Human Nutrition (Professional Placement Year)

Explore the scientific principles behind human nutrition, food, health and disease.

• Gain additional letters after your name on graduating from this Association for Nutrition accredited course.

• Tailor your degree through module, dissertation and work placement choices relevant to your aspirations.

• Join our close-knit community of staff and students and experience support that students have described as "exceptional".

Developed in consultation with industry employers, Human Nutrition at Bath Spa has been designed to equip graduates for careers in diverse industries, ranging from health and food to education and clinical nutrition.

When you graduate from this externally accredited programme, you’ll be eligible for Registered Associate Nutritionist status, allowing you to use the letters A. Nutr. after your name.

With expert advice from our dedicated tutors, you’ll be able to tailor your degree through your module choices, dissertation, and work placements that are relevant to your career or further study aspirations.

More about the Professional Placement Year
A Professional Placement Year (PPY), traditionally known as a sandwich year, is where you undertake a period of work with an external organisation for between 9-13 months. The placement occurs between your second and final years of undergraduate study. You can engage in multiple placements to make up the total time and are required to source the placement(s) yourself, with support from the Careers team.

In year one you’ll be introduced to a broad range of subjects underpinning the study of nutrition. Emphasis is given to key skills including communication (both written and oral), problem solving and the use of a range of laboratory and ICT techniques, including specialist diet analysis software.

In year two, you’ll build on your knowledge from year one and apply it to aspects of human nutrition, investigating the role of diet and physical activity in health and as a risk factor in health disorders. Importantly, you’ll gain an understanding of the ethical and professional framework you'll work within as a graduate of a Human Nutrition degree. You’ll be trained in research methodology and increasingly, you’ll become an independent and autonomous learner. You’ll explore future careers through an optional, but encouraged, work placement in year two.

Your third year is a Professional Placement Year.

In your final year, you’ll critically explore the complex nature of issues related to epidemiology, dietary intake, exercise and the acquisition of human health. The primary research investigation is an important part of your studies, and this will enable you to integrate the practical and theoretical aspects of diet, nutrition and ethics.

Many assessments set in Human Nutrition mimic tasks, ways of working, or reporting that are used by professional practitioners. We think that you should experience these ways of working as they help you to prepare for employment, be that in industry, the health sector, as a consultant, teacher or researcher. Some examples of methods used for assessment on this programme include:
dietary analysis, reports, diet and physical activity evaluations, developing food products, essays, case studies, seminar presentations, examinations, group work, literature reviews, dissertation.