Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics

1. Meet the standards of proficiency specified by Irish and international regulatory and professional bodies.
2. Integrate independent, autonomous and problem-solving professional values and skills into daily practice and promote these in a wider societal context.
3. Act as reflective practitioners and demonstrate a commitment to lifelong learning, research and audit within the field of clinical nutrition and dietetics.
4. Engage with the professional education of students, colleagues and other health professionals to foster an ethos of continuing learning and knowledge sharing.
5. Acquire the relevant knowledge of underpinning nutrition principles, clinical nutrition and dietetic practice.
6. Demonstrate professional competence, using an evidence-based approach, in clinical nutrition and dietetic practice within the multidisciplinary healthcare environment.
7. Competently assess nutritional status, identify the nutrition diagnosis/problem, intervene, monitor and evaluate nutrition and dietetic interventions in patients, clients and groups.
8. Plan, design, execute and report on a piece of independent research of high scientific merit.

Fees include tuition and examination fees. The fee schedule for all programmes is shown on the UCD Fees website (http://www.ucd.ie/fees/) and refers to the fee for a single academic year, including the fee schedule for non-EU nationals and the annual fee for the outgoing year.

• Applicants should hold a second class honours degree (2.1 or 2.2 in exceptional circumstances e.g. extensive prior clinical experience) or higher in science e.g. biochemistry, food science, human biology, human nutrition, nutritional science, pharmacology, physiology, in health sciences e.g. medicine, nursing or a health and social care profession or in sports performance science.
• Prior qualifications should include evidence of study of human biochemistry and physiology or other relevant degree discipline from a recognised university.
• Good communication skills are essential. Candidates may be interviewed.
• Two references should be included with the online application, one of which should be an academic reference and one an employment-related reference.
• Garda vetting is required, prior to undertaking practice placements.
• All students must attend UCD Student Health Services for pre-entry screening and must be compliant with Irish Immunisation Guidelines. All costs associated with health screening and vaccination must be met by the student. 

• In exceptional circumstances, where an individual has substantial and significant experiential learning, a portfolio of written evidence demonstrating the meeting of graduate qualities (including subject-specific outcomes, as determined by the Course Committee) may be considered as an alternative entrance route.  Evidence used to demonstrate graduate qualities may not be used for exemption against modules within the programme.

• Please note, the closing date for applications is June 10th

Full Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EU) applicants: Yes

• This full time programme is designed to be completed over two academic years.


• Lectures and placements normally occur from Monday-Friday.


• UCD expects that students undertaking the programme are aware of the following:
  
  
  
  • Practice placements are compulsory and may take place throughout the Irish Republic
  
  
  • Placements are unpaid and may require temporary relocation.
  
  
  • Students are responsible for their upkeep, lodging and travel during placements.
  
  
  • Practice placements take place in a variety of different learning environments including community and GP clinics, hospitals, healthcare facilities, large scale catering and nutrition industry environments.
  
  
  
  


• Assessment strategies include continuous assessment, assignments, projects, and examinations.


• Exit routes from this programme include: Graduate Certificate in Clinical Nutrition, Graduate Diploma in Clinical Nutrition, and MSc Health Sciences (Nutrition).


• Graduates availing of these exit routes will not be eligible to apply to the Dietitians Registration Board (CORU) for registration as a dietitian. 


• UCD expects that students who register for its programmes are in a position to commit to attendance and being available on scheduled programme, placement and assessment dates.