Course Information
What you will learn
The Degree program is the following:
- First year: study of bio-medical disciplines that allows the better understanding of the most relevant elements that are the basis of physiological and pathological processes affecting nutrition, as well as food chemistry and dietary principles.
- Second year: study of the main problems of community health and responses of social and health services to nutritional needs, as well as the knowledge of psycho-pedagogical foundations. This knowledge allows students to obtain a good theoretical training-practice in the area of community nutrition and food education.
- Third year: medical-teaching and clinical internship. The aim of these study is to acquire specific skills in the field of clinical nutrition and diet therapy and to learn about the main ethical rules governing professional practice of dietitians.
- The internship is mandatory in the three years of course , is carried out in collaboration with graduate dietitians and employees of affiliated university and business structures that, as tutors, prepare students for the exercise of the profession.
The final degree exam is a qualification for the profession of dietician. After graduation, which allows students to obtainthe Bachelor Degree in Dietetics, no additional internship is therefore required to practice the profession.
Career options
The Dietitian is the healthcare professional competent in all activities aimed at the correct application of nutrition and dietetics. In particular, they can practice them profession in three main areas.
- In the clinical field, they formulates and elaborates personalised diets for patients (prescribed by the doctor), monitoring them according to clinical progress and collaborating with other professionals in the treatment of eating disorders.
- In the nutrition of community field they elaborates the composition of food rations and menus to meet the nutritional needs of population groups; they deals with the quality of collective catering services provided in school canteens, in hospitals and in sheltered homes for the elderly.
- In the educational field, the dietitian carries out educational activities in the school or health context to promote proper eating habits.
Dietitians can exercise them profession, independently and responsibly, in health facilities (hospitals, nursing homes, clinics) and extra health (Municipality, Province, catering companies, food industries), public or private (kindergartens, schools, sports centers).