Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
How to become a dietitian
Apply your professional understanding of diet and nutrition to improve patients' health.
What is a dietitian?
Dietitians assess, diagnose and treat diet-related and nutritional problems. They raise awareness of the link between food and health, and how it impacts the individual and the wider public.
How do I become a dietitian?
To become a dietitian, you'll need to be registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) after completing an approved course.
An HCPC-approved programme means:
- An undergraduate degree in dietetics
- Or, if you have a degree in another relevant subject, a postgraduate diploma or a master's in dietetics
For a place on an undergraduate course*, you'll usually need:
- Three A levels (or equivalent), including chemistry and another science subject
- GCSE English language and maths grade 4 or above (grade C for those sitting their GCSE before 2017) or equivalent
To study for a postgraduate qualification, you must have a sciences degree, usually a 2:1 or above, that includes a sufficient element of human physiology and biochemistry. Relevant disciplines may include:
- Biochemistry
- Biomedical science
- Health sciences
- Nutrition
- Nutritional science
- Physiology
*This includes undergraduate courses across the UK. For Leeds Beckett entry requirements, please visit our individual course pages.
What would I do as a dietitian?
As a dietitian you'll contribute positively to the health and wellbeing of your patients.
If you work in the NHS, you'll usually be based in a hospital, health centre or clinic. Community dietitians may have to travel to meet clients locally. If you're involved in a research environment, you may find yourself working in a laboratory.
There are also opportunities to become self-employed as a dietitian, working within a clinical setting, in sport and private health sectors or in the food industry.
Day to day, your work may involve:
- Studying and evaluating people's eating habits
- Investigating a patients' nutritional needs
- Working with doctors and consultants to create dietary care plans to support patients' treatment
- Supporting patients with special feeding requirements
- Helping schools to provide healthy school meals
- Advising hospital catering departments
Becoming a dietician could be for you if...
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You want to make a difference
Your skills and training can make a positive difference to the quality of life of your patients.
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You connect
Working in a healthcare setting, you'll need to quickly build a rapport with your patients.
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You listen first
To understand your patients' challenges, you'll need to be a good listener.
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You're organised
You'll be liaising with various agencies and handling a large caseload, so you'll need good organisational skills.
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You stick at it
Demand for your services will be high in the public health sector, so you'll need a measure of staying power.
What are the typical working hours for a dietitian?
If you're working in the NHS, chances are you'll work a standard 37.5 hours a week. Otherwise, you'll probably work 09:00 to 17:00, but may need to work some extra hours including weekends.
Jobs within the NHS follow nine pay bands.
As a qualified dietitian, you can expect to start on Band 5, which ranges from £29,970 to £36,483.
Dietitians at specialist level (Band 6) can earn between £37,338 and £44,962.
At advanced (highly specialist) and team leader level (Band 7), you can earn between £46,148 and £52,809.
If you work as a dietitian outside the NHS, salary levels vary.
