letter - St Mary's University College

Dear Student, 

Congratulations on being accepted on to our Nutrition programme. The teaching team is 

delighted to welcome you to our degree programme and hope that you enjoy your 

undergraduate studies in nutrition here at St Mary’s. 

The nutrition team prides itself in developing effective partnerships with our students and 

believe this contributes to academic success. We are keen to do all that we can to support 

you throughout your studies, and help you to achieve your personal potential and to ensure 

you make the most of your experience as an undergraduate student. You are welcome to 

contact us with any queries you have prior to starting in September and once you start your 

studies we encourage you to make an appointment to see one of the team if you have any 

concerns or questions. 

Although you are probably excited about starting your undergraduate studies, I’m sure you 

are naturally a little apprehensive as well. The purpose of this welcome information is to give 

you some insight into studying Nutrition at St Mary’s and what you can expect when you 

arrive in September. Hopefully this will answer any questions you may have about your 

forthcoming studies. If you have any further queries, please contact Ann Kennedy, 

Programme Director on 0208 240 4327 or ann.kennedy@smuc.ac.uk. If I am away from the 

office my out of office reply will direct you to another member of the programme team. 

Yours sincerely, 

Ann L Kennedy 

Programme Director BSc Nutrition 

Follow us on 

@nutritionSMUC 

School of Sport, Health and Applied Science, St Mary's University College 

Waldegrave Road, Twickenham, TW1 4SX 

Telephone 020 8240 4327

BSc Single/Joint Honours Degree Programme 

in Nutrition 

Welcome Pack 2013-2014 

For September 2013 Entry 

School of Sport, Health and Applied Science 

St Mary’s University College 

Waldegrave Road, Strawberry Hill, Twickenham TW1 4SX 

Switchboard 020 8240 4000 Fax 020 8240 4255 

www.smuc.ac.uk

CONTENT LIST 

Page 

SECTION 1 School of Sport, Health and Applied Science 3 

SECTION 2 Overview of the Programme 4 

SECTION 3 Assessment/Attendance/Equipment Guidelines 7 

SECTION 4 

Programme Structure and Modules 

Modules and Recommended Reading 

9 

10 

NU Student Welcome Pack 2013 3 01/08/2013

SECTION 1 

THE SCHOOL OF SPORT, HEALTH AND APPLIED SCIENCE 

There are four academic Schools within the College and the School of Sport, Health and 

Applied Science (SHAS) is the focus for the University College's scientific provision 

including the nutrition degree. 

The School offers programmes in the following areas sports science, sport rehabilitation, 

coaching science, strength & conditioning science, health & exercise science and 

nutritional science. 

Furthermore, the school’s Professional Short Courses Unit offers a range of vocational 

courses available to our students and for members of the local community wishing to 

develop careers in the area of sport, health and fitness. 

The School is committed to offering students vocationally-relevant programmes of study 

with the highest academic standards. It has undergone rapid expansion in recent years, 

with the building of new facilities to support the programmes, and the employment of 

expert staff in the various fields. 

All of the School’s teaching and learning activity is underpinned by significant research 

and consultancy (knowledge transfer) work, and staff are actively involved in professional 

associations such as the Association for Nutrition. 


SECTION 2 

OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAMME STRUCTURE 

What is an undergraduate degree? 

As you will have gathered from the prospectus, an undergraduate degree is normally 

studied full time over 3 years; however this time will be longer if you are studying part 

time. The first year of your degree does not count towards your final degree 

classification, although you need to pass all the modules you take to obtain your 

degree. The first year is used to provide the foundation for your further study and to 

help you to produce degree standard work. Experience shows that those students 

who perform best in this year generally go on to attain higher degree classifications 

than students who perform less well. From the second year onwards your academic 

achievement, i.e. the marks that you achieve, contribute towards the classification of 

degree you will be awarded at the end of your studies. 

What are Credits/Modules? 

At St Mary’s University College our programmes comprise of a series of modules, 

usually worth 20 credits. Each year you will need to accumulate 120 credits (pass 6 

modules), giving you a total of 360 credits to achieve your degree. Some modules 

are worth 40 credits, including your final year dissertation/research module. Each 20 

credit module equates to approximately 200 hours of learning, some of this time will 

be in classes with staff and other students but additionally you are required to 

complete further student-led study, this may include reading, preparation for class 

sessions, research etc 

What is a degree classification? 

When you graduate your degree will be classified you will either attain a first-class 

degree classification (average of 70% & over), upper-second class (average between 

60-69%), lower-second class (average between 50-59%) or third class degree 

(average between 40-49%). This classification is based on your performance at 

levels 5 and 6 (your second and third year) 

What are joint and single honours degrees? 

Here at St. Mary’s we offer joint and single honours degrees. Single honours 

students in nutrition will take all 360 credits in nutrition related modules. This single 

honours pathway is accredited by the Association for Nutrition and entitles graduates 

to direct entry to the professional register of nutritionists. 

Some students prefer to combine subjects and study a proportion of their modules in 

each of two disciplines e.g. you may have decided to combine studies in nutrition with 

studies in sports science, health, exercise and physical activity or psychology. 

It is possible to transfer from single honours to joint honours and vice versa, 

but these transfers MUST occur within the first 2 weeks of your studies so if 


you are considering making a change you need to contact the Programme 

Director, Ann Kennedy (ann.kennedy@smuc.ac.uk) before you register in 

September or speak to Ann when you arrive for induction in September. 

How is the academic year organised? 

We split our academic year into 2 semesters. Semester 1 runs between September 

and December and Semester 2 runs between January and May. Each semester you 

will study 60 credits (3 modules). You will be assessed in these modules during and 

at the end of each semester. This means there are no final exams based on the 

entire three years of your study at the end of the three years, but it also means you 

cannot afford to take it easy! 

How will I be assessed? 

You will be assessed in a number of different ways, and the assessments will depend 

on the nature of each module. Example assessments include: essays, worksheets, 

presentations, practical sessions and examinations. There will be examination 

periods at the end of each semester, but the other forms of assessment are generally 

completed during the semester. 

What kinds of sessions will I be in? 

The teaching time will be split between lectures, seminars, workshops and practicals. 

You will find that lectures will tend to be in larger groups, whereas the practicals and 

seminars will normally be in groups of between 15-20 students. Smaller group work 

such as practicals and seminars provide opportunities for more discussion and for 

you to ask questions. However you can also make an appointment to see any staff 

at any point, should you need some further help and support. 

The following sections will provide you with the most important pieces of information 

you will need to know about your first year of study. 


First few weeks of study at St. Mary’s 

What are the important events within the nutrition programme? 

Induction week begins on Monday 16 th September 2013. Nutrition students will 

have induction meetings during this first week. You will be introduced to 

members of the nutrition teaching staff, you will be assigned an academic tutor 

and you will have an opportunity to meet other students enrolled on the nutrition 

programme. During the induction meetings you will be provided with information 

regarding other activities in that week and you will be issued with your timetable 

for semester 1. Please make sure that you attend the induction meetings 

because important information will be provided!! There will also be an 

opportunity that week to discuss your registration status should you be unsure 

whether to follow the single honours or combined honours pathway. 

When will l be in lecture, seminar and practical sessions? 

We will provide you with a more detailed timetable in your induction meetings and 

ensure you all know where you should be when teaching begins. Taught 

sessions will begin the week beginning 23 rd September. The timings of your 

sessions will differ depending on whether you are a single honours nutrition 

student or combining with another subject. 

Single Honours Nutrition Students: 

Single honours nutrition students will study three nutrition modules in semester 1 

and three in semester 2. The timetable remains provisional, however your 

taught sessions are likely to be held: 

In Semester 1: Monday afternoons, Tuesday mornings, and Thursday 

afternoons. 

In Semester 2: The nutrition modules are scheduled to run on Monday mornings, 

Tuesday morning and Tuesday afternoon, and Thursday afternoons. 

This timetable information is provisional and room and staff availability can 

lead to changes but we hope to avoid this. 

Joint Honours Nutrition Students: 

Students combining with other subjects will study Nutrition modules on a 

Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon in semester 1 and 2. 

This timetable information is provisional and room and staff availability can 

lead to changes but we hope to avoid this. 

For each module that you study you will provided with a module guide that will 

give you specific week-by-week and session-by-session information so you will 

know what type of session you will have, at what time and in which room. Each 

module also has an intranet site with lots of additional information and learning 

resources. We will show you how to access this when you arrive. 


SECTION 3 

ASSESSMENT/ATTENDANCE/ EQUIPMENT 

As study at University is very different from school or college we have put 

together a few points about the expectations we have of our students,. These 

points are made to improve your learning, enhance your performance in 

assessments and ultimately to ensure that you graduate with your best possible 

degree. We will explore all this with you further once you arrive. 

What is expected of undergraduate students? 

All undergraduate students are expected to take an interest in the degree they 

are studying. More specifically, you are expected to attend ALL timetabled 

sessions and try to get the most out of each session. You will be expected to 

arrive in good time before each timetabled session so it can run as smoothly as 

possible and so you don’t miss any important information. 

Lectures, seminars and practicals will not provide you with all the answers or 

information, therefore you are expected to read around each session so that you 

have a more detailed and thorough understanding of the topic area. You will be 

directed towards readings and activities to help you with your learning. 

If you are unwell or circumstances mean that you are unable to attend university 

or that your academic work is being affected please make sure you contact the 

Programme Director, your academic tutor or a member of the nutrition team. The 

university email system is the best way to stay in contact with staff. We will also 

show you how our email system works when you arrive. 

What will be expected of me during taught sessions? 

You will be expected to take notes and concentrate on the material being 

discussed. Mobile phones should be switched off during sessions (not just on 

silent!), You should not access social networking sites etc during lectures unless 

and you are asked to do so. 

For seminar sessions you are likely to have been asked to do some preparatory 

work before the session so you can contribute to the discussion on a particular 

topic. In these sessions you will be asked to work in small groups or provide 

feedback to the whole group. These sessions are designed to be more interactive 

and discussion based, therefore your input is valuable. It is essential that you 

complete the preparatory work as directed. 

During practical and laboratory based sessions you will be asked to work in small 

groups and participate in some form of activity. Whether it is a test on a cycle 

ergometer or measuring a plasma cholesterol level, you will be expected to 

participate maturely/professionally and relate the practical sessions to the lecture 

based information. 


What will be expected of me in relation to assessments? 

You will be expected to research and work independently on the majority of your 

assessments although some may be group based. All coursework must be word 

processed and be in accordance with the guidelines you will receive. You will be 

expected to hand-in your assessments before the allocated deadline, as any 

work handed-in after that point will score 0. You will invariably find that modules 

contain seminar support sessions relating to coursework titles, valuable advice is 

provided at these sessions. Staff will endeavour to mark your assessments within 

3 weeks of the deadline, and you will be expected to collect your work and read 

the feedback to help you improve for future assessments. 

How can staff help me? 

The teaching team will be pleased to offer you support and guidance throughout 

your studies. We ask that if you wish to see us that you email requesting an 

appointment or sign up for an appointment on the diaries we display on our office 

doors. We will show you where we are all located when you arrive in September. 

If we need to communicate with you we will use your COLLEGE email account, 

which will be issued when you arrive. It is vital that you check your college 

account regularly. You can arrange to have college emails forwarded to your 

other preferred accounts if you wish. Studying at university will be very different 

from school and college and we expect you to be independent learners and ‘read’ 

for your degree, so it will be your responsibility to contact us if you are struggling, 

if you need help or if there are circumstances that may be affecting your studies 

that we need to know about. 

What equipment will I need to bring to help me with my studies? 

It advisable to have the following stationary and equipment before you arrive: 

Pens 

Pads 

Folders 

Plastic wallets (A4) 

Scientific calculator 

Diary 

Alarm clock – to make sure you are where you need to be on time!!! 

USB stick 

You DO NOT need to bring laboratory coats or aprons. 


SECTION 4 

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE AND MODULES 

The tables below give you details of the modules you will study in your first year 

depending on which pathway you are following. Don’t worry too much if you are 

not sure of your options or if you think you might like to change from single 

honours to joint honours or vice versa we can sort this all out in induction week. 

SINGLE HONOURS NUTRITION 

Semester 1 Semester 2 

NUT4020 Introduction to Nutrition 1 NUT4021 Introduction to Nutrition2 

NUT4025 Professional Skills 

NUT4005 Introduction to Physiology 

NUT4000 Research Methods 1 HE4002 Introduction to Health 

JOINT HONOURS NUTRITION AND HEALTH, EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL 

ACTIVITY 



NUT4000 Research Methods 1 

JOINT HONOURS NUTRITION AND SPORTS SCIENCE 




OR 

EQUIVALENT MODULE IN SPORT 

SCIENCE 

JOINT HONOURS NUTRITION AND PSYCHOLOGY 




This section gives you a little further information about the nutrition modules 

running during the first semester of the first year and some ideas of books that 

you might like to look at before you arrive. 


MODULES & RECOMMENDED READING LIST 

What will I be studying during my first year and what books should I buy in 

advance for each module? 

There are many excellent nutrition text books available that will help you with 

nutrition modules, our library on campus stocks them and we do not expect you 

to buy them all. Some are also available as e-books which can be accessed 

through the library system from pcs, laptops etc on campus and at home etc. 

However, many students find having a few key texts of their own is useful. Some 

students group together to buy books to share which is also a good idea. We find 

that different students prefer different texts so it is a good idea to look at several 

before spending any money. You can request copies of books from your local 

library so you can do some reading prior to arriving in September without 

committing to purchasing a book. If you do decide to buy nutrition texts, please 

be careful with American texts, these are often colourful and attractive but some 

of their recommendations in the field of nutrition differ from those we use in the 

UK. 

NUT4020 Introduction to Nutrition 1 

These two modules aim to introduce the fundamental aspects of human nutrition. 

Roles and functions of energy and the macro and micro nutrients together with 

recommended intakes will be introduced together with the concept of a balanced 

diet. We study energy and the macronutrients in semester 1 and the vitamins and 

minerals (the micronutrients in semester 2). 

A key text that supports these modules is: 

Gibney, M. J., Lanham-New, S. A.; Vorster, H. H., & Cassidy A. (Eds).(2009) 

Introduction to Human Nutrition. Second Revised Edition. Wiley- Blackwell. ISBN: 

978 1405 168 076 

NUT4025 Professional Skills for Nutrition Single Honours only 

This module aims to introduce the students to the academic, professional and 

personal development skills required of nutrition practitioners and encourages 

the students to become reflective learners. Again it is difficult to suggest a single 

text at this point but students might like to visit the following web sites associated 

with the nutrition profession prior to September. 

The Nutrition Society: www.nutritionsociety.org 

The Association for Nutrition: www.associationfornutrition.org 


NU4006 Research Methods 1 

This module introduces basic data handling and data manipulation skills 

associated with quantitative scientific research. Students will gain experience, 

both by hand and using computer statistical packages, in basic statistics and 

graphical displays. For all of those of you who are dreading the thought of 

statistics how about taking a look at this text. 

Salkind, N. J. (2008).Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics. 

SAGE Publications: Thousand Oaks 

We hope this information about your modules will be of interest and useful, but 

please remember that it is not necessary to buy all these books and we will talk 

to you further about supporting texts when you arrive. 

If after reading this pack, you have any queries relating to the Nutrition degree, 

then please contact the Programme Director, Ann Kennedy (Tel:020 8240 4327). 

If there is no answer please leave a message with a return phone number and 

your name and we will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible. 

Alternatively email: ann.kennedy@smuc.ac.uk . If I am away from the office my 

out of office reply will direct you to another member of the programme team. 

We look forward to welcoming you in September and don’t forget you can 

follow us on Twitter @nutritionSMUC

letter - St Mary's University College

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