BSc Nutrition and Dietetics

A full-time undergraduate program in nutrition and dietetics is the Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics. The course typically lasts three years. Students majoring in biosciences typically take it up. In addition to teaching students how to construct a healthy meal for themselves, it also includes themes in the fields of nutrition and dietetics science and teaches them about food management, balanced diet components, eating habits and lifestyle management. A candidate may pursue an MSc in nutrition and dietetics after finishing this course. A candidate may choose to work as a nutritionist or dietitian.

Overview

Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics is an undergraduate full-time course in nutrition and dietetics. The course is generally of 3-years duration. It is generally taken up by bioscience students. It covers the topics in the field of Nutrition and Dietetics Science and teaches its students how to prepare a proper diet for people, food management, components of a balanced diet, eating habits, and Lifestyle management, among others.

Admission to BSc Nutrition and Dietetics courses is mainly based on merit. A candidate must pass 10+2 from a bioscience background with a minimum of 50% marks, to get eligible to apply for the course. There are a number of colleges and universities offering this course like Sharda University, Galgotias University, Quantum University, Chandigarh University, and many more.

After completing this course, a candidate can go on for an MSc degree in nutrition and dietetics. If a candidate doesn’t want to go for further studies he can take up jobs for the position of nutritionist or dietitian.

The average annual fee for completing this course ranges from INR 50,000- INR 2.5 Lakhs per annum. The yearly Annual fees range from as low as INR 10,000 to as high as INR 1,00,000.

The average salary earned by candidates after passing BSc Nutrition and Dietetics courses range up to INR 5 Lakhs per annum.

BSc Nutrition and Dietetics: Course Highlights

Course LevelUndergraduate Full-FormBachelor of Science in Nutrition and DieteticsDuration3 yearsEligibilityMinimum 50% marks in 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as compulsory subjects. Admission Process Mostly merit-basedAverage Course FeeINR 50,000- INR 2.5 Lakhs per annumAverage Annual Salary INR 2-7 Lakhs per annumEmployment AreasHospitals, Nursing Home Facilities, Catering Departments (Starred Hotels), Health Department (Government), Restaurants, and many more.Job profile Nutritionists, Dietitians, Food Quality Manager, Clinical Dieticians, Nutrition Specialist, Food Processing Manager, and alike.

BSc Nutrition and Dietetics: What is it all about?

BSc Nutrition and Dietetics is a course study or module that lays the foundation for food science management and diet management. This course allows you to have exposure to both theoretical and practical aspects of food science.

This course provides complete coverage on the nutrition pattern, nutritional requirements, and appropriate diet type of different individuals, and teaches the candidates how to improve the food habits and ensure dietary wellbeing of the people.
This course also dwells into deeper depths of nutritional requirements of an average human being and teaches the candidates the importance of various types of nutrients and the functions performed by them in our body.
This course also covers the various nutrition deficiency disorders and ways to recover from them.
Candidates can learn the different types of diet plans that need to be prepared depending on the need of the individual through this course.

Why study BSc Nutrition and Dietetics?

You should consider studying BSc nutrition and dietetics course because of the following advantages:

Scope for both self-employment and job: After completing the BSc Nutrition and dietetics course, a candidate has both self-employment and job opportunities open. A candidate can choose to start his own nutrition Clinic and become self-employed, or he can apply for the position of Nutritionist and dietician in various hospitals, gyms, and Health Care clinics.
In-demand course: As the topic of nutrition and diet is always in demand, so nutritionists and dietitians are always in demand. After passing this course, a candidate will not have to worry about future career graphs because there are a lot of career opportunities available in this field.
Chances of a surge in demand in the future: With an increase in awareness about a balanced diet and healthy food, there are chances that there will be even greater demand for nutritionists and dietitians in the near future.

BSc Nutrition and Dietetics: Admission Process

Admission to this course is mostly given on the basis of marks obtained by the candidates in previous qualifying examinations, but some colleges also take entrance examinations for admission to the course. Since the merit-based admission process is more prevalent for this course, hence it is important for a student to get very good marks in the previous examinations so that he can get selected.

Admission to this course is generally a three-step process which is described below:

1. Application to the college:

The first step towards admission to the course is filling out the application form of the college properly.
Please ensure that you fill all the correct information, especially regarding your eligibility, as any mismatch of information may lead to the cancellation of your candidature.?

2. Preparation of merit list for counseling:

The colleges will release a list of successful candidates on the basis of predetermined cutoff, who will be called for interview and document verification.
A candidate must check the college website regularly for any updates on this issue.

3. Interview, Document verification, and enrollment:

This is the final step for the admission process where the selected candidates are called for an interview. The interviewer may or may not ask subject-based questions to the candidates, depending on the policies of the institution.
During document verification, the candidate is required to present all the original transcripts and other documents essential to establish their eligibility.

After the eligibility is proved, the candidate is granted admission to the course.

BSc Nutrition and Dietetics Eligibility

Eligibility criteria for admission to BSc Nutrition and Dietetics courses are discussed below:

A candidate must have passed 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English as compulsory subjects.
Some colleges and universities also accept any one of Botany, Zoology, Biotechnology, or Biochemistry in place of Biology at the 10+2 level.
The candidates should complete 10+2 with a minimum of 50% marks, but some very good colleges also demand a higher percentage.
There are different types of age restrictions followed by different colleges. Some grant admission only to those students who passed 10+2 within the last two academic years, while some colleges grant admission up to 25 years of age.

BSc Nutrition and Dietetics: Entrance Exams

There is no single nationwide entrance examination for admission to BSc Nutrition and Dietetics courses. However, some state universities offering this course take their own university level entrance exams; most of the colleges also accept admission to the course directly on the basis of merit. They prepare a merit list on the basis of 10+2 performance of the candidates.

Name of the Exams	Registration Dates	Exam Dates
NPAT	To be Announced	To be Announced
CUET	February 2024	May 15 – 31, 2024
CUCET	October 30 2023	November 28 – May 30, 2024
SET	December 10 – April 12, 2024	May 06, 2024

How to get admission to a good BSc Nutrition and Dietetics college?

As most of the colleges accept admission to BSc nutrition and dietetics courses on the basis of merit, so it is compulsory for a candidate to school very well in higher secondary class, in order to ease their chances of getting admitted to the course.
Though the minimum eligibility criteria for most of the universities is 50%, the cut off marks generally lie between 80% to 90%.
For admission to the colleges which grant admission through scores in entrance exams, a candidate should prepare well for the entrance exam and make sure that he scores a minimum of 70% marks or higher in the entrance exam.

BSc Nutrition and Dietetics Subjects

BSc Nutrition and Dietetics course involves the study of food management, promotion of health through healthy food, and primarily focusses on the relationship between the body and food. The course comprises 6 semesters in total. The semester wise syllabus of the subject is listed below:

Year 1
Semester 1	Semester 2
Soft skills and communication skills	Public health and nutrition
Human Physiology	Human nutrition
Food and Nutrition	Mother and child health
Food chemistry	Nutritional Biochemistry

Year 2
Semester 3	Semester 4
Food microbiology	Introduction to food science
Family meal and diet planning	Science of bakery and confectionery
Food quality analysis	Introduction to food preservation
Food industry management	–

Year 3
Semester 5	Semester 6
Nutritional ethics	Food Biotechnology
Introduction to Dietetics	Dietetics 2
Food packaging and marketing management	Foodservice management
Food processing operations and management	Diet and patient counseling

BSc Nutrition and Dietetics Vs BSc Food management

BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics and BSc in Food Science are almost similar courses. Below given are the key differences between these two courses in terms of orientation, course structure, fees, career opportunities, and alike.

Parameters	BSc Nutrition and dietetics	BSc Food Science
Full-Form	Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics.	Bachelor of Science in Food Science.
Course Duration	3 Years	3 Years
Objective	This course specifically focuses on nutrition and dietetics. It does not involve the study of other food management aspects.	This course focuses on the entire food management and the science behind it along with nutrition and dietetics.
Admission criteria	Merit-based	Both merit-based and entrance based.
Average Salary	INR 50,000- INR 2.5 Lakhs	INR 10,000 to INR 5 Lakhs
Average Salary Offered	INR 2-7 Lakhs	INR 3-20 Lakhs
Top Recruiting Areas	Hospitals, Nursing Home Facilities, Catering Departments (Starred Hotels), Health Department (Government), Restaurants, and many more.	Food Packing Company, Colleges & Universities, Food Processing Companies, Science Research Centers, Content Writing (health), and such.

BSc Nutrition and Dietetics FAQs

Ques. What is the career scope for a dietitian in India?

Ans: The scope for a dietitian is increasing in India day by day as people are getting more aware of maintaining a balanced diet. So, the career scope for a dietitian in India is also increasing.

Ques. What are the job opportunities as a clinical nutritionist in India?

Ans: Most of the renowned hospitals in India have a separate post for clinical nutritionists where they recruit candidates with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics. Also, many doctors recruit separate clinical nutritionists for their private nursing homes.

Ques. Which are the top private colleges providing courses in nutrition and dietetics?

Ans: SRM Institute of Science and Technology and Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research are the top private colleges providing BSc courses in nutrition and dietetics.

Ques. Can BSc in nutrition and dietetics also be done in combination with food management?

Ans: Yes, many renowned universities provide BSc nutrition and dietetics courses in combination with food management.