Bachelor's Programme in Public Health Nutrition

Adequate nutrition is a fundamental prerequisite for growth, development, learning, function and health throughout the life cycle. Food and meals are of great importance for well-being and are for most people an important part of everyday life. Although most people in Norway are able to meet their energy needs, the global disease burden project shows that inappropriate diet and eating patterns are among the factors that contribute most to disease, reduced health as well as reduced function and well-being. At the same time, the composition of the diet affects the environment through climate footprint and thereby the conditions of life in the short and long term. The population's diet and nutritional status are therefore of great importance from a public health perspective.

The causes of unbalanced nutrition and the consequences of this are many and complex. This means that measures to promote health and well-being through good nutrition must be based on solid knowledge about what affects the population's diet and how change processes can be implemented. This requires social understanding and knowledge and skills in terms of methods and instruments at different levels.

Applied Public Health Nutrition or community-oriented nutritional work is systematic and evidence-based efforts to promote sustainable nutrition. It targets all groups in society and all phases of life. Opportunities for good nutrition is influenced by social structures such as laws and regulations, political decisions, economic conditions, access to healthy food and dietary and nutritional competence of the individual and other stakeholders. Nutrition work in society is therefore based on such knowledge.

Community-oriented nutritional work takes place in arenas where the population lives their lives; at health centres, in kindergartens, in schools and the SFO (after-school program), in workplaces, social meeting places and in institutions responsible for residents' nutrition, such as child welfare institutions, sheltered housing, nursing homes and prisons. Community-oriented nutrition work also takes place through information activities, planning work, political work and lobbying.

UiA's bachelor's programme in Applied Public Health Nutrition is a 3-year integrated bachelor's programme. The programme will contribute to a competent and flexible workforce within nutrition work in society, with expertise in nutritional work locally and nationally, but also with global perspectives and knowledge of European and international guidelines for nutritional work.

The study programme will contribute to a solid knowledge base in the field of nutrition, based on knowledge of food, the functioning of the body, nutritional physiology, community-oriented nutrition, national and global nutrition policy and nutritional epidemiology. The programme will promote generic skills related to dissemination, project development, collaboration and capacity building. The programme will help to build change competence and develop the candidates' innovative skills through social entrepreneurship. Skills in terms of mapping, planning, development, implementation and evaluation of nutritional measures are central to the programme.

On successful completion of the study programme, students will:

Knowledge

• have broad knowledge of key topics in nutrition from a human biological perspective
• have broad knowledge of key topics, theories, issues, tools and methods in public health nutrition
• have knowledge of Norwegian nutrition policy and its importance for the practice of community-oriented nutrition work
• be familiar with research and development work in the field of nutrition
• have knowledge of the history, traditions, distinctive character and place of nutrition in society
• have knowledge of influence factors for food choices
• be familiar with key challenges related to nutrition, health and sustainability
• be able to update and further develop their knowledge in the field of nutrition

Skills

• be able to plan, develop, implement and evaluate measures within community-oriented nutrition work based on professional knowledge, theories and relevant methods
• be able to find, critically assess and refer to information and subject matter, and present this in a responsible and honest manner
• master relevant professional tools, techniques and forms of expression within community-oriented nutrition work
• be able to initiate collaborative processes and work interdisciplinary in projects

General competence

• be able to initiate and manage initiatives and smaller projects in accordance with ethical requirements and guidelines
• be able to communicate central subject matter both in writing and orally to various target groups
• be able to exchange and discuss views and experiences with people from different professional backgrounds
• be familiar with innovation and innovation processes in the field
• have insight into ethical issues within the field
• master basic requirements for scientific presentation and argumentation

Teaching and learning methods in the programme will promote in-depth learning and practical skills, and will help students to reach the learning outcomes. In addition to lectures, student-active teaching methods will be used, such as seminars, group work, collaborative projects, working life practices, practical exercises in kitchens and computer labs, role-play, entrepreneurship projects and student presentations. Supervision will be given in courses with larger projects. In some courses, parts of the teaching may be online.

The digital learning platform Canvas is used as a communication channel for the study programme.

Parts of the teaching in the individual courses are compulsory. See the individual course description for more information.

The major nutritional challenges are global. It is therefore important to have an international perspective on these challenges. Students will therefore be encouraged to exchange in the 4th semester to broaden their perspectives, and to gain experience and knowledge of how other countries face dietary and nutritional challenges. It will also be possible to take English-language courses at the University of Agder, mainly related to sustainable development. Students will meet global perspectives in several of the study programme's own courses. The language of instruction in the study programme is Norwegian, but some courses/parts of courses may be taught in English. Some of the literature will be in English.

More information about exchange opportunities can be found on the university's website.

It is recommended that the students have completed and passed courses in the first year of study when they start the second year of study.

In order to start the 6th semester, students must have passed all the courses in the first year of study. To start the bachelor's thesis, the students must also have passed ME-200 Introduction to Scientific Method and Statistics.

The Bachelor's programme in Applied Public Health Nutrition qualifies for admission to the Master's programme in Public Health Science at the University of Agder and other master's programmes at home and abroad.

Graduates with a bachelor's degree in Applied Public Health Nutrition can apply for public sector positions at the municipal, county or state level. There are also relevant positions within nonprofit organizations that operate in arenas where diet and nutrition are part of the offering or are part of the health promotion work. The graduates also have relevant expertise for positions in the business sector, for example in the food industry, health and nutrition dissemination and in larger companies with their own food offering.

Students must present a police certificate upon admission to the programme. Notice on the police certificate may result in the applicant being excluded from practical courses in the study programme.