Master of Science

Nutrition and Dietetics

Are you interested in taking on new roles? Producing evidence? Carrying out pioneering work? Sign up for our ‘Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics’ degree programme and expand your clinical and academic skill set.

Completing the degree programme will enable graduates to

adopt an evidence-led approach to their professional practice and produce their own evidence;
take on and help shape new roles;
question and examine the effectiveness of different approaches and nutritional treatments;
oversee patients with complex conditions;
take a consciously interprofessional approach to their work.

Titelbild Master-Studiengang Ernährung und Diätetik

Factsheet

Title/Degree Master of Science (MSc)
Specialisations 2 research modules
Mode of study Part time: 6 semesters (from autumn semester 2019) Full time: 3 semesters (from autumn semester 2020)
Start date Calendar week 38
Application deadline 30 April 2020

ECTS credits 90 ECTS-Credits
Study language German / English
Location Bern
Department Health Professions

Contact

Programme Handbook

Master of Science in Ernährung und Diätetik

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Content + Structure

Our master’s degree programme in Nutrition and Dietetics will help you expand your specialist and methodological skill set. We place critical emphasis on providing a solid scientific grounding and hands-on learning experience in our programme. Our master’s degree programme is an attractive option for achieving your professional goals.

Portrait

The master’s degree programme in Nutrition and Dietetics combines a scientific approach and a focus on nutritional therapy. The degree programme will hone your specialist and methodological skill set.

Learning outcomes

On completing the master’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, you will be qualified to oversee complex nutritional therapy cases, develop new roles in healthcare (APN) and carry out research in your own professional field.

By the end of the programme, you will have acquired the ability to:

Develop and take on new roles in nutrition and dietetics in a professional and interprofessional context.
Contribute to the development of nutritional research and produce new evidence.
Develop guidelines and recommendations in a professional capacity as a nutritionist.
Advocate intra- and interprofessional collaboration.
Take a technical lead on large-scale projects relating to food, nutrition and catering for healthy and sick individuals.
Initiate and implement projects and research proposals that lead to a deeper understanding or new findings in your professional field.
Participate in the training and continuing education of professional colleagues and other specialists.
Use your specialist professional knowledge in the field of nutritional advice to encourage and develop high-quality and effective professional practice.

Specialisations + Focus areas

If you have a special interest in nutritional research, we offer two research modules that will help you hone your skills. We’re happy to help.

Mode of study + Duration

You can take this MSc as a part-time programme in 6 semesters or as a full-time programme in 3 semesters (from the autumn semester of 2020).

Curriculum + Modules

This is a modular degree programme and is made up of the following five module groups:

Profession-specific module group

Clinical Assessment
Clinical Nutrition
Advanced Practice in Nutrition and Dietetics

These three profession-specific modules expand your skills in the field of assessment methods and take an in-depth look at multimorbidity and complex disease situations. The content focuses on extending your knowledge of metabolic disorders and oncological matters. You will also expand your expertise in both nutrition in palliative care and enteral and parenteral nutrition for critically ill individuals and intensive care patients. You will enhance your knowledge of personalised nutrition and examine the latest evidence from the field. The Advanced Practice module also qualifies you to develop evidence-based guidelines and implement them in practice.

Research module group

You will take the research modules alongside students who are enrolled on other BFH Health Professions master’s degree programmes. These modules cover topics such as qualitative and quantitative research methods, applied statistics and submitting applications to ethical committees.

Research module group (PDF, 90 KB)

Interprofessional module group

We developed the modules in this group with an interprofessional focus. They are relevant to Nutrition and Dietetics and also to Nursing, Obstetrics and Physiotherapy. You will take compulsory modules in Advanced Practice and Applied Ethics and select at least two of the eight other modules.

Interprofessional module group (PDF, 85 KB)

Transfer module group

Transfer modules 1 and 2 involve e.g. carrying out project work at Advanced Practice level or gaining teaching or research experience in the field of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Master’s thesis

In the Master’s thesis module, you will use appropriate methods to investigate issues that are relevant to practical work in the field. This will culminate in an independent academic research paper. You will incorporate every phase of the research process and substantiate, evaluate and reflect upon your decisions.

This module provides an interprofessional framework as you work on your master’s thesis. While preparing your thesis, you will be able to enjoy constructive discussions with fellow students and lecturers and benefit from methodological workshops.

Student mobility

You can earn up to 30 ECTS credits at one of our partner universities. The Transfer modules and the Master’s thesis, in particular, lend themselves to completion at a partner university abroad.

Partners

The Nutrition and Dietetics degree programme is run in close collaboration with the Midwifery, Nursing and Physiotherapy master’s degree programmes at BFH Health Professions.

Requirements + Admission

With its focus on nutritional therapy, the master’s degree programme is aimed at graduates with a BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics and at nutrition specialists with a vocational qualification and retroactively conferred degree title. The programme is particularly suited to specialists who work in clinical practice and counselling.

Entry requirements

Educational background

BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics
Formerly valid diploma qualification as a nutritionist and retroactive conferral of degree title

More information about retroactive degree conferrals

If you do not meet the above criteria, you may still be admitted to the master’s degree programme if you

have completed a comparable degree in Nutrition and Dietetics at a non-Swiss university.
have a degree in a different discipline that is sufficiently relevant to Nutrition and Dietetics and equivalent to a bachelor’s diploma in Nutrition and Dietetics
can provide evidence of at least six months of professional experience, recognised by the Health Professions department.

Language skills

Candidates with a non-German educational background must be able to demonstrate that their German language skills are at least equivalent to level C1.

Aptitude test + Admission procedure

If you meet our entry requirements, we will invite you to take an aptitude assessment. The aptitude assessment comprises a standardised interview, lasting 45 to 60 minutes. Your aptitude will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

Motivation
Conceptual skills
Specialist knowledge and personal skills

You will be admitted to the programme if you pass the aptitude assessment with a minimum score of 5.0.

If you completed your BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics or your training as a qualified nutritionist (including retroactive degree conferral) with a score of at least 4.8 (see Entry requirements), you will be admitted to the programme without having to take the aptitude assessment.

Preparatory courses + Preparatory work placement

If you completed your training at a vocational college, we recommend that you develop your skills in the following areas before commencing your studies: Basic principles of academic work, basic principles of statistics, evidence-based practice and academic English.

Degree + Career prospects

The master’s degree programme in Nutrition and Dietetics will train you as a qualified nutritionist, able to take on pioneering roles in the healthcare system.

Title + Degree

On completion of the degree programme, you will be awarded the title ‘Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics’. This degree is recognised in Switzerland, compatible with other European systems and accepted internationally as a university degree.

Career prospects

Graduates of the master’s degree programme in Nutrition and Dietetics are qualified experts, capable of overseeing complex cases and carrying out research in their own professional field. They are in a position to develop, take on and establish new, pioneering roles (Advanced Practice) within the healthcare system.

The professional world awaits

Hospitals and clinics increasingly need specialists with an interprofessional approach for Advanced Practice roles. Some major hospitals have created posts for nutritional therapists with a master’s qualification. And highly qualified and specialised counsellors are very much in demand in nutritional guidance practices. There is also a pressing need for profession-specific research and for experts with knowledge and experience of research in the field of nutrition and dietetics. Vocational colleges, for example, rely on master’s graduates for their teaching and research.

Practicalities + Application

Dates + Deadlines

For the academic year 2020/2021

Application deadline: 30 April 2020
Start date: calendar week 38

Fees + Grants

The bulk of the costs of a place on the programme are covered by government funding. The portion that you have to pay (semester fees, etc.) is based on the financial specifications for the master’s degree programme in Nutrition and Dietetics and varies from canton to canton. The fees you will have to pay at BFH are calculated as follows:

Costs per semester

Tuition fees: CHF 750
Exam fees: CHF 80
Fees for social, cultural and sports amenities: CHF 24
Optional membership fee for the BFH student body association (VSBFH): CHF 15
Fixed fee for materials: CHF 20

One-off costs

Application fee: CHF 100
Aptitude assessment fee: CHF 200

Specialist literature/Software/Other supplies

Please budget for the additional cost of specialist literature, software and other supplies over the course of your studies. Costs may range between around CHF 1,200 and CHF 1,500. This amount will vary depending upon how much you acquire.

Laptop

We require you have your own WiFi-enabled laptop with a reliable internet connection. BFH will help you acquire the hardware and software required for the programme.

Grants

You may be able to apply for a grant to study at BFH. For more information, contact the grants section of your cantonal Education Department. Information about grants can also be found on the BFH President's Office website.

List of fees and costs (PDF, 64 KB)

Grants + Loans

Work and family

The master’s degree programme can be combined with your professional and family life. If you have family commitments or want to continue to work, you can opt to complete the degree programme on a part-time basis. However, you should be in a position to devote at least 50% of your time to your studies.

Compulsory service

Studierende müssen ihre Dienstpflicht auch während des Studiums wahrnehmen. Planen und koordinieren Sie Studium und Dienstpflicht frühzeitig.

Wir empfehlen Ihnen dringend, die Rekrutenschule und den Ersteinsatz im Zivildienst vor Beginn des Studiums vollständig zu absolvieren. Werden sie während des Studiums absolviert, hat dies Absenzen zur Folge und kann zur Verlängerung der Studiendauer führen.

Allgemeine Informationen zu Rekrutierung und Zivildienst

Beratung

Informationen zur Koordination von Studium und Dienstpflicht erhalten Sie von den Ansprechpersonen.

Application

Applying for a 2020 start date

Submit your application for the MSc in Nutrition and Dietetics online. The application deadline is 30 April 2020.

Checklist for your application

All applicants:

CV
Personal statement
Copy of ID card (front and back) or passport
Passport photo
Academic degree certificate(s)
Transcript(s) of records
References/confirmation of practical experience
If you were previously enrolled at a different university: confirmation of exmatriculation
If you are due to complete your bachelor’s degree this year: most recent semester report or proof that you have completed additional module B

Applicants with formerly valid qualifications:

nutritionist diploma awarded by a vocational college
Approval for university degree title in accordance with the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (WBF) regulations on retroactive degree conferral
Diplomas equivalent to bachelor’s degree

Applicants with degrees awarded outside Switzerland will also need:

Certificates
Evidence that the foreign qualification is recognised by the Swiss Red Cross (if applicable)

An application fee of CHF 100 must be paid in order to meet the costs of assessing your documents. Your application documents will only be processed once you have paid the application fee.