Nutrition BSc (Hons) - 2027/8
Awarding body
University of Surrey
Teaching institute
University of Surrey
Framework
FHEQ Level 6
Final award and programme/pathway title
BSc (Hons) Nutrition
Subsidiary award(s)
| Award | Title |
|---|---|
| Ord | Nutrition |
| DipHE | Nutrition |
| CertHE | Nutrition |
Professional recognition
Association for Nutrition (AfN)
Accredited by the Association for Nutrition (AfN) for the purpose of eligibility for Direct Entry Registration at Associate Level with the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN).
Modes of study
| Route code | Credits and ECTS Credits | |
| Full-time | UCA10001 | 360 credits and 180 ECTS credits |
| Full-time with PTY | UCA10007 | 480 credits and 240 ECTS credits |
QAA Subject benchmark statement (if applicable)
Biosciences
Other internal and / or external reference points
This is an AfN-accredited programme, and as such is designed around equipping students with the following 5 core competencies as laid out by AfN as the professional Statutory Regulatory Body (PSRB). Specifically: Core Competency 1: Professional Conduct and Practice Core Competency 2: Science and Research Skills Core Competency 3: Food Systems Core Competency 4: Social and Behaviour Core Competency 5: Health and Well-being For more details on these, please consult the Association for Nutrition ¿ of the following document link - https://www.associationfornutrition.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ANutr-Competencies-Apr-23-final.pdf
Faculty and Department / School
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences - School of Biosciences
Programme Leader
COLLINS Adam (Biosciences)
Date of production/revision of spec
08/05/2026
Educational aims of the programme
- To equip students with all the core competencies expected of a registered nutritionist nutrition, as outlined by the Association for Nutrition.
- To further the students' knowledge of Nutrition, especially in areas in which the school has achieved distinction in research, facilitating the development of individual specialisation and enabling a future career in nutrition including government, research or industry
- To gain an appreciation of how properties of foods and overall diet can influence nutrition provision and its applicability to individual and population health.
- To provide knowledge of the mechanisms underlying health and disorders with nutritional aetiologies at both the biochemical and molecular level
- To provide the appropriate environment to encourage the acquisition of intellectual, scientific, technical and transferable skills to promote self-directed and lifelong learning
- To provide the opportunity for students to gain an understanding of sciences fundamental to Nutrition
Programme learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | Awards | Ref. | |
| To be able to appraise more critically the theory, practice, literature and research findings within certain areas of nutrition. Including a critical awareness of the benefits and flaws when using AI for collecting and summarising evidence accurately and representatively. | CT | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BSc (Hons) | R |
| Use information technology, digital resources, software, and other digital media effectively for the collection, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of information and/or data. Including the accurate and appropriate use of AI as a tool. | CPT | Ord, BSc (Hons) | E,D,R |
| To develop a foundation of knowledge in human biosciences with some understanding of its application to nutrition | KCP | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BSc (Hons) | E |
| Take responsibility for planning and organisation of work, both their own and that of a team | CT | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BSc (Hons) | R,E |
| Work effectively and independently on a given project or task | CT | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BSc (Hons) | R,E |
| Communicate ideas, principles, understanding and theories effectively by oral, written and other media. | CPT | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BSc (Hons) | E,D |
| An understanding of the nutrients and nutrient content of food and beverages and how they affect health | KC | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BSc (Hons) | E |
| An awareness of current healthy eating guidelines and an appreciation of dietary assessment methods | K | CertHE, DipHE, Ord, BSc (Hons) | E |
| To develop further understanding of nutrition for specific populations and across the lifecycle | K | DipHE, Ord, BSc (Hons) | E,G |
| An understanding of the application of nutritional concepts at biochemical, organismal and population level and the metabolic basis of food demand | K | DipHE, Ord, BSc (Hons) | E |
| An understanding of nutrition in the development and management of disease | K | DipHE, Ord, BSc (Hons) | E |
| An understanding and development of the skills required to perform investigations commonly used to assess nutritional status | KCPT | DipHE, Ord, BSc (Hons) | E,D |
| To appreciate the chemical properties of food and the impact of food processing, and be able to apply their understanding of food science to solve real problems and to develop new products. | KCPT | DipHE, Ord, BSc (Hons) | E,R,S |
| An understanding of the key principles of health promotion and health education, with an awareness of public health policies and programmes, nationally, cross-culturally and internationally | KCP | Ord, BSc (Hons) | E,G,S |
| Discuss the issue of the global food supply, particularly in reference to the double burden of disease and developing nations, climate change and food sustainability | CT | DipHE, Ord, BSc (Hons) | E,G,S |
| Explain the role of nutrient-gene interactions in determining health and disease | CT | Ord, BSc (Hons) | G |
| Design, plan and execute an appropriate original research project in Nutritional Science | KCPT | BSc (Hons) | E,R |
| Demonstrate all competencies required for entry onto the UKVRN as an Associate Nutritionist (ANutr) | KCPT | BSc (Hons) | E,R |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Programme structure
Full-time
This Bachelor's Degree (Honours) programme is studied full-time over three academic years, consisting of 360 credits (120 credits at FHEQ levels 4, 5 and 6). All modules are semester based and worth 15 credits with the exception of project, practice based and dissertation modules.
Possible exit awards include:
- Bachelor's Degree (Ordinary) (300 credits)
- Diploma of Higher Education (240 credits)
- Certificate of Higher Education (120 credits)
Full-time with PTY
This Bachelor's Degree (Honours) programme is studied full-time over four academic years, consisting of 480 credits (120 credits at FHEQ levels 4, 5, 6 and the optional professional training year). All modules are semester based and worth 15 credits with the exception of project, practice based and dissertation modules.
Possible exit awards include:
- Bachelor's Degree (Ordinary) (300 credits)
- Diploma of Higher Education (240 credits)
- Certificate of Higher Education (120 credits)
Programme Adjustments (if applicable)
To meet the PSRB requirements of the programme, the following compulsory modules are not eligible for compensation and must be passed overall:
Level 4
BMS1034 APPLIED SKILLS IN NUTRITION
BMS1055 PRINCIPLES OF NUTRITION AND HEALTH
BMS1060 INTEGRATING HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY
BMS1064 FUNDAMENTALS IN FOOD SCIENCE, NUTRITION AND MICROBIOLOGY: A PRACTICAL APPROACH*
Level 5
BMS2039 HUMAN NUTRITION
BMS2040 NUTRITION PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT
BMS2042 FOOD SCIENCE: PERCEPTION, PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION
BMS2050 APPLIED NUTRITION
BMS2077 NUTRITIONAL PHYSIOLOGY & METABOLISM
Level 6
BMS3056 ADVANCES IN NUTRITION: BODY WEIGHT REGULATION AND CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK
BMS3111 APPLICATION OF RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS IN NUTRITION, FOOD & EXERCISE SCIENCE*
BMS3058 INTERNATIONAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITION
BMS3076 RESEARCH PROJECT - NUTRITION & EXERCISE
Modules
Year 1 - FHEQ Level 4
Module Selection for Year 1 - FHEQ Level 4
N/A
Year 2 - FHEQ Level 5
Module Selection for Year 2 - FHEQ Level 5
Choose 1 from 2.
BMS2049 Applied Dietetics is only open to students who have successfully completed an interview and A placement and are enrolled on the Nutrition & Dietetic programme at the start of level 5
Year 3 - FHEQ Level 6
Module Selection for Year 3 - FHEQ Level 6
Must choose 3 in total. 1 out of 2 in Semester 1, and 2 out of 4 in Semester 2.
BMS3068 Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics is only open to students who have successfully completed an interview and A placement and are enrolled on the Nutrition & Dietetic programme at the start of level 6
Year 1 (with PTY) - FHEQ Level 4
Module Selection for Year 1 (with PTY) - FHEQ Level 4
N/A
Year 2 (with PTY) - FHEQ Level 5
Module Selection for Year 2 (with PTY) - FHEQ Level 5
Choose 1 from 2
BMS2049 Applied Dietetics is only open to students who have successfully completed an interview and A placement and are enrolled on the Nutrition & Dietetic programme at the start of level 5
Year 3 (with PTY) - FHEQ Level 6
Module Selection for Year 3 (with PTY) - FHEQ Level 6
Must choose 3 in total. 1 out of 2 in Semester 1, and 2 out of 4 in Semester 2.
BMS3068 Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics is only open to students who have successfully completed an interview and A placement and are enrolled on the Nutrition & Dietetic programme at the start of level 6
Professional Training Year (PTY) - Professional Training Year
| Module code | Module title | Status | Credits | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMSP007 | PROFESSIONAL TRAINING YEAR MODULE (FULL-YEAR WORK) | Core | 120 | Year-long |
Module Selection for Professional Training Year (PTY) - Professional Training Year
N/A
Opportunities for placements / work related learning / collaborative activity
| Associate Tutor(s) / Guest Speakers / Visiting Academics | Y | |
| Professional Training Year (PTY) | Y | |
| Placement(s) (study or work that are not part of PTY) | N | |
| Clinical Placement(s) (that are not part of the PTY scheme) | N | |
| Study exchange (Level 5) | N | |
| Dual degree | N |
Other information
The optional modules BMS2049 Applied Dietetics (Level 5) and BMS3068 Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics (Level 6) are available only to students who have successfully completed an interview and placement and who are enrolled on the Nutrition & Dietetic programme at the start of the relevant academic level.
This programme aligns with the University of Surrey's Five Pillars of Curriculum Design.
Digital Capabilities: Students develop strong digital skills through the use of SurreyLearn, online databases, and specialist tools such as dietary analysis and statistical software. They learn to collect, analyse, and present nutritional data, and to collaborate via platforms such as Teams, Zoom, WhatsApp, and cloud-based file-sharing. Students also enhance digital fluency by engaging with Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools relevant to nutritional science and the wider biosciences, gaining experience applying AI approaches while critically evaluating ethical considerations, limitations, and data reliability. In addition to the appropriate use of digital media
Employability: This AfN-accredited programme equips students with the core competencies required of registered nutritionists. Graduates are eligible for automatic entry to the UK Voluntary Register as Associate Registered Nutritionists (ANutr). Teaching by academic staff and external practitioners exposes students to diverse career pathways. Assessments develop professional skills, particularly critical appraisal of evidence and its application to individuals, groups, and populations in research, product development, and health interventions.
Global & Cultural Capabilities: Delivered through interactive and collaborative learning within a diverse cohort, the programme encourages engagement with multiple perspectives. Nutritional science is explored using cross-cultural evidence, addressing ethnic differences, health inequalities, and global causes of poor nutrition. Guest speakers and dedicated teaching on equality and diversity enhance cultural competence.
Resourcefulness & Resilience: Students develop self-efficacy, independent learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills through flipped learning, structured timetabling, and progressive assessments. Collaborative learning and exposure to both participant and practitioner perspectives emphasise leadership and professional adaptability.
Sustainability: Sustainability is embedded throughout, linking nutrition to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Students examine sustainable food systems, food security, and environmental impacts, including the National Food Strategy, EAT-Lancet recommendations, and UK and global challenges.
Quality assurance
The Regulations and Codes of Practice for taught programmes can be found at:
Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2027/8 academic year.