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Dietetics MSc

London, Bloomsbury

Our MSc Dietetics will help you become a competent, passionate, autonomous dietitian, able to deliver evidence based, service-user centred dietetic care and innovative public health nutrition initiatives across a range of client groups and working environments.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
UK tuition fees (2022/23)
£10,800
Overseas tuition fees (2022/23)
£29,400
Duration
21 months
Programme starts
September 2022
Applications accepted
All applicants: 18 Oct 2021 – 04 Feb 2022

Applications closed

Notification

Application closes at 17:00 GMT.

Entry requirements

BSc (minimum of 2:1 or equivalent) or MSc (minimum of merit, 60%, or equivalent) in a cognate subject from a UK University or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Final year students on course for an upper second-class Bachelor's degree or merit MSc degree can also apply.

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Good

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level. International Preparation Courses

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The course will address key concepts relevant to nutrition and dietetic theory and practice to ensure a thorough grounding in the theory and application of nutrition across a wide range of conditions related to both health and disease across the age spectrum. We will develop your professional practice skills continually across the 2-year programme encouraging reflection on ethical and practical issues associated with all our modules.

Who this course is for

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

We will give you the confidence, knowledge and skills to translate complex scientific evidence about food, health, disease and human behaviour in order to assess, diagnose and treat nutrition related problems in individuals and improve the health of populations.

As a UCL dietetics graduate, you will develop clinical skills alongside research, leadership and project management expertise and will be eligible to apply to the Health and Care Professions Council for registration as a Dietitian on completion.

Our MSc Dietetics places a particular emphasis on the primacy of the service user. We will develop your communication and engagement skills from the earliest stages of the programme giving you the skills and confidence to connect with people at a personal level and work with them to ensure the best possible outcomes. As a new course we are fully compliant with the latest British Dietetic Association curriculum guidance, which reflects the role of dietitians now and into the future.  You will experience teaching that draws on our established nutrition expertise, which is reflected in our broad portfolio of nutrition courses and world-class research in the field.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Employability

Dietitians play a vital role in improving health outcomes for individuals and communities. Dietitians work in many settings, for example in a hospital, outpatient clinics, community settings, the sports industry and the media.

Currently, 4% of posts for registered dietitians are unfilled. As both government and the public become much more aware of the role of nutrition in health, employment opportunities are growing and becoming more diverse.

Accreditation

Following graduation, students will be eligible to apply for Registration in Dietetics with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Our programme is fully compliant with the revised BDA curriculum and reflects the rapidly evolving role of the dietitian.

Teaching and learning

You will be assessed by a variety of formative & summative competency-based assessment methods including reports, online & written exams including Multiple Choice Questions, Short Answer Questions, poster presentations, practical skills assessments, literature reviews, and a dissertation following a research project. Coursework will be conducted both individually & as part of a team.

Modules

Compulsory modules











Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Placement

You will study over a minimum of two years, the first year will run from September to June and the second from September to August. This is required to incorporate your placement training which is an integral part of the degree. There will be a minimum of 1,000 hours in practice placements, ensuring that you have sufficient opportunity to achieve the required practice competencies to become a registered dietitian. The majority of placements are part-time ensuring that you have plenty of space for reflection to integrate theory with practice and share experiences with peers. Please note that your term dates may differ from those published on the UCL website in order to accommodate placements.

Due to the requirement for students to undertake clinical placements during the programme we will only consider applications from individuals who can demonstrate that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.

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Graduate Open Events: Applying for Graduate Study at UCL

The Applying to UCL for graduate study session took place in December 2021. The session, covered by our Graduate Admissions and Student Recruitment teams, provides helpful information about the process of applying for graduate study, as well as offering an insight into what we consider to be a competitive application.

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Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Funding your studies

The Funding your studies session took place in December 2021. The session, covered by our Funding and Student Recruitment teams, provides information and guidance about the various scholarships and funding opportunities for graduate study at UCL.

Watch on demand event

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2022/23) £10,800
Tuition fees (2022/23) £29,400

Programme is two years. Published fee is for Year 1 only.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you can also expect to pay for:

  • A Food Hygiene Certificate (Level 2) prior to course registration
  • Health checks/immunisations/ vaccinations
  • An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Clearance check
  • Travel and accommodation costs for practice placement
  • Clothing for optional course related events and competitions
  • Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses
  • Society membership fees
  • Graduation costs
  • Library fees and fines
  • Personal Photocopies
  • Printing
  • Books if you choose to buy your own copies

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

Training as a dietitian attracts considerable financial incentives. If you live in the UK you will be eligible for tuition fee and maintenance loans via Student Finance England even if loans have been taken out for a previous undergraduate degree. Please be aware that the maximum tuition fee loan is set at £9,250 per year, so this will not cover the full cost of the programme.  

If you are eligible for SFE loans you will also be eligible to apply for supplementary funding from the NHS Learning Support fund including:

  • Training Grant
  • Parental Support
  • Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses
  • Exceptional Hardship Fund 

Further details can be obtained from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/learning-support-fund-4th-edition

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies
Scholarships relevant to this department are displayed below.

Division of Medicine Postgraduate Bursary

Deadline: 31 July 2022
Value: £5,000 (1 year)
Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need
Eligibility: UK, EU, Overseas

Next steps

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Dietetics at graduate level
  • why you want to study Dietetics at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to the chosen programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

As well as high academic standards, it is equally important that you can demonstrate a clear understanding of and commitment to dietetics as a career. You should have good interpersonal and communication skills. It is also important that you value dignity, compassion, team-working, diversity, inclusion and above all person-centred care, listening and responding to the specific needs of individuals and communities.

As you will be working with the public you will be subject to screening by UCL Occupational Health and through the Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to determine your suitability for the course. You will also need to consent to vaccinations as these will protect you and the people you care for. Due to the requirement for students to undertake clinical placements during the programme we will only consider applications from individuals who can demonstrate that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19

Applications will be reviewed only when applications have closed. Applicants will be shortlisted and interviewed prior to offers being made for places on the course.

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by a panel, including an academic, dietitians in practice, and a service user. 

The questions asked will help the panel to assess your suitability for the course in the following areas:

  • Academic and scientific curiosity and interest in nutrition
  • Motivation for and understanding of a career in dietetics
  • Problem solving and reasoning ability
  • Professional attitudes and values, including factors such as flexibility, integrity, empathy, honesty, conscientiousness and compassion
  • Team-work, leadership, resilience, reflection and individual strengths
  • Communication skills including verbal and listening skills

Following the interview, we will ask you to come together with other candidates for a 30 minute group exercise in which you will be split off into groups to discuss a topic before coming back to share your collective opinion.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes in any application cycle.

Got questions? Get in touch

Division of Medicine
Division of Medicine

divmed.postgrad@ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.

This page was last updated 28 Sep 2021