Nutritional Therapy PGDip / MSc

What makes Nutritional Therapy at Worcester special?

This is an innovative, evidence based, flexible taught programme with full and part time options. You will develop your knowledge and skills to work with clients as a registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (Nutritional Therapist) in the UK and to employ your skills in other related activities such as group work as a Registered Nutritionist MBANT.

International students may apply, but practising internationally will depend on having Professional Indemnity Insurance that covers for practice in the UK irrespective of location. Practice may also be subject to country specific legal restrictions. Registration with the Complementary and Natural Health Care Council (CNHC) and membership of a professional body (e.g. British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine) (BANT) is also recommended.

Overview

Key features

Full and part time options enable you to fit study around work and family life.
The Post Graduate Diploma and MSc courses are accredited by the Nutritional Therapy Education Commission.
On completion of the course students are able to apply for registration with The Complementary and Natural Health care Council (CNHC) and to become full members of The British Association for Nutritional and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT)
You can develop clinical experience in our excellent teaching facilities in the McClelland Centre with our registered nutritional therapy practitioners and clinic assessors, who bring with them a wide scope of experience and expertise. The clinic is currently online due to Covid-19
For more information on module options and teaching and assessment dates see the Academic timetable

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Logos for the Nutritional Therapy Education Commission, the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine, and the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council

What qualifications will you need?

Entry requirements

A first or second class honours degree in a relevant discipline. This should include knowledge of fundamental human anatomy, physiology and biochemistry.

If you do not have a degree and have graduated with an NTEC accredited Diploma in Nutritional Therapy you maybe eligible for direct entry onto the course. Please contact the course leader directly to discuss Alison Benbow a.benbow@worc.ac.uk

An undergraduate access module "Access to Nutritional therapy" available for those with a higher education qualification that does not meet our entry requirements. In this case, passing this module with a 2:2 may be an additional entry requirement for the course.

The IELTS score required for international applicants is 7, with a minimum of 6.5 in each area. Other English Language qualifications will be considered.

Prior to starting the clinical practice module, students are also required to have student membership of a professional body e.g BANT and student professional indemnity insurance. It is the students' responsibility to pay for these. Membership of a professional body is recommended from the start of the course.

You will need a working knowledge of Microsoft Office, PowerPoint, email systems and the use of the internet. However, if you do not have these skills the University will be able to help you.

The course team is committed to the University of Worcester's aim of widening participation in higher education

Additional selection criteria

In your personal statement you should also address the following:

Evidence of successful academic study at level 6
Ability to define nutritional therapy and have an awareness of British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine and the Complementary and Natural Health Care Council
Satisfactory academic reference (or satisfactory reference from a current employer)
Demonstrate interest and motivation for successful study at this level in personal statement or interview
Evidence of basic competence in IT skills such as Microsoft Office in the application or personal statement or interview
Occupational Health clearance

All applications will be considered on their merit and a short informal online interview with the course leader will be held after application.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Applications for recognition of prior learning, or prior experiential learning, will be considered and will be assessed using the University of Worcester RPL guidance for postgraduate courses. Normally this would only apply to NUTH4031 Studying Nutrition.

What will you study?

Here is an overview of current modules available on this course. Regular updates may mean that exact module titles may differ. All teaching days run from 10.15 – 17:15 and the course framework can be found here.

The MSc full-time takes 18 months and part time over 3-6 years. The PGDip is part time and takes from 18 months up to 6 years

Full-time study	You will study 4 individual 15 credit modules in semester 1. In semester 2, you will study 3 further 15 credit modules and start the dissertation. You will study clinical practice in semester 1 of the second year. You have up to 2 semesters to complete the dissertation and 1 semester to complete clinical practice.
Part-time study	You will study 2 individual 15 credit modules in semester 1. In Semester 2, you will study 3 individual 15 credit modules. In the second year, you will take 2 individual 15 credit modules in semester 1. You will start the dissertation and clinical practice in semester 2. You have up to 2 semesters to complete the dissertation and 1 semester to complete the clinical practice.
Modules	Studying nutrition Further develop your nutrition knowledge and academic skills to study at postgraduate level Nutritional assessment Explore methods of assessing nutritional status of individuals and populations Early years, adolescence and reproduction Understand changes associated with the human lifespan and their impact on health Evidence based practice in adults Further develop understanding of'life stages and chronic diseases Nutritional improvement Explore ways of improving nutritional status of individuals and populations Preparing for practice Understand a systematic approach to working with clients Clinical practice and business development Develop your competence to carry out nutritional therapy consultations and develop appropriate business skills Research approaches and methods Acquire the skills necessary to undertake Master's level research Dissertation Explore in depth a topic related to Nutritional therapy An additional Access to Nutritional Therapy is available in September each year if you don't have a background in physiology, cell biology and biochemistry. Please note: applications for the Access to Nutritional Therapy closes on 31st July 2021.

Full-time study

You will study 4 individual 15 credit modules in semester 1. In semester 2, you will study 3 further 15 credit modules and start the dissertation. You will study clinical practice in semester 1 of the second year.

You have up to 2 semesters to complete the dissertation and 1 semester to complete clinical practice.

Part-time study

You will study 2 individual 15 credit modules in semester 1. In Semester 2, you will study 3 individual 15 credit modules. In the second year, you will take 2 individual 15 credit modules in semester 1. You will start the dissertation and clinical practice in semester 2.

You have up to 2 semesters to complete the dissertation and 1 semester to complete the clinical practice.

Modules

Studying nutrition
Further develop your nutrition knowledge and academic skills to study at postgraduate level
Nutritional assessment
Explore methods of assessing nutritional status of individuals and populations
Early years, adolescence and reproduction
Understand changes associated with the human lifespan and their impact on health
Evidence based practice in adults
Further develop understanding of'life stages and chronic diseases
Nutritional improvement
Explore ways of improving nutritional status of individuals and populations
Preparing for practice
Understand a systematic approach to working with clients
Clinical practice and business development
Develop your competence to carry out nutritional therapy consultations and develop appropriate business skills
Research approaches and methods
Acquire the skills necessary to undertake Master's level research
Dissertation
Explore in depth a topic related to Nutritional therapy

An additional Access to Nutritional Therapy is available in September each year if you don't have a background in physiology, cell biology and biochemistry. Please note: applications for the Access to Nutritional Therapy closes on 31st July 2021.

Timetable

For more information on module options and teaching and assessment dates see the Academic timetable and Assessment Timetable.

How will you be taught?

The University places emphasis on enabling students to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip you for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support through the personal academic tutoring system enables you to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will enable you to flourish and be successful.

Teaching

You are taught through a combination of online lectures to give an overview, with seminars to facilitate further student engagement; these are often based around pre read research papers or journal articles, which are disseminated via Blackboard the visual learning environment. Workshops are an integral part of most modules and maybe based around; exploring dietary analysis, drug nutrient interactions or exploring case studies using a systematic and functional approach. The development of reflective practice is embedded throughout with opportunities for personal development planning, reflection and critical reflection. A range of other approaches may be incorporated where relevant e.g. online quizzes and informal presentations in group workshops.

Clinical skills development throughout the theory modules will be both theoretical and practical to build on knowledge and understanding and to enable students to meet the National Occupational Standards for Nutritional Therapy. This is currently online due to Covid –19. The professional practice standards of the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council and The British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine are embedded throughout the course including the clinic teaching and practice. A wide variety of practice skills sessions are included in the theory modules; dietary analysis, information gathering, anthropometric testing workshops, evaluating drug nutrient interaction, interpreting test results, clinical case scenario role play resulting in a full case role play in the clinical practice module. Communication skills and behaviour change theory and practice is also included as are the development of business skills to enable students to set up in practice or start their own business on completion. Students will also be able to observe live clinic sessions or videos via the visual learning environment. The clinical practice takes place in the University teaching clinic, which meets the University's Management of Placement and Work-based Learning Policy. Students are fully supervised and assessed by a qualified and CNHC registered nutritional therapist and on average see three clients three times over a semester to build on the skills developed in the theory modules.

Students are supported via Student Services, Library Services, the Personal Academic Tutoring (PAT) system, Academic writers in residences and the English Language unit, all of which enable students to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will help them to flourish and be successful.

In addition, meetings with personal academic tutors are available on at least 4 occasions in the first year and are available three occasions in each of the other years of the course.

Contact time

Each theory module is four days attendance (in two x two-day blocks) with one day (six hours) online learning; the research methods module is six days attendance in semester one and the dissertation module is five days over two semesters. Full time MSc students in their first year will attend six-theory module plus the research methods and dissertation module, which is approximately 12-18 contact hours per week. In the second year there is normally slightly less contact time to facilitate greater independent study (see framework and timetable).

Typically class contact time will be structured around:

Lectures
Seminars
Workshops
Practical sessions
Role plays

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected to undertake around 25-29 hours of personal self-study per week on the full time pathways. Typically, this will involve preparing for seminars, through reading set text, planning and writing module assignments, watching and writing a written commentary of recordings of consultation videos. Students are expected to read around topics introduced in class to further extend their knowledge and identify areas that need clarification in class.

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose range of expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The current permanent staff of four all work part time, are senior lecturers, and are all Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council registered practitioners; this full time equivalent of 2.2 whole time staff are all also research active.

The team is also supported by a diverse group of practitioner associate lecturers who also have teaching and research experience and all those who are involved in clinical assessment are Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council registered and members of the professional body British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine. Wherever possible, academics from across the Institute of Health and Society also contribute to aspects of the course.

As at January 2018 all of the permanent staff have a higher education teaching qualification or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy and several of the associate lecturers either have this or are working towards it.

Teaching is informed by research and consultancy. You can learn more about the staff by visiting our staff profiles.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or 'formative' assignments. Each module has one or more formal or 'summative' assessments which are graded and count towards the overall module grade.

The precise assessment requirements for an individual student in an academic year will vary according to the mandatory and optional modules taken, but a typical formal summative assessment pattern for each year of the course can be seen below:

Year 1
NUTH4031 - formative and summative in semester 1
NUTH4032 - formative and summative in semester 1
NUTH4033 - formative and summative in semester 1
NUTH4038 - formative and summative in semester 1
NUTH4034 - formative and summative in semester 2
NUTH4035 - formative and summative in semester 2
NUTH4036 - formative and summative in semester 2
NUTH4039 - formative in semester 2

Year 2
NUTH4037 - formative and summative in semester 2
NUTH4039 - formative in semester 1, formative and summative in semester 2

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate.

We aim to provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification document.

Meet The Team

Alison Benbow

Alison was a practitioner for 15 years and has a range of experience that includes working with clients with breast cancer. She has been course leader since 2016 and has steered the course through a re approval and reaccreditation. She also leads a theory module and the clinical practice.

She is also involved in NTEC as an accreditor, is on the NTEC board, and represents Nutritional Therapy as a professional standards board member for the CNHC. She was involved in the NTEC initiated project that informed the core curriculum for nutritional therapy and is currently working on a research project to evaluate the teaching clinic. In 2020 she was awarded Fellowship of BANT.

Justine Bold

Justine loves teaching, has worked at University of Worcester since 2008 and she now works one day a week on the MSc in Nutritional Therapy. She is CNHC registered and has also worked part time in nutrition practice since 2003.

Justine currently leads a postgraduate module and also supervises dissertation students. Her research interests include the management of food sensitivities, particularly gluten sensitivity and coeliac disease. She is interested in the nutritional management of auto immune conditions, mental health problems and infertility and has published text books and research articles in these areas.

Miranda Harris

I enjoy teaching, learning and researching about Nutrition, Sports Nutrition and Behaviour Change. I enjoy the challenge of motivating and encouraging independent learning in any student whether they are Level 4 or Level 7. I enjoy the challenge of research methods, in particular research strategy and quantitative statistics.

My own Nutritional Therapy clinical practice and work as an independent cycling coach provides useful experience for both teaching and assessing, as well as case studies for application of theory into practice.

As a very keen cyclist and triathlete, I am pleased to have been part of the GB Age Group Team for both triathlon and duathlon in 2007, 2015 and 2016. I am currently training for a marathon in 2018 and Ironman in 2019/20.

Dr Lindsey Fellows

Qualifications

Postgraduate Diploma Nutritional Therapy
PhD
PG Diploma in Higher Education
MSc Sport and Exercise Sciences
BA (Hons) Human Movement Studies

Dr Lindsey Fellows is an associate lecturer on the Nutritional Therapy PGDIP/MSc.

Joanna Goldie

Joanna is a practising Nutritional Therapist with a clinic in the North Cotswolds. She has been teaching on the Nutritional Therapy course since 2016 and has been a permanent member of the teaching staff since 2019. She particularly enjoys supporting students who are new to science, observing their development from the start of the course to becoming professional practitioners at the end.

Jules Cattell

Jules has been practising Nutritional Therapy for over 20 years, with a particular interest in children’s health and fertility. She works with clients internationally as well as from her clinic in Stratford upon Avon.

Jules is a long standing member of the Worcester teaching team - you’ll now find her mostly in clinic, supervising and supporting students through their clinical practice.

Where could it take you?

Can I practice as a Nutritional Therapist with this qualification?

As a UK resident you can register to practice Nutritional Therapy once you have completed this course and achieved the National Occupational Standards for Nutritional Therapy. You can then apply for registration with the Complementary and Natural Health Care Council (CNHC) as a registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (registered Nutritional Therapist). The CNHC provide the UK voluntary register for complementary therapists, which is also an approved accredited register by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) for health and social care.

You will also be able to become a full member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT), which will enable you to practice as a Nutritionist MBANT.

British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine

International students may apply, but practising internationally will depend on having Professional Indemnity Insurance that covers for practice in the UK irrespective of location. Practice may also be subject to country specific legal restrictions. Registration with the Complementary and Natural Health Care Council and membership of a professional body (e.g. British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine) is also recommended.

What are the career opportunities after completion of the course?

Possible careers for graduates of the Postgraduate Diploma and the MSc in Nutritional Therapy:

Nutritional Therapy Practitioners in private sector, healthcare, health clubs, health food stores or support groups
Nutrition journalism or other fields within the media
Nutritional advisors or project managers in private or public health practices or NHS
Technical advisors
Food writers
Health product sales
Working within the education sector as a lecturer of nutrition and nutritional therapy related subjects
Research into applied nutrition / nutritional therapy
Health promotion within existing practice

In addition, a postgraduate qualification in Nutritional Therapy is a valuable, complementary tool for those working with clients in the wider health arena.

For more information visit the BANT website.

How much will it cost?

Fees	The current fees can be found within the tuition fees document on our figure out finances page.
Postgraduate loans	The Government will provide a loan of up to £11,222 per eligible student for postgraduate Masters study. It will be at your own discretion whether the loan is used towards fees, maintenance or other costs. For more details visit our postgraduate loans page.

Fees

The current fees can be found within the tuition fees document on our figure out finances page.

Postgraduate loans

The Government will provide a loan of up to £11,222 per eligible student for postgraduate Masters study. It will be at your own discretion whether the loan is used towards fees, maintenance or other costs.

For more details visit our postgraduate loans page.

How do you apply?

Please make your application via our online application form. If you have any questions, please contact Alison Benbow (Admissions Tutor).

Nutritional Therapy MSc

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