Sport and Exercise Nutrition - PgDip/MSc drafted
| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2023-09-17 | 2023-06-30 |
| 2024-01-22 | 2024-11-30 |
Program Overview
The programme is delivered by distance learning. Students enrolled for the PgDip Sport and Exercise Nutrition course need to undertake modules to a total of 120 credit points and for the MSc undertake an additional research project of 60 credit points. Modules studied will include: nutrition and exercise metabolism, nutritional assessment, recommendations and requirements, sport-specific nutrition issues, research methods and and biostatistics for food and nutrition, nutrition for health and disease prevention, evidence-based practice in healthcare sciences, practical sports nutrition and the sport and exercise nutrition research project.
Attendance
The full-time programme (over 1 calendar year; i.e. three academic semesters) is comprised of taught modules in semester one and two and the research project which is completed in semester three. All modules are delivered by distance-learning.
Start dates
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Attendance and Independent Study
As part of your course induction, you will be provided with details of the organisation and management of the course, including attendance and assessment requirements - usually in the form of a timetable. For full-time courses, the precise timetable for each semester is not confirmed until close to the start date and may be subject to some change in the early weeks as all courses settle into their planned patterns. A course handbook and other course related material is made available on the course support area to guide you through your studies.
Assessment
Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. For this course, the majority of assessment is by coursework (and three MCQs for the nutrition and exercise metabolism module). Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessment. The precise assessment will depend on the module and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: video cooking demonstration, essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, discussion board or portfolio.The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification and the assessment timetable. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised.
Academic profile
The University employs over 1,000 suitably qualified and experienced academic staff - 59% have PhDs in their subject field and many have professional body recognition.
Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (25%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (20%) or Lecturers (55%).
We require most academic staff to be qualified to teach in higher education: 82% hold either Postgraduate Certificates in Higher Education Practice or higher. Most academic staff (81%) are accredited fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) by Advanced HE - the university sector professional body for teaching and learning. Many academic and technical staff hold other professional body designations related to their subject or scholarly practice.
The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise. The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff. This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.
Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.
Figures correct for academic year 2021-2022.
Program Outline
Careers & opportunities
In this section
- Career options
- Professional recognition
Career options
Career options within sport and exercise nutrition are expanding and include becoming a freelance sports nutritionist/performance nutritionist or working with sporting/government organisations. Previous graduates have gained employment with leading organisations within the UK and Ireland including IRFU, Ulster Rugby, Dairy Council for Northern Ireland and United Kingdom, Rowing Ireland and Apple. We also have a number of graduates who following mentored experience have set up independent sports nutrition clinics within Ireland and on an international basis.
Professional recognition
British Dietetic Association (BDA)
This programme achieves the competencies required for graduate registration of the British Dietetic Association (BDA) Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register (SENr).
Modules
Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.
Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.
In this section
- Year one
Year one
Evidence-Based Practice in Healthcare Sciences
Year: 1
Status: C
A work-based module where students review, after consultation with their line manager, an aspect of their professional practice identifying evidence to support their recommendations, initiate the keeping of a professional reflective diary and submit a report of evidence to support their action research plan. Students currently not in employment will be given advice on suitable topics from the module co-ordinator.
Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism
Year: 1
Status: C
This module will provide an introduction to the biochemical principles of exercise metabolism and will highlight the importance of nutrition in enhancing athletic performance.
Nutritional Assessment, Recommendations and Requirements
Year: 1
Status: C
This module will introduce the principles of nutrition assessment. It will review the anthropometric, biochemical and dietary assessment methodologies, including the advantages and limitations of each.
Sport-Specific Nutrition Issues
Year: 1
Status: C
This module discusses sport-specific nutrition issues and provides students with an opportunity to study in-depth current issues and challenges facing practitioners working within the area of sports nutrition.
Research Methods and Biostatistics for Food and Nutrition
Year: 1
Status: C
This module will provide a comprehensive understanding of the research methods for food, nutritional and sports sciences. The design of experimental investigations and the use of specialist statistical methods will be developed. The module requires the completion of a critical evaluation of published literature and development of a novel research project proposal and problem-based assessments; issues relating to research ethics and governance are also included.
Nutrition for Health and Disease Prevention
Year: 1
Status: C
This module considers the relationship between nutrition, health and disease. The module provides the student with the opportunity to further develop an understanding of the human body and how good nutritional practices can be effective for good health and disease prevention.
Practical Sports Nutrition
Year: 1
Status: C
This module considers the practical application of sports nutrition knowledge. The module provides the student with the opportunity to further develop their skills when working with a diverse range of athletes and how good nutritional practices can be effective in improving exercise performance.
Sport and Exercise Nutrition Research Project
Year: 1
Status: C
Carrying out an original, independent piece of research from the formulation of a research question through to reporting findings in accordance with the conventions of the academic area is an important part of the research training provided by Masters level study. This module provides students with an opportunity for students to carry out an original independent piece of research in the area of sport and exercise nutrition and present findings in the form of a journal manuscript and a conference presentation.
Testimonials
‘Completing the MSc Sport and Exercise Nutrition gave me an understanding of the scientific principles required to maximise your sporting ability. Using the scientific knowledge gained through the course, as well as the learned ability to research, this has helped me keep up to date with new nutritional beliefs and therefore expanded my ability to perform my duties at a high level. I have had great success with individualising and tailoring athletes requirements to there specific sporting needs. The online element of the course also allowed for me to work alongside my MSc and complete the work required and submit it in my own time, having all information available to me online. Thanks to this course I received an offer for a full time Lecturing post at NRC. I have also had the pleasure of working with some high profile athletes and aiding them in their performances in GAA and Individual sports, as well as working with county and club teams. I am very grateful for the knowledge I learned thought my time studying the MSc'.
Gregory McGovern, Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Sciences