Bachelor in Nutrition and Health

3 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

VIA University College

Program Overview

VIA University College’s Professional Bachelor’s in Nutrition and Health combines nutritional science, food technology, health promotion, communication and applied professional training. It suits students who want to improve health through food and meals, whether their interests lie in clinical dietetics, preventive health, food-product development or foodservice leadership.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: All students complete a common foundation covering Nutrition, Biochemistry, Physiology, Public Health, Food Technology, Psychology and Pedagogy. The first semester examines how nutrition influences bodily functions, disease prevention and public health, while the second develops knowledge of ingredients, processing methods, hygiene, sustainability, sensory quality, food production and organisational leadership.

After the first year, students choose between Health Promotion and Dietetics and Food and Leadership. Within Health Promotion and Dietetics, students can later follow either Health Promotion and Prevention or the limited-capacity Clinical Dietetics route.

Year 2: Health Promotion and Dietetics students study Lifestyle Diseases, Disease Pathology and Pharmacology, Dietary Treatment, Health Communication and Counselling. They also explore lifestyle factors, ethics, health education, qualitative research and interdisciplinary healthcare collaboration, while Clinical Dietetics students undertake more advanced nutrition therapy and diet treatment.

Food and Leadership students concentrate on Production Technology, Leadership and Organisation, Food Chemistry and Food Legislation. Their studies connect meal production with target-group needs, professional communication, quality methods and collaboration across health and foodservice professions.

Year 3: Health Promotion and Dietetics students study Health Interventions, Nutrition Education, Quality Development, Project Management and Professional Ethics while completing substantial workplace training. Students specialising in Clinical Dietetics practise nutrition therapy for patients in treatment and rehabilitation, while Health Promotion and Prevention students work with physical activity, measurement techniques and practical food communication.

Food and Leadership students study Quality Development, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Food Technology and Food Styling before undertaking project-based work in concept development, food-product development and innovation. Their projects may address challenges from private food companies or public meal-service organisations.

Final Semester: Students complete elective study and an independent Professional Bachelor Project based on a self-selected nutrition, health, dietetics, food or leadership issue. The project uses scientific methods, research literature and relevant findings from practice-based development or research and may be completed individually, collaboratively or through an interdisciplinary group.

Focus areas: Human nutrition, physiology, public health, food science, food safety, sensory quality, health promotion, clinical dietetics, dietary counselling, food technology, sustainable meal production, leadership, quality management, innovation and communication.

Learning outcomes: Graduates learn to analyse nutrition and health needs, plan health-promoting or therapeutic interventions, communicate with patients and communities, develop safe and nutritionally appropriate food and meal solutions, manage quality and production processes, and apply research evidence within professional practice.

Professional alignment: Graduates receive the protected academic title Professional Bachelor in Nutrition and Health, officially translated as Bachelor of Nutrition and Health. Students who complete the Health Promotion and Dietetics pathway with the Clinical Dietetics specialisation may qualify for professional authorisation under the title Clinical Dietitian.

Reputation: VIA is one of Denmark’s largest higher-education institutions, with approximately 18,000 students, more than 40 degree programmes and a strong applied-learning model that combines research-based teaching with practical training in public and private organisations. VIA is a publicly recognised and state-financed Danish higher-education institution.

Official programme link: Professional Bachelor’s in Nutrition and Health – VIA University College

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

VIA places practical professional development at the centre of the programme. Students move regularly between scientific theory, cooking and food experimentation, counselling exercises, group projects, professional cases, company visits and supervised workplace training.

Students complete three placements totalling 17–22 weeks, depending on their chosen pathway. VIA guarantees access to placement opportunities and ensures that every student has a professional supervisor, although students participate in identifying a suitable host organisation.

The programme’s main practical experiences and facilities include:

Gastronomic workshop: Students test ingredients, cooking techniques, recipes and meal concepts while examining how preparation affects flavour, aroma, texture, nutritional quality and people’s ability or willingness to eat.
Food microbiology and hygiene training: Students learn food-safety principles, microbiology and kitchen self-monitoring procedures that support safe food production.
Counselling simulations: Health Promotion and Dietetics students practise consultation, communication and dietary-guidance techniques for working with citizens and patients.
Clinical and community placements: Possible settings include hospitals, municipal health centres, sports or lifestyle schools and other organisations working with health promotion, rehabilitation and diet treatment.
Food-sector placements: VIA lists examples such as Karolines Køkken, AgroTech, Tulip and the Danish Ministry of Food, alongside food companies, public meal services and research placements at universities or university colleges. These are examples of possible hosts rather than guaranteed placements with one particular organisation.
International placements: Previous VIA students have completed placements at hospitals in Norway, a women’s health project in the Philippines, a research centre in Australia and schools in Indonesia.
Group projects: Students work extensively in study groups of approximately four to six members, applying nutrition, biochemistry, physiology and food-science knowledge to assignments, projects and professional cases.
Company visits: Students visit organisations and meet Nutrition and Health graduates who explain their roles, working environments and career development.
Campus laboratories: Campus Aarhus N provides laboratories, specialist teaching rooms, training facilities and modern equipment shared across five health-related programmes.
Library and learning spaces: The campus includes a shared library, auditoriums, classrooms and group-study rooms supporting research, project work and collaborative learning.
Makerspaces: Students have access to digital prototyping facilities equipped with resources such as 3D printers, laser cutters and robotics technology for developing and testing innovative ideas.
Student Incubator: VIA’s student incubator offers free entrepreneurial guidance and opportunities to develop ideas in cooperation with companies, municipalities, regional organisations and local institutions.
Digital platforms: Students have access to MitVIA for study information and Praktikportalen for placement-related processes. VIA does not name a dedicated nutrition-analysis or menu-planning software package on the public programme page.

Official facilities link: Campus Aarhus N – Facilities

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates can pursue health, clinical, food-production, quality, education and management roles across hospitals, municipalities, food companies, institutional kitchens and private practice. Depending on the selected pathway, typical roles include Clinical Dietitian, Nutrition or Health Consultant, Food Product Developer and Food Quality Coordinator.

Career preparation and graduate opportunities include:

Professional career routes: VIA graduates have worked as clinical dietitians in hospitals, nutrition consultants in municipal health centres, quality coordinators, menu planners, teachers and independent nutrition or fitness advisers.
Food and leadership careers: Relevant positions include Production Manager, Kitchen Manager, Quality Coordinator, Food-Legislation Officer, Product-Development Specialist, Nutrition-Calculation Specialist and Sustainable Food Production Coordinator.
Health promotion careers: Graduates may become Health Consultants, Project Officers, Nutrition Educators, Workplace-Wellness Advisers or consultants supporting physical activity and preventive-health initiatives.
Clinical Dietetics value: Completing the Clinical Dietetics route provides a pathway to professional authorisation as a Clinical Dietitian, supporting long-term employment in regulated clinical nutrition and diet-treatment roles.
Career Centre: VIA’s Career Centre connects students with employers through project collaborations, internships, student jobs, recruitment events and its online job and internship bank.
Professional networking: Company visits, guest interactions, placements and externally focused projects enable students to build relationships with hospitals, municipalities, food companies, research institutions and public authorities.
Entrepreneurship support: The Student Incubator offers guidance to students interested in establishing nutrition consultancies, food businesses, health projects or other practice-based ventures.
Graduation outcome: Successful students complete 210 ECTS and receive the title Bachelor of Nutrition and Health after finishing the required coursework, practical training, elective component and Professional Bachelor Project.
Employment statistics: VIA does not publish a current programme-specific employment percentage on the public Nutrition and Health programme page. Its official programme information therefore supports describing broad career destinations, but not assigning a current numerical employment rate.
Salary figures: VIA does not publish an official programme-specific graduate salary figure, so no salary should be presented as a guaranteed outcome of this degree.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates may apply to relevant advanced programmes, subject to each university’s admission criteria. VIA identifies possible progression routes including Human Nutrition and Food Innovation and Health at the University of Copenhagen, Sport and Health at the University of Southern Denmark, and programmes in Public Health, Integrated Food Studies, Learning and Change Processes, and International Food Quality and Health.

After gaining at least two years of relevant professional experience, graduates may also pursue continuing education such as a diploma in leadership alongside employment. VIA additionally offers shorter courses, conferences and advanced professional study in areas including health, ageing, disability and social care.