What do we do at the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics?
At the University of the Free State (UFS) Department of Nutrition and Dietetics we teach future dietitians to apply the science of nutrition and food to improve quality of life and performance as well as to prevent and treat disease.
Dietitians specialise in the following fields:
- Therapeutic nutrition
- Community nutrition
- Sports nutrition
- Food service management
- Research
Dietitians work mostly in hospitals and clinics, private practices, government institutions, the media and journalism, the food and nutrition industry as well as research establishments. Scientific developments, including new fields such as nutrigenomics (association between nutrition and genetics), continuously expand career opportunities in the field of dietetics.
From the first year of study, theoretical principles are practically applied and emphasised in local hospitals, the community, and food services. Close liaison within the five schools in the Faculty of Health Sciences (Allied Health Professions, Biomedical Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Pathology, and Nursing) allows unique interdisciplinary training opportunities. Active participation in nutrition service delivery in the community enables students to develop excellent creative and entrepreneurial skills.
Students from the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics combine study, service and research with fun!
Fourth-year Dietetics students provide a much-needed community service in urban and rural areas of the Free State. This service not only provides nutrition education to prevent and treat disease, but also comprises a long-term community engagement research project on nutrition-related health issues in these communities.
The challenge for students and lecturers is to design, develop, implement, and monitor appropriate educational and health promoting programmes emphasising the prevention and management of disease in disadvantaged communities. Other than providing a relevant service, this unique opportunity in turn offers a valuable learning opportunity to students in a real community setting.
Job opportunities in the field of nutrition and dietetics are abundant and this versatile career allows dietitians to specialise and work in a wide variety of areas that cater for each personality type.
Consider a dynamic career in dietetics!