BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics Course at Boitekanelo College

BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics Course at Boitekanelo College

What is Nutrition and Dietetics?

A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and nutrition and their impacts on health. Some people specialize in particular areas, such as sports nutrition, public health, or animal nutrition, among other disciplines. 

Admission Requirements

The Bachelor of Science Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics programme for fulltime students shall be offered for 4 year (full time). 

Candidate must satisfy the minimum entry requirement for Boitekanelo College for degree courses. To be eligible for admission in BSc. in Nutrition & Dietetics, you need minimum of: BGCSE or equivalent with at least 36 points , a minimum of grade C in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, D in English as well as a credit in any other subject

Foreword

The science and profession of nutrition and dietetics is based on the application of foods and nutrition to promote health and treat disease. The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics is a part of the School of Allied Health Sciences which offers a combination of didactic and experiential education which allows graduates to be eligible to register with the Botswana Health Professions Council following graduation.

The program, allows for the mastery of the foundation knowledge and skills competencies for entry-level dietitians. Classroom learning is combined with supervised internship. The programme combines all the three components, i.e. Therapeutic (Clinical) Nutrition, Community Nutrition and Foodservice Systems Management.

Rationale

With increasing recognition of the association between diet and disease and the importance of diet in health promotion, dietitians are needed to participate in research, to educate the public on ways to promote health through diet, and to educate individuals suffering from chronic diseases on ways to incorporate dietary modifications into their lifestyles.

Currently, Sub-Saharan Africa needs more trained expertise in this area to serve the diversified public health and nutritional needs and, therefore, the need for this programme.

Modules

Year 1

  • Chemistry 1
  • Basic Mathematics
  • Communication & Study Skills
  • Introduction to computer Applications
  • Introduction to Cell Biology
  • Fundamentals of Food & Nutrition
  • Chemistry 2
  • Microbiology
  • Anatomy and Physiology
  • Introduction to Dietetics
  • Meal management & Food Production

Year 2

  • Nutritional Status Assessment
  • Organizational Behaviour
  • Health Economics
  • Nutritional Biochemistry
  • Introduction to Pharmacology
  • Nutrition in the Life Cycle
  • Introduction to Psychology
  • Ethics for Health Professionals
  • Food Science & Technology
  • Management Principles (In Food Service)
  • Therapeutic Nutrition 1

Year 3

  • Research Methods
  • Advanced Nutrition & Human Metabolism
  • Community Nutrition 1
  • Food Service Systems & Delivery
  • Therapeutic Nutrition 2
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Introduction to Biostatistics
  • Community Nutrition 2
  • Quantity Food Production
  • Medical Nutrition Therapy
  • Research Proposal

Year 4

  • Research Project
  • Community Nutrition Internship
  • Food Service Internship
  • Therapeutic Internship
  • Community Nutrition Internship
  • Food Service Internship
  • Therapetic Internship

Career Outlook and Employment Opportunities

The field of nutrition and dietetics offers promising careers in which individuals can function professionally as registered dietitians. Additionally, a degree in dietetic scan be used as a foundation to prepare for further studies or graduate school. Dietitians can work in a variety of settings such as:

  • Hospitals /ClinicsCommunity / Public Health
  • Food service management / Food Industry
  • Research
  • Corporate
  • Academia
  • Sports
  • Private Practice / Consultancy