Health Science

Health science with a focus on nutrition and exercise is a discipline that applies the biological sciences to understanding how what we eat and how we move shapes our health. It draws on physiology, biochemistry, and nutritional science to ask how the body's cells, organs, and systems function, how physical activity and dietary intake affect those systems, and what the evidence tells us about preventing and managing the lifestyle-related diseases that are placing growing demands on health systems worldwide. As the links between diet, physical activity, and long-term health become better understood, the value of this specialist knowledge in clinical, public health, and commercial settings continues to increase.

At Aberystwyth University, this four-year full-time BSc includes an integrated year in industry, giving you a structured period of professional experience in a health, nutrition, exercise, or research environment before you complete the degree. You will explore how cells, organs, and systems function in the human body, developing an understanding of both the normal physiology of health and the mechanisms through which poor nutrition and insufficient physical activity contribute to disease. The programme examines the progression and treatment of human health conditions alongside the role of lifestyle interventions in prevention and management, connecting biological science to real public health and clinical practice.

The year in industry is central to the degree's professional purpose, ensuring you graduate not just with scientific knowledge but with the workplace experience and professional contacts that health science careers require.

Graduates go on to careers in public health nutrition, exercise physiology, health promotion, community health programmes, the food industry, sport and exercise science, and healthcare support roles. Many pursue postgraduate training to become registered nutritionists, dietitians, or physiotherapists, using the degree as a science foundation for clinical professional qualifications. Postgraduate study in public health, sports science, or nutrition is also a common next step.