Postgraduate Diploma in Sports and Exercise Nutrition
Looking to improve your knowledge and skills while advancing your career? Our brand new Postgraduate Diploma in Sports and Exercise Nutrition is designed for professionals in the field looking to upskill and broaden their scope, including sport and exercise scientists, sports medicine physicians, physiotherapists, nutritionists, dietitians, and GPs and nurse practitioners.
This flexible, part-time Diploma in Sports and Exercise Nutrition will not only give you a solid foundation in nutrition, but also in physiology. Our Diploma in Sports Nutrition has been designed to align with the standards set by the Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register (SENr), the leading professional organisation for performance nutritionists in the UK and globally. No fixed timetable means busy professionals from all over the world can fit their postgraduate studies around their current work and life commitments with Learna | Diploma MSc’s sports nutrition courses.
Subject to validation
Next intake: September 2024Key Facts
Nutrition plays an essential role in exercise and sport as it is important for health, adaptations to physical activity, exercise, weight maintenance and exercise performance. It’s not just for elite and pro athletes, but for recreational exercisers too. Gain the specialist knowledge and expertise required to guide and support athletes with tailored nutritional strategies to improve strength, endurance and recovery. Or if you're a healthcare professional treating patients with lifestyle-related diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, you can apply the learning from this programme to encourage healthier dietary habits, leading to improved overall health and wellbeing.
The successful completion of our sports nutrition course will enable graduates to:
- Provide an advanced study of issues in sport and exercise nutrition to facilitate the implementation of evidence-based care and best practice.
- Prepare for and/or develop skills at a professional level, or as preparation for research or further study in the area.
- Develop positive and critical attitudes towards key areas in sport and exercise nutrition, so as to reflect the dynamism and vibrancy of the environment.
Subject To Validation
This programme has not yet been validated by a University partner. We are accepting applications for this course on the basis that it will shortly be validated. Please note that all applications are subject to this validation being approved.
Faculty
Programme Leader
Nicki de Villiers
Current Role: Founder and Consulting Dietician, The Sports Performance Hub
Nicki graduated as a dietitian at the University of Pretoria and then completed a postgraduate diploma through...
Subject to validation
Next intake: September 2024 Key Facts
Programme Leader
Nicki de Villiers
Current Role: Founder and Consulting Dietician, The Sports Performance Hub
Nicki graduated as a dietitian at the University of Pretoria and then completed a postgraduate diploma through the International Olympic Committee in Switzerland and a Master’s degree in dietetics.
Her career started as dietitian at Charlotte Maxeka Hospital and later in private practice at Pretoria Heart Hospital. She then developed an interest in sport nutrition whilst playing basketball at national level.
She is currently working as a private consulting dietitian at her own practice at The Sports Performance Hub in Hatfield.
Nicki consults for various PSL teams, professional rugby teams, the Comrades Marathon Association and individual athletes at Olympic and recreational levels.
She is a part-time lecturer of sport nutrition for students studying sport science, biokinetics, dietetics and medical doctors specializing in sport at the University of Pretoria.
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Why Study a Sport & Exercise Nutrition Postgraduate Diploma with Learna
We have over 10 years’ experience delivering online courses, giving you access to flexible, affordable distance learning in partnership with world-leading educators.
100% Flexible
Our courses are 100% online. No fixed study times mean you can log in and learn whenever and wherever.
Multidisciplinary - study in a group of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.
Expert Led
All of our programmes are authored and developed by world leading experts in their field.
Our faculty are selected due to their subject expertise, experience and teaching abilities to ensure the highest standards of educational excellence.
Career Boosting
Get a University Validated postgraduate qualification in just 1 calendar year instead of 2 academic years.
40% of our alumni reported an increase in salary 2 years after studying with us.
Who is this course for?
The part time, distance learning diploma in sports and exercise nutrition is specifically designed for current and aspiring sport and exercise nutritionists who have a desire to upskill and broaden their scope of practise within the field.
The individuals suitable for our MSc in sports nutrition distance learning course would typically be:
- Sport & exercise scientists
- Sports medicine physicians
- Physiotherapists
- Nutritionists
- Dietitians
How Will I Learn?
You will be supported throughout your studies by a committed team of internationally recognised educational experts.
Our courses are conducted through our interactive online learning platform, log in daily whenever and wherever you want. No fixed timetable empowers you to study when it suits you
These usually occur within groups of 10-20 students, allowing you to clearly communicate with both your tutor and fellow students.
Curriculum
Our online sports nutrition courses allow you to study for just one calendar year and is a part-time, distance-learning course. The course is worth 120 credits and comprises six modules of 20 credits, each running over a period of six weeks.Module Aims
This module aims to develop the student’s understanding of the different physiological systems and concepts of the human body. Students will be able to develop an appreciation of how these systems contribute to normal physiological functioning during homeostasis and imbalance.
Module Content
- Musculoskeletal system, including power and strength
- Cardiovascular system, respiration and aerobic fitness
- Neuro-endocrine system
- Immune system
- Fluid, electrolyte balance and thermoregulation
- Principles and components of fitness
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate a systematic, extensive and comparative knowledge and understanding of the importance of an in-depth knowledge of physiology and health.
- Critically evaluate current research and advanced scholarship in human physiology.
- Undertake critical evaluation of scenarios involving human physiology in sport and exercise and interpret these into current employment.
- Demonstrate a critical evaluation of the literature and successful decision awareness in human physiology to formulate appropriate solutions for the student’s practice; evidence-based decision making.
- Reflect on learning from prior experience, challenge preconceptions, remove subject and function boundaries in order to holistically integrate new knowledge to complex or novel situations.
Module Aims
This module aims to develop the student’s practical and theoretical skills essential to understand the digestive system and the requirements of human nutrition to optimise health, especially in the terms of the relevant evidence-based guidelines and the latest research relating to food and health.
The student will develop analytical skills to enable them to assess the adequacy of nutritional intake as applied to general populations and subgroups of populations to include ethnicity and/or cultural differences. An awareness of the effect of nutrient deficiencies and excesses on health and an appreciation of the role of diet in various nutrition related diseases will be developed.
The student will also be provided with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of professional conduct, good working practice and competency in nutritional assessment.
Module Content
- Digestion, absorption and excretion
- Energy, macronutrients
- Micronutrients
- Dietary assessment and recommended intakes
- Contribution of nutritional deficiencies to disease
- The effects of disease on nutrition requirements
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate a systematic, extensive and comparative knowledge and understanding of nutrients, the metabolism thereof and their role in health.
- Critically evaluate current issues and research in human nutrition.
- Demonstrate a critical knowledge of the unique complexities of nutrition and the human mechanisms supporting this.
- Undertake critical evaluation of scenarios involving human nutrition in sport and exercise and interpret these into current employment.
- Critical evaluation of the literature and successful decision awareness in human nutrition to formulate appropriate solutions for the student’s practice; evidence-based decision making.
Module Aims
This module aims to develop the student’s theoretical understanding and appreciation of the integration between physiological and biochemical responses to physical activity. This will include analysis and assessment of testing methods available. It also aims to help students develop the knowledge and skills to translate the principles of Sport and Exercise Nutrition into foods and eating patterns appropriate to client lifestyles.
Module Content
- Carbohydrate metabolism
- Lipid metabolism
- Protein and amino acid metabolism in muscle
- The regulation of ATP synthesis in skeletal muscle
- Physiological adaptations to exercise
- Laboratory techniques and field testing in sport and exercise nutrition
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate a systematic, extensive and comparative knowledge and understanding to select relevant laboratory and field-testing techniques for the assessment of health and performance within the scope of practice of a sport and exercise nutrition practitioner.
- Take an international and ethical/sustainable perspective on nutrition practices in exercise.
- Merge theoretical facts, ideas and critically evaluate nutrition literature in support of sport and exercise.
- Application of combined professional knowledge with nutrition skills to improve exercise nutrition delivery in complex situations.
- Exercise of initiative, personal responsibility and ethical decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations.
Module Aims
- This module aims to develop the student’s practical and theoretical skills essential to designing, delivering and monitoring performance nutrition programs for different sporting modalities. Students will be taught to examine the influence of nutrition on sport and exercise performance and to explore the role of nutritional strategies during the preparation for, participation in and recovery from exercise. It also aims to help students develop the knowledge and skills to translate the principles of Sport and Exercise Nutrition into foods and eating patterns appropriate to the lifestyle of athletes with the aim of optimising performance at training and/or competition.
Module Content
- Intake prior to training or competition
- Intake during training or competition
- Post exercise or training recovery
- Hydration
- Metabolic effects, efficacy, health, safety and legal aspects of ergogenic aids
- Nutritional education of athletes
Learning Outcomes
- Critically evaluate the theoretical basis for the metabolic effects, efficacy, health, safety and legal aspects of ergogenic aids of all kinds including pharmacologically active agents, sports foods, sports drinks, and supplements.
- Demonstrate a critical awareness of current issues in sport and exercise nutrition informed by research and novel practice in the field.
- Demonstrate originality, insight and critical/reflective practice to solve problems and create innovative sport and exercise nutrition.
- Apply combined professional knowledge with nutrition skills to improve sport and exercise nutrition delivery in complex situations.
- Critical evaluation of the literature and successful decision awareness in sport and exercise nutrition to formulate appropriate solutions for the student’s practice; evidence-based decision making.
Module Aims
This module aims to develop the student’s theoretical knowledge of body composition. This includes the process of assessment, recommendations for different sporting modalities and the influence of diet configuration on body weight regulation.
Module Content
- Body composition and its assessment
- Body composition and its regulation for health
- The effect of body Composition on sport performance
- Enhancing muscle mass
- Decreasing fat mass
- The impact of psychological, physiological and health effects of changing body composition on the athlete
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate a systematic, extensive and comparative knowledge and understanding of the physiological, environmental and behavioural factors that influence body composition, with a particular focus on dietary composition and intake (both generalised and individualised), and its impact on health & performance.
- Merge theoretical facts, ideas and critically evaluate sport and exercise literature in support of body composition.
- Critically discriminate in the selection and use of evidence and techniques to address complex problems in sport and exercise settings involving body composition.
- Critically evaluate real-life sport and exercise nutrition dilemmas involving body composition, and interpret these into current employment.
- Reflect on learning from prior experience, challenge preconceptions, remove subject and function boundaries in order to holistically integrate new knowledge to complex or novel situations.
Module Aims
This module aims to develop the student’s knowledge, interpretation and practical skills essential to sport related nutritional considerations. Students will be taught on various approaches to address relative energy deficiency in sport, the female athlete, the travelling and injured athlete; as well as nutritional support for the disabled, young and ageing athlete. Students will be guided through the approach of weight making sports, e.g. boxing, mixed martial arts, jockeys, etc.
Module Content
- Relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S)
- Relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) - female athlete
- Travelling athlete
- The injured athlete
- Special populations
- Making weight (boxing, MMA, jockeys etc)
Learning Outcomes
- Critically formulate sport and exercise nutrition advice for an individual, taking into account the demands of the chosen sport, the sport related nutrition considerations, and the individuality of the participant.
- Analyse, and demonstrate an understanding of how and when to refer problems (e.g. medical, nutritional, psychological) outside your area of expertise.
- Demonstrate critical awareness of current issues in sport and exercise nutrition, informed by research and novel practice in the field.
- Undertake critical thinking/reflection to provide judgement and suitable courses of action related to sport and exercise nutrition.
- Reflect on learning from prior experience, challenge preconceptions, remove subject and function boundaries in order to holistically integrate new knowledge to complex or novel situations.
Assessment Methods
This diploma in sports nutrition places assessments at the heart of the learning process through the employment of clinical scenarios to enhance problem-solving, critical analysis and evidence-based care. Since the scenarios act as a focus for learning and assessment, the two are intrinsically linked.
The six modules on the course have the same assessment format and for all modules, you will be assigned a dedicated expert tutor. Your tutor will then facilitate case discussions with the group, whilst monitoring, assessing and marking your work throughout.
Due to the online nature of the course, you will be expected to regularly login and participate in the course - ideally on a daily basis. Students are recommended to spend around two hours per day on their studies.
- Every week students are presented with two/three clinical case-based scenarios that are reflective of every day clinical practice and research.
- Tutors will post a number of questions and prompts to aid students in a formal discussion of each case.
- These discussions are facilitated throughout by your tutor and are then assessed at the end of every module.
The online reflective journal is a learning portfolio that requires students to record and critically reflect on their learning. Reflection is an important aspect of the programme since the professionals will be able to spend time considering how their practice compares to the themes being discussed in the module. The tutor provides feedback to the student weekly and marks it at the end of the module. Reflective practice is a requirement for healthcare professionals for professional re-validation and professional development.
This can be either a Group Activity or an Individual Activity:
Group activity
Designed to stimulate and test the students’ ability to work as a team in taking the subject area forward. A group task is set, the group elects a leader using the online forum and the leader allocates tasks to group members. The leader is responsible for managing, collating and submitting the activity (online) at the end of the module. The tutor provides formative guidance part way through the module and marks the assessment at the end.
or
Individual activity
Designed to stimulate and demonstrate personalised learning, creativity and problem solving with application to each student’s own practice area.
Examples of individual activities might include either a written assignment, developing an academic poster presentation, a blog or social media project.
All students must complete the same assignment for each module which is pre-determined by the Programme Leader before the modules commence.
- Case problems in the form of a one-hour timed examination with multiple-choice questions directly test the reasoning and knowledge objectives of the module.
- The online exam is marked automatically.
- The examination tests related theory and problem-solving skills.
Entry requirements
Our online sports nutrition courses are delivered entirely online, making them accessible to both UK and international registered healthcare professionals.
Applicants will typically hold a first degree or equivalent (including international qualifications) in a relevant professional healthcare or related field, such as a medical or nursing degree.
Registered healthcare professionals without these recognised qualifications will be considered for our distance learning sports nutrition diploma on an individual basis and a wide range of prior experience may be taken into account. In some cases, applicants may be asked to submit a piece of work for assessment in order to confirm that they are able to work comfortably at postgraduate level, and demonstrate the requisite clinical and professional knowledge.
Documents Required
- A copy of your updated CV including your address and date of birth.
- A copy of your undergraduate degree certificate.
- The name and email address of someone who is able to provide a reference, this can be a work colleague, employer or former tutor.
- A detailed personal statement explaining why you would like to undertake the course.
- A copy of your proof of English competency (see below).
English Language Requirements
Proficiency in the English language is also essential to completing our courses. If English is NOT your first language, we ask for proof of competency during the application process. We are able to accept an IELTS overall score of 6.0 (with a minimum of 5.5 for each band) or an equivalent qualification.
If you do not meet these requirements, please don’t worry. You can also contact our admissions team on admissions@learna.ac.uk for more information on the qualifications we accept.
Course Fees
Option 1: Upfront Payment in full. Option 2: Interest free payments every other month for the duration of the course.
| Date | Instalments | Up-Front Payments |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | £790 | £4,725 |
| 1st November 2024 | £787 | |
| 1st January 2025 | £787 | |
| 1st March 2025 | £787 | |
| 1st May 2025 | £787 | |
| 1st July 2025 | £787 |
† Deposits are non-refundable
†† Prices are subject to review following each intake
Option 3: Lower your monthly payments by spreading the cost for between 2 and 8 years with a loan from our lending partner Lendwise*.
*Subject to eligibility criteria.
Learna | Diploma MSc has a partnership with Lendwise which is a leading private student loan provider, to help UK students fund their course fees should they require financing. Lendwise is a UK-based education finance platform through which candidates can fund their postgraduate and professional qualification studies at leading educational institutions.
A Lendwise loan comes with a fixed interest rate for the duration of the loan (between 2 and 8 years) and no early repayment penalties. The interest rate offered will depend on the overall applicant profile and the application process is entirely online.*
*Other sources of funding are available.
Learna | Diploma MSc does not offer financial advice, recommend or endorse any financial product. You should always check the suitability of the product that is of interest to you. If you are in any doubt as to its suitability, we suggest that you seek independent professional advice.
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We have over 10 years’ experience delivering online diploma courses, giving you access to flexible, affordable distance learning in partnership with world-leading educators.
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