Program Overview

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BSc (Hons) Sport Nutrition with Foundation Year

Why study this course with LJMU?

The School of Sport and Exercise Sciences is ranked first in the North West and top 20 in the world for Sports Science (QS World University Rankings 2025). The degree offers the opportunity for many career paths, such as working as a performance nutritionist or product developer. Achieve a degree certified by the Association for Nutrition (AfN), ensuring high-quality education standards which are recognised by industry and the sport sector. Gain real-world experience and skills that set you apart in the job market through opportunities to do work placements and an optional sandwich year. Learn from our teaching staff who have extensive experience working with elite athletes and sports teams. Our staff are world leaders in research impacting sports nutrition practice and athletic performance from the laboratory to the playing field.

About your course

BSc (Hons) Sport Nutrition is taught by research active staff who are professionally registered with the Association for Nutrition (AfN) and/or Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register (SENr). The course offers excellent employment opportunities in a wide field of careers associated with sports nutrition.

Foundation Year

The Foundation Year is ideal if you have the ability to study for a degree but don't have the qualifications to enter directly onto the honours degree programme. Once you pass the Foundation Year you will progress directly onto the first year of the honours degree. If you are a full-time UK student, you will qualify for student financial support for the full duration of your course (subject to eligibility criteria).

About BSc (Hons) Sport Nutrition

This interesting and engaging degree programme will enable you to understand the rapidly changing challenges facing sport nutrition. You could specialise in areas such as how muscles adapt to exercise, using nutrition to boost performance, sports supplements, the effects of poor diets on metabolism, personalised nutrition and related research. After graduation, career opportunities include working as a performance nutritionist, in nutrition consultancy, public health directorates and product development within the multi-billion pound food industry.

The BSc Sport Nutrition curriculum focuses on the delivery of the five core competencies defined by the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN) set out by the Association for Nutrition (AfN). This includes Nutritional Science, Food Chain, Social and Behavioural Science, Health and Well-being and Professional Conduct.

During the degree, you will explore the principles of human nutrition, physiology and metabolism, and how these underpin the relationship between diet and performance. You will learn about performance nutrition, nutrition at different life stages, appetite and eating habits, the impact of sports supplements, and how social and cultural factors influence food choices in sport nutrition and performance. You will examine other food-related areas, such as how nutritional knowledge can be used to help support the development of food first products used to promote improved performance, functional foods. You will also gain an understanding of important aspects of food science, food chain and sustainability. You can choose to take an optional full-time paid placement year, giving you valuable experience, helping you build professional connections, and boosting your career skills.

Course modules

What you will study on this degree

This course is currently undergoing its scheduled programme review, which may impact the advertised modules. Programme review is a standard part of the University’s approach to quality assurance and enhancement, enabling us to ensure that our courses remain up to date and maintain their high standard and relevancy.

Once the review is completed, this course website page will be updated to reflect any approved changes to the advertised course. These approved changes will also be communicated to those who apply for the course to ensure they wish to proceed with their application.

Foundation Year

• Skills and Practice in Sport (20 credits)
• Health and Wellbeing (20 credits)
• Practical Delivery in Sport and Physical Activity (20 credits)
• Behaviours in Sport and Physical Activity (20 credits)
• Human Anatomy and Physiology (20 credits)
• Projects in Sport and Nutrition (20 credits)

Year 1

• Professional Practice 1 for Nutrition and Sport Nutrition (20 credits)
• Principles of Human Nutrition (20 credits)
• Biochemistry and Metabolism (20 credits)
• Performance Nutrition (20 credits)
• Research Methods 1 (20 credits)
• Exercise Physiology 1 (20 credits)

Year 2

• Professional Practice 2 for Nutrition and Sport Nutrition (20 credits)
• Food Chain and Sustainability (20 credits)
• Food Technology and Development (20 credits)
• Eating Behaviour for Sport and Health (20 credits)
• Research Methods 2 (20 credits)
• Exercise Physiology 2 (20 credits)

Year 3

• Nutrition Through the Lifecycle (Special Populations) (20 credits)
• Molecular Nutrition and Genetics (20 credits)
• Sport Supplements and Contemporary Issues (20 credits)
• Applied Placement in Nutrition or Sport Nutrition (20 credits)
• Major Project (40 credits)

Professional accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Association for Nutrition (AfN), which is the governing body for nutrition in the UK and is recognised globally. On graduation, this will entitle you to apply for direct entry as a Registered Associate Nutritionist on the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists. This registration will help to identify you as a qualified, scientifically-trained nutritionist. This is ideal if you want to work in a range of roles within primary care organisations; public health directorates; Clinical Nutrition settings; the Food Industry; Academia; Sports and Exercise Science; international public health nutrition and in the private sector.

Your Learning Experience

Teaching Support Assessment

Excellent facilities and learning resources

We adopt an active blended learning approach, meaning you will experience a combination of face-to-face and online learning during your time at LJMU. This enables you to experience a rich and diverse learning experience and engage fully with your studies. Our approach ensures that you can easily access support from your personal tutor, either by meeting them on-campus or via a video call to suit your needs.

Teaching is via a combination of lectures, seminars, online activities and small-group tutorials, as well as field trips, interactive practical sessions, guest speakers and workshops. Many sessions take advantage of LJMU's specialist facilities for nutritional assessment, as well as our nutrition and food science laboratories.

Work-related learning

The BSc (Hons) Sport Nutrition with Foundation Year programme is designed to build both your academic and practical skills. There will be opportunities to work alongside practitioners, giving you a real taste of the many careers available within the nutrition sector and providing an opportunity to complete a project based on your experience. This work-related learning is a vital element of your studies as it gives you a chance to practise skills learnt on the course which will add real value to your CV.

Dedicated personal tutor, plus study skills support

From the moment you begin your studies at LJMU, you will be assigned a personal tutor who will be available to discuss course-related issues with you on a one-to-one basis. Tutorials and group seminars also offer a supportive environment in which to discuss ideas, issues and forthcoming assessments with your tutors and fellow students.

Assessment varies depending on the modules you choose, but will usually include a combination of exams and coursework.

LJMU recognises that all students perform differently according to how they are assessed, which is why we use a combination of assessment methods. These include: exams (seen and unseen), written work (essays, reports, learning logs, dissertation, lab reports, posters, review writing and blog writing), presentations (group or individual) and practical assessments.

Career paths

The course covers a range of sectors meaning you will be well placed to secure employment in a number of different roles. Successfully completing the programme allows you to progress onto LJMU’s MSc Sport Nutrition, leading to careers as sports or performance nutritionists with sports clubs, national governing bodies or individual athletes.

You could also work in the health sector as a registered nutritionist, promote health and physical activity in the community, as an assistant dietetic practitioner in clinical settings, or join the food and sports nutrition industry in research and product development.

Tuition fees and funding

Home

• Full-time per year: £9,535
• Placement year: £1,905

International

• Full-time per year: £18,250
• Placement year: £3,830

Entry requirements

Please choose your qualifications below to view requirements

• Grades/points required from qualifications: CCD-CCC (88-96)

Work out how many UCAS points your qualifications are worth by visiting the UCAS Tariff Calculator.

GCSEs and equivalents

• Grade 4 or grade C or above in English Language and Mathematics/Numeracy.

GCSE Equivalences accepted:
• Key Skills Level 2 in English/Maths
• NVQ Level 2 Functional skills in Maths and English Writing and or Reading
• Skills for Life Level 2 in Numeracy/English
• Higher Diploma in Maths/English
• Northern Ireland Essential Skills Level 2 in Communication or Application of Number
• Wales Essential Skills Level 2 in Communication or Application of Number

A levels

• CCD-CCC

BTECs

• Extended Diploma: MMM (96)

Access awards

• Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
• Pass overall with a minimum of 88 points including relevant subjects

International Baccalaureate

• Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications From a relevant subject

OCR Cambridge Technical

• Extended Diploma: MMM (96)

Irish awards

• Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications From a relevant subject

T levels

• Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications.

You need to obtain the required UCAS points from a related subject area.

International requirements

• IELTS: 6.0 overall with no component below 5.5, taken within two years of the course start date.

Please Note: All international qualifications are subject to a qualification equivalency check.