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Dietetics MSc

London, Bloomsbury

Our two-year MSc Dietetics course combines academic knowledge with practice to help you become a competent, passionate, autonomous dietitian. You will be equipped to deliver evidence-based, service-user centred dietetic care, and innovative public health nutrition initiatives, across a wide range of client groups and working environments.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£12,700
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£34,400
Duration
21 months
Programme starts
September 2024
Applications accepted
All applicants: 16 Oct 2023 – 02 Feb 2024

Applications closed

Find similar courses still open

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.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

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.

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

This two-year MSc in Dietetics will set you up with the knowledge, skills, and competencies to apply for full registration as a dietitian with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

The programme's defining approach is to make coherent connections between research and practice to strengthen your future role, influence, and impact as a dietician.

You will have the opportunity to apply academic knowledge, develop your clinical skills, and become a highly reflective practitioner, working within UCL's world-leading centres of excellence. Your practice will be underpinned by the latest research to maintain your credibility and profile. Independent critical thought and continuing professional development will also be encouraged. 

A unique point of the programme is the important links between UCL and our partners. You will be exposed to state-of-the-art nutritional and dietetic research, working on projects from the hospital bedside to national public health policy making. 

The programme has also been specifically developed to meet industry benchmarks to help you stay relevant in a fast-evolving dietetics landscape. You will graduate with the abilities and confidence to be highly responsive to changes in healthcare provision and be brilliantly equipped to build a career in this exciting field.

Who this course is for

This MSc is for graduates who want to study dietetic science with the aim of working as a registered dietitian or going onto a research career in this fast-evolving area of medical science. Students will gain the skills to undertake first-class research and be able to examine a wide range of environments in which nutrition and dietetics can be applied.

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

What this course will give you

This programme offers you the following benefits and opportunities.

  • The chance to study dietetics in one of the top ten universities in the world, with a global reputation for teaching informed by cutting-edge research.
  • Exposure to world-leading nutritional and dietetic research at UCL and our partner hospitals. UCL has a long and prestigious history in medical and nutrition research and coordinates many major studies in the UK and globally.
  • Opportunities to translate complex scientific evidence about food, health, disease, and human behaviour, to assess, diagnose and treat nutrition-related problems in individuals and improve the health of populations.
  • Opportunities to engage in both academic and practice placement learning.
  • The chance to tap into UCL’s close links with NHS partners, major London hospitals, public health organisations and non-academic partners. This will equip you to work in a variety of settings and to contribute to the development and promotion of the profession throughout your career.
  • Opportunities to develop your clinical skills alongside research, leadership and project management expertise and be eligible to apply to the Health and Care Professions Council for registration as a dietitian.
  • This is specifically developed to meet healthcare and industry benchmarks and reports to ensure graduates remain relevant in an evolving dietetics landscape. These include:
    • The Health and Care Professions Council Standards of Education and Training
    • The British Dietetic Association Curriculum Framework for the Pre-Registration Education and Training of Dietitians (BDA, 2020)
    • The Standards of Proficiency - Dietitians and the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Benchmark Statements for Health Care Programmes - Dietetics
    • The BDA Future Dietitian 2025 report.
Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

The MSc programme is well suited to professionals who want to pursue a career in dietetics. On graduation, you will be eligible to apply for registration in dietetics with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and practise as a registered dietitian in the UK. Our programme is fully compliant with the revised BDA curriculum and reflects the rapidly evolving role of the dietitian.

Employability

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

In hospital settings, dietitians provide nutritional expertise, so inpatients get the best nutritional care to maximise their response to treatment. This can support recovery or help to ensure a good end-of-life experience.

In outpatient clinics, they offer specialist advice to people with complex nutritional needs. This includes preparing people for surgical procedures, supporting others post-surgery, and providing expert advice and support to help people reach and maintain a healthy weight. Dietitians support those with a wide range of medical conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, food allergies and intolerances, neurological conditions, and gastrointestinal diseases.

In community settings, dietitians work with GPs, hospices, care homes, schools, and workplaces to advise on nutritional health, support groups and individuals, and work with caterers on their menus. This is essential for the prevention and treatment of disease. 

In the sports industry, dietitians assess and support the needs of elite athletes and those involved in recreational sports and fitness.

In the media, dietitians produce engaging and factual articles, podcasts, videos and items for television and radio shows, ensuring that the public has access to evidence-based, practical information about good nutrition.

Dietitians can expect a starting salary of around £25,600-£31,500 per annum. As both government and the public become more aware of the role of nutrition in health, employment opportunities are growing and becoming more diverse.

Our MSc Dietetics places a particular emphasis on the primacy of the service user. We will develop your communication and engagement skills from the beginning, helping you to connect with people at a personal level and work with them to ensure the best possible outcomes.

Networking

You will have numerous opportunities to work with students on related nutrition programmes and other postgraduate courses within the Division of Medicine. There are also regular weekly seminars with external speakers for staff and students which provide good opportunities to broaden your knowledge, have discussions, and engage in networking. You are also encouraged to participate in events organised by learned societies and attend conferences related to the programme.

Accreditation

Following graduation, students will be eligible to apply for registration to practise as Registered Dietitians 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

Teaching is conducted through a mix of lectures, online video materials, tutorials to address problem-based activities, and practical sessions in a laboratory setting.

You will also attend data analysis sessions, workshops, and practical sessions in our brand-new high specification teaching kitchen at the Royal Free Campus and clinical simulation experiences at UCL Bloomsbury in partnership with UCL Hospitals and other world-leading teaching hospitals.

Placements across various settings, including clinical and non-clinical sites, are embedded within the programme.

We use a variety of formative and summative competency-based assessments including reports, online and written exams (including multiple choice questions and short answer questions), poster presentations, practical skills assessments, literature reviews and a dissertation following a research project. Coursework will be conducted both individually and as part of a team.

You will study for a full calendar year and continue beyond the end of the third term to attend placements and to prepare for your dissertation (in year two). As you need to complete a minimum of 1,000 practice placement hours across the course to meet the requirements set by the BDA, you will sometimes need to work during the holidays.

In year one, you will share your time between module lectures, tutorials, seminars, and laboratory sessions (terms one and two), and practice placements 1 (half of term one) and 2A (term three, including part of the summer break). You will also conduct self-directed learning across the whole year for your academic and professional development and your assessments.

In year two, you will share your time between module lectures, tutorials, seminars, and laboratory sessions (term one) as well as practice placements 2B (early September to mid-term one) and placement 3 (term two). Term three until late August will be devoted to your research project.

Self-directed learning across the whole year will be necessary for your academic and professional development and for the assessments.

Modules

You will study over a minimum of two years full-time. The first year runs from September to July, and the second from September to August. This is to incorporate your placement training, which is an integral part of the degree.

You will spend a minimum of 1,000 hours in practice placements, giving you sufficient opportunity to achieve the required practice competencies to become a registered dietitian. Most placements are part time, ensuring you have plenty of space for reflection to integrate theory with practice and share experiences with your peers.

Periods of practice education take place across terms one, two and three. Some may take place over the break between terms, meaning that your term dates may differ from those published on the UCL website.

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 are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Dietetics.

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. Most placements are part-time so 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.

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 and Wellbeing team.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Discover UCL Nutrition MSc Programmes

This online session will provide you with an overview of our MSc Clinical and Public Health Nutrition, MSc Obesity and Clinical Nutrition, MSc Dietetics, and MSc Eating Disorders and Clinical Nutrition programmes. The programme overviews will be followed by a Q&A session with our programme leads.

Watch on demand event

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Respiratory Clinical Science MSc (Q&A Session)

This MSc focuses on the study of the scientific and clinical basis of respiratory diseases with all courses and modules directed towards understanding disease and the effects on patients. It will provide you with the tools to develop further careers in the area and create opportunities to interact with researchers, clinicians and pharmaceutical experts in respiratory medicine. Please join us to ask your questions about this exciting programme. Speaker - Dr Vitor Teixeira

Watch on demand event

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £12,700
Tuition fees (2024/25) £34,400

Programme spans two years. The published fee is the fee per year, with Year 2 incurring an increase of up to 5%.

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 (c. £10-20, plus VAT)
  • Health checks / immunisations / vaccinations. These depend on your requirements. The most commonly required vaccine is HBV, which is around £150 if you are not already immunised.
  • Travel and accommodation costs for practice placement. The majority of our placements are in London. NHS England supports students for training placements. If a home student has received the £5,000 bursary, they are also eligible for travel and accommodation costs. For an overseas student, these linked rates would be roughly correct.
  • Travel costs around London and between campuses. Find out about the cost of using public transport at Transport for London.
  • Society membership fees. BDA membership is free in the first year and £40 in the second. We provide students with Nutrition Society membership.
  • Books: we recommend the PENG guide, which we sell to students at a discounted price, currently £35 (optional purchase).

This programme requires a completed DBS check for some compulsory modules. You will receive more information from UCL on how to complete the check once you have firmly accepted an unconditional offer for the programme. The DBS application cost will be covered by UCL, but offer holders will also need to have their ID checked and verified at a Post Office, for which they will incur a charge of £15.00. The offer holder is also required to arrange and pay for any overseas police check that may be necessary; costs vary by country. For more information about the DBS application process, please contact the UCL Graduate Admissions team.

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.

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

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme (CSSS)

Deadline: 14 December 2023
Value: Full fees, flights, stipend, and other allowances (1 year)
Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need
Eligibility: 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.

What qualities are we looking for?

  • A clear understanding of and commitment to dietetics as a career.
  • Good interpersonal and communication skills.
  • You must value dignity, compassion, teamwork, diversity, inclusion, and above all, person-centred care, listening and responding to the specific needs of individuals and communities.

Further requirements

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).

What happens next?

Applications are reviewed once applications have closed. If you are shortlisted, we will invite you to a panel interview with an academic, a practising dietitian and a service user. This is to assess your motivations and interests, your understanding of the discipline, your professional values, your strengths, and your problem solving and communication skills.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) 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.