Nutrition and Dietetics with Foundation Year

Nutrition and dietetics is the science and professional practice of food, nutrition and their relationship to health and disease. Nutritional science examines how the body uses food at the biochemical and physiological level, while dietetics applies that knowledge clinically, enabling registered dietitians to assess patients' nutritional needs, design therapeutic diets, and support people with conditions ranging from diabetes and renal disease to eating disorders and cancer. Dietetics is a regulated health profession, and qualifying as a registered dietitian requires completion of an accredited programme that develops both the science and the clinical skills.

At the University of Surrey you will study nutrition and dietetics over five years of full-time study, with a foundation year at the start of the programme that builds the scientific and academic foundations required before you progress to the specialist degree content. The five-year structure reflects both the foundation year and the depth of clinical and scientific training needed to meet professional registration requirements. You will study human physiology, biochemistry, food science, public health nutrition, clinical dietetics and the evidence base for nutritional intervention across a range of conditions and life stages.

Clinical placements are central to the programme, giving you direct patient contact and supervised professional experience. The programme also builds digital and data skills that are increasingly valued in clinical and research settings. The typical tariff of 136 reflects the scientific demands of a programme that leads to a regulated professional qualification.

Graduates register with the Health and Care Professions Council as dietitians and work in NHS hospitals, community health services, public health, sports nutrition, food industry research, international development and private practice. Dietitians are consistently in demand across the health service, and the profession offers clear career progression through specialist practice, research and leadership roles. Many graduates also pursue postgraduate study in nutrition science, public health or clinical research.