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Dietician Course

Written by  Piyush Bhartiya, MBA

Published on Mon, February 24, 2020 4:04 PM   Updated on Wed, May 20, 2020 11:29 PM   14 mins read
Source:The Urban Fight

Nutritionists and dietitians are health professionals who plan, monitor and supervise diets for people. Telling people about the importance of eating healthy and how it is our primary duty, is their job. Dieticians and nutritionists try to be updated as well as aware of the developments in medicine and nutrition.

Dietitians are responsible for recommending proper as well as corrective food and eating habits to their patients, along with taking into account the patient’s health, lifestyle, age, potential allergies, medical condition (if any) and food preferences. In order to be a dietitian, you need to compulsorily have a completed Bachelors and/ or Masters/ PG diploma degree in Dietetics.


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Dieticians Course

BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics is a 3 year long, full- time undergraduate course, divided over 6 semesters. The course involves the study of food management and the promotion of health through the promotion of eating healthy food. The curriculum is heavy on social, physical and biological sciences and primarily focuses on the relationship between the body and food. The inclusion of all these factors influences a dietitian’s career.

The Dieticians course and various programs under it, offered at graduate as well as postgraduate levels, covers various subjects like human physiology and nutrients that are essentially required by the body. Biochemistry and Food technology are an essential part of the program. Not only does this course enable individuals to create a diet plan but it also helps in encouraging individuals as well as members of an organization to follow a proper diet to keep themselves fit.

Dieticians Course Online

Dieticians course deals with teaching the students about healthy eating habits, the importance of consuming essential nutrients and how to stay healthy and fit so that they can pass on the same to their patients. But if you don’t have the time to attend a school for it, don’t worry because there are ample online classes giving knowledge about the same.

An online nutrition course with a certificate of completion could help you kick- start your success story. These online courses, usually compact, yet insightful provide a broad overview of the concept of nutrition, along with how human health is affected by various dietary choices.  It also helps one learn about the body mass index, the body’s daily energy requirements and so much more besides.

Online Dieticians Course by Harvard University 

Under Online Nutrition and Dieticians Course, Harvard University offers three programs:

  • Six- week Plan for Health Eating- 2 weeks long
  • Starting to Exercise- 2 weeks long
  • The Health Effects of Climate Change- 7 weeks long

These programs aim to overhaul one’s eating habits and nutrition consumption, propel one’s fitness journey and help you create a personalized eating regime. It also teaches about how climate change affects health. 

Oxford Home Study Centre

The course offered by this center focuses on key elements of Nutrition like:

  • What is Nutrition?
  • What Are Nutrients? 
  • Different units of Energy and why we need them?
  • What is Basal Metabolism and Basal Metabolism Rate?
  • Thermal Effect of Food (TEF) 
  • How to maintain Energy Balance?
  • Daily nutrition and energy requirements
  • Different calorie requirements for different age groups
  • Healthy eating For Kids and what it means?
  • What is Body Mass Index?
  • Balanced Food Nutrition and Diet
  • Specifics of a Balanced Food Diet: Whole Foods and Whole Food Helpers

International Career Institute UK

Dieticians Course offered by the institute provides an opportunity to interact with and learn from very successful, highly qualified and experienced professionals. The course provides training on how to become a nutritionist, thus allowing you to enter the fastest growing area with more and more people requiring advice and guidance for their nutritional needs.

Dieticians Course Online India

Not many institutes or centers provide online Dietician courses in India. Some of the courses that interested students can enroll themselves are given below:

PG Diploma in Clinical Nutrition, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad

This masters’ Diploma course in Clinical Nutrition certifies the students to legally practice on patients in clinics. On successful completion of the course, the student will be awarded a PG Diploma in Clinical Nutrition certificate from Amity University. In addition, this course includes practical training of 45-days in a leading hospital to give students exposure.

Total FeesINR 1.51 Lakhs
DurationOne year (Online)
Course LevelPG Diploma

PG Diploma in Healthcare Management at Edu.Kart, Agra

Students who are Medical graduates/postgraduates or hold a degree in Dentistry, Pharmacy, Life Sciences, Arts, Commerce, Economics or Engineering are eligible for the course. Interested Students can directly apply to this course.


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Dieticians Course Eligibility

Dietician course is offered at the diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate level. Many institutes and universities in India offer various courses in PG Diploma in Nutrition and Dietetics, B. Sc (Food Science and Nutrition) and M.Sc (Nutrition), etc. Admission to these courses is made on the basis of merit.

The courses in Dietetics or Dietician Course involve planning, monitoring and supervising the patient’s diet in accordance with his medical conditions like diabetes, food allergies, gastrointestinal disorders, etc. While taking into account the patient’s health, lifestyle, age, and other factors, it is the dietician’s job to recommend proper as well as corrective food and advise well-eating habits.

The general eligibility criteria to get into the Dietician Course in any institute or university is as follows:

Certificate, Undergraduate Diploma, and Degree Courses:

  1. Candidates who wish to apply for undergraduate diploma, degree and certificates courses should have passed class 12 board exams.
  2. In some government institutes, admission to the three- year diploma programs is done on the basis of a state-level entrance exam.
  3. Students can directly get admitted to certificate and short-term diploma programs after candidates have passed their 10+2 exams.
  4. It is essential for students to study Physics, Chemistry, and Biology till class 12 if they want to get admission in B.Sc. programs.
  5. Some of the institutes offer admission in B.Sc. courses in Nutrition and Dietetics on the basis of marks secured by applicants in the entrance examination or on the basis of the marks he/ she scored in the 12th examination.

Post Graduate Degree Courses:

  1. Candidates who have pursued B.Sc. in this field with at least 45% marks can apply for M.Sc. in Nutrition and Dietetics.
  2. Admission to this program is done on the basis of entrance exams. Some of the reputed institutes also conduct personal interviews to shortlist candidates for these programs.
  3. Direct admission without entrance exams and personal interviews are also possible at some institutes.

Post Graduate Diploma Courses:

  1. Aspiring candidates can apply for PG diploma programs after completing their graduation in Nutrition and Dietetics.
  2. Some of the institutes also offer this program to candidates who have pursued diploma courses in Nutrition and Dietetics.

Nutritionist and Dietitian Course

Dietitian

Not only do dieticians plan, monitor, and supervise the diet for their patients in accordance with their medical conditions but are also responsible for recommending proper as well as corrective food and eating habits. They make sure that all vital nutrients and elements are consumed by their patient. They suggest and recommend their patients’ diet plans and timetable by taking into account the patient’s health, lifestyle, age, potential allergies, and food preferences.

In order to be a dietitian, one needs to have a compulsory Bachelors and/ or Masters/ PG diploma degree in Dietetics. Nutrition can be added as an additional subject in the course. Some countries, like the USA/Canada, require dietitians to clear an additional exam after their completion of their education in order to qualify to get a license /registration so that they can start their practice.

Nutritionist

Nutritionists, on the other hand, can’t plan diets for patients with medical problems. However, they advise people on eating healthy and healthy food choices in order to help them. Their expertise lies in public health nutrition, tertiary education related to nutrition, and community health. Nutritionists have various like opportunities; they can get into research as well as work as nutrition consultants, advisors in public health or as health promotion officers, community development officers, quality and nutrition coordinators and food technologists etc.

In some countries, a nutritionist can upgrade himself/ herself to become a dietician by studying the required dietetics course and getting a license or registration. As a matter of fact, all dietitians can call themselves “nutritionists” or “dietitian-nutritionists” but nutritionists cannot call themselves “dietitians”.


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Dietitian Course Syllabus

Aspiring students, who wish to seek admission into the Bachelors’ course of Dietician/ Dietetics, can look up the different subjects that will be taught during the course beforehand. A semester- wise breakup of the same is given below:

1st Semester

  1. Communication Skills and Personality Development
  2. Human Physiology
  3. Introduction to Food and Nutrition
  4. Food Chemistry
  5. Food & Nutrition
  6. Computer Fundamentals

2nd Semester:

  1. Public Health and Nutrition
  2. Nutritional Biochemistry
  3. Human Nutrition
  4. Maternal & Child Health

3rd Semester:

  1. Food Microbiology
  2. Food Quality and Analysis
  3. Family Meal Planning
  4. Industrial Management and Facility Planning

4th Semester:

  1. Food Science
  2. Fundamentals of Bakery & Confectionary
  3. Food Preservation

5th Semester

  1. Ethics and Environmental Studies
  2. Dietetics 1
  3. Food Packaging & Marketing Management
  4. Food Processing Operations

6th Semester:

  1. Dietetics 2
  2. Food Biotechnology
  3. Food Service Management
  4. Diet & Patient Counselling
  5. Internship

Dietitian Course after 12th

Students from any stream in your class 12th can join the course, however, the science stream (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology) is highly recommended. This is so because having these subjects opens up a wider range of courses and career opportunities. Also, having Biology as a subject in 11th and 12th will help the student build a base through a focus on human physiology.

Dietitian Course after 12th Commerce

Dietitian is a really interesting career field, especially in today’s world.  The importance and demand for qualified professionals in this field are growing day by day due to the changing lifestyles and habits of people, ranging from children to adults. It requires one to have an interest in fitness, health, and food. In order to become a dietician, one should also know about different types of foods, which ones are of low calories or low fat, and subsidiary products that are palatable and easily available in the market so that he/ she can guide your patients or different individuals as per their requirements.

Therefore, a student belonging to the commerce background cannot become a dietician. Though, there are many online courses available that commerce students can get themselves enrolled in.

Dietitian Course after 12th Science

If you are a student belonging to a science background, preferably with Biology as one of the subjects, you can definitely go for Dietician as a career opportunity. There are many universities in India that offer B.Sc in food science, nutrition, and food technology. Some universities also offer diploma courses in nutrition and dietician.

Dietitian Course after Graduation

After graduation, students can either opt for Postgraduate Diplomas related to nutrition and dietetics (such as Post-Graduate Diploma in Dietetics & Public Health Nutrition), or a Master’s degree in Food & Nutrition. To get an edge over others in the job market, it is highly recommended to pursue a Master’s degree.

The degree not only gives you theoretical knowledge about the subjects but also gives practical experience, both in the form of internships and research. The subjects under the course are also taught in-depth detail.

Dietitian Course Duration

Bachelors’ in Science in Dietetics and Nutrition is a three-year course divided over a span of six semesters. The syllabus of the course is different among the six semesters and helps students get equipped with all the knowledge necessary to make it big in this career field.

Dietitian Course Details

Dietician Course enables a student to expertise themselves in planning, examining and evaluating habits of individuals and then guide them to consume a balanced diet in order to stay fit and healthy. 

Highlights of the course are given below:

Dietitian Course Colleges

B.Sc. in Nutrition and Dietetics essentially involves an advanced level of learning on how to enhance the quality of life and overall well-being of people, by promoting healthy diet behaviors and exploring healthier dietary modifications.

The program consists of a comprehensive curriculum that combines the science of nutrition with a broader view of wellness, community and environment. Not only this, but it also focuses on why people opt for unhealthy eating behaviors and ways to rectify and improve the same.

Listed below are some of the universities and institutes in the country offering B.Sc. in Nutrition and Dietetics, along with their respective locations and the fee charged by each.

COLLEGE NAMECITYAVERAGE ANNUAL FEES (INR)
National Institute of NutritionHyderabad30,000
J.D. Birla Institute of Home ScienceKolkata1,25,717
Lady Irwin CollegeNew Delhi36,000
S.N.D.T. Women’s UniversityMumbai40,000
All India Institute of Hygiene and PublicCalcutta24,000

Dietitian Course London

The degree courses that are given below are the only route to qualify as a dietitian in the UK. All these courses are approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and are accredited with the British Dietetic Association (BDA).

Coventry CollegeBSc (Hons) Dietetics and Human Nutrition
King's College LondonBSc (Hons) Nutrition and Dietetics, MSc/ PGDip Dietetics
Leeds Beckett UniversityBSc (Hons) Dietetics
University of PlymouthBSc (Hons) Dietetics
Ulster UniversityBSc (Hons) Dietetics, Post Graduate Diploma /MSc Dietetics

Dietitian Course Singapore

Singapore Institute of Technology offers a full time, four-year-long Bachelors’ Degree (Hons) in Dietetics and Nutrition.

Graduates can be employed as dietitians in a variety of settings and places wherever their help is required, such as hospitals, private practices, polyclinics, community hospitals, intermediate and long-term care organizations including nursing homes and rehabilitation centers.

Dietitian Course Melbourne

Victoria University

This University offers a Bachelor’ degree in Human Nutrition, Master of Public Health (Global Nutrition and Active Living) and Ph.D. in Food Sciences & Technology.

University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne offers Bachelor’s in Human Nutrition to familiarize its students with the science of food production and processing, the nutrient composition of foods, the interaction of nutrients with our biochemical and physiological make-up, and the impact of diet on health and disease.

FAQs

If I hold a dietitian degree, what can I do?

Ans. Jobs directly under this degree are:
1. Animal nutritionist
2. Community education officer
3. Food technologist
4. Health promotion specialist
5. International aid/development worker
6. Medical sales representative
7. Naturopath
8. Nutritional therapist

What skills are required to become a dietician?

Ans. Skills required to become a Dietitian are:
1. Good judgments and capabilities to make a decision
2. Ability to instruct others
3. Ability to identify, assess and solve complex problems
4. Being socially perceptive; that is, to be aware of others’ reactions and understand those reactions.
5. Good reading and comprehension skills.

What duties come with being a dietician?

Ans. Dietitians and nutritionists typically do the following:
1. It is the dietician’s duty to assess and examine the patients’ and clients’ health needs and diet
2. Counsel patients on nutrition issues and induce healthy eating habits.
3. Develop meal plans, taking both cost and clients’ preferences and medical conditions (if any) into account.
4. To evaluate the progress and change the plans as needed

What is the role of a dietician in a hospital?

Ans. Clinical dietitians provide medical nutrition therapy for patients, with medical conditions or ailments in institutions such as hospitals and nursing care facilities. They assess the patients’ nutritional needs, develop and implement nutrition programs according to it and evaluate and report the results later.

Can one call a dietician a doctor?

Ans. Osteopathic physicians are medical doctors (M.D.s) and can be referred to as doctors, for example, but not all M.D.s are osteopathic physicians. In the same way, all dietitians are nutritionists, but not all nutritionists are dietitians.

About the Author & Expert

Avatar

Piyush Bhartiya

Author • MBA • 20 Years

Piyush values education and has studied from the top institutes of IIT Roorkee, IIM Bangalore, KTH Sweden and Tsinghua University in China. Post completing his MBA, he has worked with the world's # 1 consulting firm, The Boston Consulting Group and focused on building sales and marketing verticals for top MNCs and Indian business houses.

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