2024-2025

MSc Human Nutrition and Dietetics

BSc (Hons) Nutritional Sciences

MSc Human Nutrition and Dietetics 

The core competencies for Fitness to Practise for the MSc Human Nutrition and Dietetics in the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences are listed below. 

In addition to these competencies, students must also fulfil the requirements of the CORU Dietetics Registration Board (DRB) in order to be able to register as Health and Social Care Professionals when they graduate.  Students must be capable of achieving the following competencies and outcomes by graduation and must also meet the CORU DRB Standards of Proficiency and Practice Placement Criteriahttps://coru.ie/files-recognition/standards-of-proficiency-for-dietitians.pdf.

The core competencies for the programme: MSc in Human Nutrition and Dietetics subject to Fitness to Practise are listed below.

Students must be capable of achieving the following competencies and outcomes by graduation:

a) Obtain relevant (such as medical, occupational, social, educational, family) history.

b) Undertake and interpret relevant assessment procedures safely and effectively within the confines of the student’s area of knowledge and competence.

c) Provide, monitor and modify appropriate interventions to maximise health, education and social outcomes.

d) Maintain high levels of hygiene and take appropriate precautions to protect your service users and yourself from infection.

e) Maintain accurate and comprehensive patient records and store records in accordance with legal and statutory requirements and best practice.

f) Communicate appropriately, effectively and sensitively with and about service users, their families/carers (with permission) and colleagues using spoken, written, electronic and nonverbal methods.

g) Act with honesty and integrity in your personal and professional conduct. Be aware of and responsive to the impact of one’s standard of conduct, performance and actions on self; service users and their families/carers; colleagues; the University, and the Profession.

h) Consult and follow advice of a suitably qualified professional from any risk posed to self; service users and their families/carers; colleagues; the University, and the Profession by own physical and/or mental health.

i) Follow and obey the laws of the land and to refrain from unlawful activity at all times. As a condition of acceptance onto the MSc Human Nutrition and Dietetics programme with a clinical practice placement component, students must undergo and receive Garda Vetting. Relevant documentation demonstrating Garda Vetting must be lodged by the MSc Human Nutrition and Dietetics student with the MSc Human Nutrition and Dietetics programme director, prior to any practice placement.

j) Follow the guidelines for standard of dress as detailed in the MSc Human Nutrition and Dietetics Practice Placement Handbook.

k) Take responsibility for your own learning by fulfilling the attendance, learning and assessment requirements of the academic and practice placement aspects of your education.

l) Apply the ethics and values of dietetics profession in all communications and actions associated with the performance of their professional roles and responsibilities.

BSc (Hons) Nutritional Sciences

A summary of the core competencies for Fitness to Practise for the BSc (Hons) Nutritional Sciences in the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences are listed below. The full version of the Fitness to Practise Statement for this programme is available here.
In addition to these competencies, students must also fulfil the requirements of the accrediting body the Association for Nutrition (AfN), including meeting the AfN Standards of Ethics, Conduct & Performance and the Competency Requirements for Registered Associate Nutritionist. In doing so, they will be able to apply for direct entry at Registered Associate Nutritionist level to the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN).

The summary of the core competencies for the programme: BSc (Hons) Nutritional Sciences subject to Fitness to Practise are listed below. Students must be capable of achieving these competencies and outcomes by graduation:

   a. Demonstrate ethical and professional practice through upholding the AfN Standards of Ethics, Conduct and Performance.
   b. Communicate appropriately and effectively at all times with peers, staff, the general public and all other stakeholders using spoken, written and electronic methods.
   c. Demonstrate development of professional practice and competence, by taking responsibility for learning, own limitations and development.
   d. Critically analyse, evaluate and demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the science of nutrition in humans (and animals), including the metabolic demands of the human body through the life cycle and in different disease states and conditions.
   e. Interpret and translate nutritional science meaningfully and communicate the science effectively.
   f. Understand the general principles underpinning, the strengths and limitations and be able to apply common methods of assessment of nutritional status, diet and anthropometry.
   g. Understand basic principles of good research practice; practically apply research methods in nutrition and report nutrition data using appropriate methods.
   h. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the food or feed chain and its impact on food or feed choice.
   i. Use practical skills and appropriate resources to analyse food.
   j. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of food or feed in a social or behavioural context, at all stages of the life course and apply this information in a context specific approach to develop nutritional interventions.
   k. Understand how to apply the scientific principles of nutrition for the promotion of health and wellbeing of individuals, groups and populations.