BSc (Honours) Public Health Nutrition
Three years full-time
UCAS code • B400
Location • City Campus
Subject area • Food and nutrition
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View a 360 degree tour of our kitchens.
Read about our food and nutrition staff.
Watch one of our students talking about our food and nutrition courses.
Watch videos of students working in our nutrition labs and sensory booths.
At a glance
Make a difference by pursuing a career in public health offering nutritional advice that can help improve and lengthen lives. Develop strong practical skills in our specialist laboratory facilities and gain experience of advising population groups on improving their health and reducing their risk of dietary-related conditions.
Key points
• Gain the knowledge and skills needed to work in public health practice.
• Become an Associate Nutritionist when you graduate.
• Develop strong practical skills in the lab on this practically focused course.
• Gain practical experience of providing health and dietary advice.
What is public health nutrition?
Public health nutrition focuses on the promotion of good health through nutrition and the primary prevention of nutrition-related illness in the population.
This course
Prepare for a career as a nutritionist helping the public understand and apply nutritional information. This course gives you the specific knowledge and skills you need to work in public health practice.
You learn how to use nutritional and dietary knowledge to support the health of individuals and communities. In this capacity, you can develop skills to help clients alter their behaviour so they can manage their diets, lifestyles and improve their health. These include people with conditions such as diabetes, coronary heart disease and obesity, and children, elderly people or women during pregnancy.
You work in multifunctional labs, industry-standard kitchens and use the latest dietary analysis software, sensory and feeding facilities to gain skills that are relevant and up-to-date.
This course has a strong practical focus and you learn to use a wide range of equipment that will be beneficial in a variety of employment positions. For example, in laboratory sessions you learn to measure body composition using various methods, and to measure cholesterol from blood samples. In the kitchens you work with a variety of ingredients and discover practical ways for people to apply government health messages through what they eat.
Your studies also cover how food, nutrition, health and diet impact on public health promotion and nutritional policy. You learn how nutritional advice in published research translates into easily understood messages the public can apply to everyday life, such as the information on food packaging. You also develop analytical knowledge and skills in behaviour change which are becoming increasingly recognised by employers.
In your final year, you choose a topic that fits your interests and career ambitions and present these at the annual Nutrition Fair. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate your ability and understanding of what you have learnt on the course.
Your lecturer team have extensive experience to bring to your studies. Some have backgrounds in industry and others are active in research. This active role in research means that they can teach you the latest methods and knowledge as part of this course.
Key areas of study
Key areas include • nutrition • food composition and safety • physiology • public health promotion • nutritional policy • behaviour change • product development.
You can meet other students with your interests by joining the Food and Nutrition and TASTE student societies.
Find out more about BSc (Honours) Public Health Nutrition
Related courses
You apply for this course through UCAS.
2013/14 academic year
For 2013 entry, membership of professional bodies and mandatory UK field trips are included in the course fee.
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees and funding see www.shu.ac.uk/study/ug/fees-and-funding
2013/14 academic year
Typically £11,880 a year
2014/15 academic year
Typically £11,880 a year
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees, scholarships and bursaries see www.shu.ac.uk/international/fees
• coursework • examinations
This course is accredited by the Association for Nutrition.
Key Information Set 
Kitchens
Our kitchens have a wide range of specialist equipment for product development, testing and research.
Andrew Fairclough
Associate lecturer
I was appointed in 2007 to act as a research fellow for the Centre for Food Innovation to enhance the profile of the centre. I have 16 years experience within biomedical sciences at Sheffield Hallam University, specialising in microbiology, molecular biology and analytical biochemistry.
I am also an associate lecturer at Sheffield Hallam covering food hygiene, health and safety, the composition of food and also technically supporting food biotechnology.
Jenny Paxman
Senior lecturer
I have a BA (Honours) in anthropology from Durham University and an MMedSci in human nutrition and MPhil in nutrition from Sheffield University. I am a registered nutritionist and have a postgraduate certificate in learning and teaching.
I have been working as a senior lecturer in nutrition for Sheffield Hallam University since September 2002. I have taught nutrition at both degree and MSc level.
I am involved in ongoing research, particularly in relation to obesity prevention and appetite.
My previous work includes sessional nutrition work for South West Sheffield PCT.
John Nicolson
Senior lecturer and course leader
I graduated from the University of Glasgow with a BSc (Honours) degree in Microbiology with Molecular biology.
I have specialist teaching and research experience in the areas of food safety, food microbiology, food biotechnology, and food technology. My particular research expertise is in microbiological water quality, and the distribution of Cryptosporidium in water supplies.
I began teaching at the West of Scotland Agricultural College, and have taught at Sheffield Hallam Uiniversity for the past 20 years.
Alison Campbell
Senior lecturer
I am a food technologist with a background in the food industry. I previously worked in the fields of product and process development , projects and quality assurance for a variety of companies including Unilever, RHM, and Northern Foods.
I have been teaching at Sheffield Hallam University since 2006.
Trevor Simper
Senior lecturer
I am a senior lecturer and researcher in the food and nutrition group within the Sheffield Business School at Sheffield Hallam University. I am also a registered public health nutritionist.
My undergraduate studies were in health with sport science, and I have a Masters degree in public health and health promotion and a postgraduate teaching certificate in higher education.
My current doctoral studies focus on weight management, nutrition, exercise and behaviour.
I co-ordinated the Bradford Food Network for several years, which won the prestigious Caroline Walker Trust award for improving public health through good food in 2005.
I have worked for a variety of health promotion departments across the country including the London Borough of Southwark, East Staffordshire Borough Council, Rotherham Primary Care Trust and Bradford Health Development Service before I became a full-time academic.
I have published over 20 academic and peer reviewed articles and have managed or been involved in nearly £2 million worth of consultancy projects for the University, including Small Changes, Moving Forward, Be Active and several other nutrition and public health projects in recent years.
Wayne Martindale
Research fellow
I am a research fellow in the Centre for Food Innovation and I am currently working on many aspects of resource efficiency within the food industry and novel ways of communicating food supply chain issues.
I work on multidisciplinary projects within the food and drink sector. My specialist areas are technical communications within agri-food systems and how they impact on our food and industrial supply chain.
I have worked with the Environment Agency, Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development, Agronomy Department Purdue university, Secretariat for International Landcare Australia, British Grassland Society and many companies and agencies across the food sector.
Anna Hall
Course leader
I have a BSc (Honours) in Nutrition Health and Lifestyles and an MSc in Nutrition and Public Health Management, both from Sheffield Hallam University.
I am an associate public health nutritionist and course leader for the BSc Nutrition Health and Lifestyles and BSc Public Health Nutrition.
I have been a lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University for three years. I have also been involved in a variety of research projects focusing on weight management and physical activity, including small changes, be active, and moving forward. I have a particular interest in the role of dietary fibre and seaweed in appetite control and health.
Einir Williams
Senior lecturer
I joined Sheffield Hallam University in May 2007 as a senior lecturer in food technology. My work is divided between teaching undergraduate food and nutrition courses and managing commercial and training projects for clients.
I have been involved in education and training within further and higher education system in the UK for the past eight years, and have conducted research into the use of e-media as a distance learning tool for the food industry.
I have also worked internationally for organisations including the Food and Agricultural Organisation, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, Heinz and the former New Zealand Dairy Board, working in food quality management, new product development and supply chain management.
Jacqueline Lomas
Senior lecturer
I am a senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University with a PhD in human nutrition.
My specialist areas of interest include the effects of diet on Alzheimer's disease and methods of dietary assessment.
I have been lecturing at Sheffield Hallam for 10 years.
Tony Lynn
Senior lecturer
I am the course leader for MSc Nutrition with Public Health Management course.
I have an undergraduate degree and PhD in nutrition. My PhD investigated the effect of raw and processed vegetables on DNA damage in colonocytes.
I have previously worked as a nutritional scientist for the Scottish Foods Standard Agency and as a researcher in the human nutrition unit at the University of Sheffield.
My main area of interest is the effect of phytochemicals on health.
Alison Bell
Senior lecturer
I have a BSc (Honours) in Home Economics from the University of Surrey and an MA in Learning and Teaching from Sheffield Hallam University.
Having spent time working in the food industry, I have now been lecturing at Sheffield Hallam for many years, more recently in the area of academic and professional skills for Food and Nutrition students.
Profiles
Andrew Fairclough
Associate lecturer
Jenny Paxman
Senior lecturer
John Nicolson
Senior lecturer and course leader
Alison Campbell
Senior lecturer
Trevor Simper
Senior lecturer
Wayne Martindale
Research fellow
Anna Hall
Course leader
Einir Williams
Senior lecturer
Jacqueline Lomas
Senior lecturer
Tony Lynn
Senior lecturer
Alison Bell
Senior lecturer
About the course (0:47)
One of our students talks about her experiences on the course, the bits she has enjoyed most and how she has personally developed during her studies.
The nutrition fair (1:32)
One of our students talks about the annual nutrition fair, which nutrition students organise as part of their course to help local food fans make sensible decisions about nutrition and lifestyle.
Stalls at the fair include information on how to
• grow your own vegetables
• eat healthily in pregnancy
• make easy meals from scratch
The fair is open to everyone and offers tasting opportunities, interactive activities and information about diet, food, health and lifestyle. In 2010 it was sponsored by Asda.
Assessment methods (0:50)
One of our students talks about the different assessment methods that are used on the course and how they are varied to meet the different strengths of individuals.
What next (1:11)
A group of our students talk about their career plans after graduating from the course.
Measuring physical health (0:45 )
Understanding how to measure and interpret people's physical health is a key part of studying nutrition. You will gain experience of using different equipment and understanding the results during our nutrition courses. See some of this equipment in use.
Download the transcript of this video.
Consultations (0:45)
You gain experience of providing nutritional advice to individuals who want to make changes to their lifestyle. Our courses help you to develop your communication skills and confidence so that you are able to understand the changes in behaviour needed and support individuals in achieving their goals.
Download the transcript of this video.
Specialist facilities (0:41)
Our students have the opportunity to get involved in research and commercial work undertaken in the sensory booths and feeding facilities.
Download the transcript of this video.
