduates from human nutrition degrees go on to work in public health organisations, food industry research and development, health promotion, NHS dietetic support roles, nutrition counselling, and policy. Some proceed to postgraduate study in dietetics, public health nutrition, or food science, or to registration as a registered nutritionist through the Association for Nutrition. The degree is also a strong foundation for research careers in nutrition science.

Growing public awareness of the links between diet and health means that this field is expanding rather than contracting.