Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Public Health Nutrition

This exciting new degree programme is the first of its kind in the West of Ireland. Public Health Nutrition focuses on the promotion of good health through nutrition and the primary prevention of nutrition-related illness in the population. Students on this course will:

• Develop, implement and evaluate nutrition policies and programmes
• Apply scientific knowledge to understand the impact of food and diet on health and wellbeing
• Work to improve the diet, nutrition and health of individuals and communities

With the increased number of the population suffering from, or at risk of developing, lifestyle-related chronic diseases, more individuals require assistance with nutritional management. As a result, there is an urgent need for suitably qualified individuals to work in the health sectors. Public health nutrition has been gaining popularity as an area of study to meet this growing demand.

Download the course brochure here

Career opportunities in this field are developing rapidly for graduates with an understanding of the connections between nutrition and public health.

Specific job opportunities for public health nutrition graduates have included health improvement, addressing inequalities in nutrition and health, nutrition advocacy, the prevention of non-communicable diseases, developing/commissioning and implementing policies and programmes, monitoring, evaluation and assessment of diet in groups/communities, education and generating research evidence linking food/nutrients and health across a range of employers.

These include:

• Advisory positions in weight management, healthy eating or similar
• Advisory positions in food safety and health, e.g. Food Safety Authority of Ireland
• Broader roles in health promotion and health improvement
• Project delivery or advisory work with government agencies, e.g. HSE, local authorities
• Research and data analysis at public health observatories and various higher education institutes
• Work in food industry, e.g. Kellogg's, Nestle, Danone, Glanbia
• Food in schools initiatives
• National nutrition assessment groups
• Infant and maternal nutrition, e.g. UNICEF, Healthy Start
• International work in public health, e.g. World Food Programme, World Health Organisation

Course Transfer

Students enrolling on to the first year of the Public Health Nutrition programme will be eligible to transfer into GMIT's Sport and Exercise Science programme upon successful completion of the first year, provided that places are available.

Accreditation and Registration

Nutritionists and nutritional therapists are different roles, with different sets of professional standards expected of those who practice in each field.

There are fundamental differences between the work, and the registration requirements, of nutritionists and nutritional therapists.

The Association for Nutrition (AfN) is committed to the promotion of strong evidence-based nutrition, and registrants must meet science based competencies in nutrition and agree to abide by the rigorous Code of Ethics.

The proposed BSc (Hons) in Public Health Nutrition will be submitted to the AfN for accreditation.

Contact Us

Damien Costello

Head of Department of Sport, Exercise, and Nutrition

Email: damien.costello@atu.ie