MSc Nutrition and Behaviour

Course details The course will improve the practical management skills of nutritionists and provide an important insight into contemporary developments in nutrition and behaviour for a range of healthcare professionals and graduates. This course encompasses the role of nutrition from preconception to old age and includes topics such as in-utero programming, infant feeding practices, the development of food likes and dislikes in children, food promotion, psychological factors contributing to the development of obesity including appetite and weight control, disordered eating behaviours, prevention of diet-related disease, and the role of diet in normal ageing and age-related conditions. On this course you will usually be taught by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This will include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners, demonstrators, technicians and research students. Core units Advanced Research Methods: This module will provide an overview on experimental, survey and qualitative research analysis together with the relevant data analytic techniques and statistical analytic software. The unit will also reflect recent developments in medical research such as the need for effect size, power and sample size calculations. Contemporary Nutrition: The aim of this unit is to enable you to develop and broaden your in-depth knowledge of the latest research findings within the context of the interaction between nutrients, physiological functions and the health conditions they influence. The course of lectures will aim to provide integrated information on nutrition, physiology, health and disease and public health applications – all in one unit. Nutrition and Brain Function Across the Lifespan: This module provides an advanced insight into the interaction between nutrition and brain research and gives a core of knowledge about the role of nutrition in brain disorders from pre-conception to old age. It is designed to discuss the topical issues, such as development, neurological and neuro-degenerative disorders, neuro-protection and recent theories of the neuro-immuno-endocrine axis. Nutrition, Health and Psychology: The course of lectures will encompass a review of recent evidence and current thinking on the control of appetite, food intake and the regulation of energy balance. You'll develop a detailed understanding of the interplay between the physiological and psychological (behavioural) regulatory processes underpinning the control of feeding and energy intake with a view to improve the health and quality of life among individuals and groups in the community. Nutrition in the Prevention and Management of Disease: This module examines foundations of nutrition, for example macro nutrients and micro nutrients, vitamins, methods of assessing dietary intake and nutritional status, energy and nutrient requirements, metabolic pathways related to nutrition, and function of nutrient digestion and absorption. It also evaluates the prevention and management of disease in the community setting, for example gastro intestinal disorders (i.e., celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome), food intolerances and allergies, obesity and metabolic disorders, cancer and heart disease. Dissertation Project: This is a student-managed piece of work that is undertaken with guidance from academic supervisors. The unit encourages you to draw on prior learning and aims to develop your ability for independent study and project management. It seeks to expand your knowledge and/or practice in a complex professional context. A large and varied range of dissertation projects are offered, including both laboratory and clinically based. Evidencing Professional Learning: A unique feature of the MSc programme is the work-based element embedded within the Evidencing Professional Learning unit. Typically student's will spend a minimum of 12 days engaging in professional practice activities in health care, community or the private sector. Programme specification Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used. Download the programme specification for MSc Nutrition and Behaviour. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.