DND
A qualified person committed to enhance health through ideal dietary practices is a doctor of nutrition and dietetics. They can create individualized diet plans with deep knowledge of nutrition science. In addition to providing dietary recommendations they can also play a vital role in prevention and management of different health conditions.
These doctors help patients in making decisions for a nutritious and well-balanced diet by drawing on their extensive knowledge of the complex connection that exists between food and health. Their knowledge helps people in losing weight including weight, sport nutrition, special diets and preventive measures for illness. As a professional of nutritional wellbeing they act like a bridge between academic findings and individual eating patterns, advising people to follow more mindful eating practice and live healthier lives. In addition to all these they can also provide last lasting well being tips and ideas.
Major Or Specializations OF DND
Major or specialization of DND varies for all universities and colleges. However; following are the most important major or specializations:
- Oncology nutrition
- Clinical nutrition
- Public health nutrition
- Pediatric nutrition
- Renal nutrition
- Food service management
- Nutritional biochemistry
- Maternal and child nutrition
- Community nutrition
- Geriatrics nutrition
- Diabetics nutrition
- Gastrointestinal nutrition
- Functional foods and nutraceuticals
- Nutritional epidemiology
- Nutritional counseling
- International nutrition
- Nutrition immunology
- Cardiac nutrition
- Weight management
- Eating disorders
- Nutrigenomics
- Food safety and quality assistances
- Nutritional psychology
- Sustainable nutrition
- Nutritional genomics
- Culinary nutrition
- Food policy and planning
- Nutritional education
- Alternative and integrative nutrition
Duration And Credit Hours Of DND
In Pakistan; 3 to 4 years is needed to obtain a degree in nutrition and dietetics. Every university has their own duration and credit hour for the completion of DND degree and how they combine teaching and research components. This can usually require 70-90 credit hours for completion. Students of DND get enough information about research methodology and nutrition science etc. Students have to study clinical nutrition, community nutrition, biochemistry, food sciences and many more subjects for their experiential learning like internships so that they can transform their theoretical knowledge in real-life situations.
Once they complete their degree; student will be able to play their role in hospitals, research or in any other field.
Scope And Career Opportunities Of DND
There are a large number of career opportunities for DND. A vast scope and bright future are waiting for the students of DND. Some of them are given below:
- Clinical nutritionist
- Sport nutritionist
- Community nutritionist
- Renal dietitian
- Pediatric dietitian
- Weight management consultant
- Food service manager
- Oncology dietitian
- Food and nutrition writer
- Wellness coach
- International nutrition consultant
- Telehealth nutritionist
- Regulatory affairs specialists
- School nutritionist
- Culinary nutritionist
- Private practice dietitian
- Research scientist in nutrition
- Public health nutrition
- Food product developer
- Corporate wellness consultant
- Gerontological nutritionist
- NGO nutrition coordinator
- Eating disorder specialist
- Wellness program coordinator
- Televised health and nutrition expert
- Government health officer
- Nutrigenomics researcher
- Functional nutritionist
- Holistic health practitioner
Skills And Learning Outcomes Of DND
Skills
- Nutritional assessment
- Therapeutic nutrition
- Food service management
- Nutrition counseling
- Research and analysis
- Public health nutrition
- Community outcome
- Culinary skills
- Clinical nutrition
- Nutritional education material development
- Menu planning and design
- Behavior change strategies
- Nutrition policy advocacy
- Multidisciplinary collaboration
- Continuous professional development
Learning outcomes
- Understand about biochemistry, physiology and anatomy of humans about diet and dietetics.
- Use techniques to determine a person’s nutritional needs and develop diet plans that are suitable for all ages.
- In-depth nutritional analysis and create customized meal plans
- Nutrition program for counseling of community
- Apply critical thinking skills to access and resolve difficult clinical cases in the dietetics and nutrition fields.
- Use better communication skills to motivate people and promote good health
- Collaborate with healthcare professionals, treat nutritional disorders
- Dietary supplements ideas
- Initiate and execute nutrition and dietetics studies
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary team made up of doctors, lawmakers and residents to promote healthy lifestyle ideas that are easily achievable
Subject And Courses of DND
1st Semester
| Credit Hours | Course |
|---|---|
| 3(3-0) | Fundamental of human nutrition |
| 3(2-1) | Essentials of food science and technology |
| 3(3-0) or 3(2-1) | Mathematics or Essentials of biology |
| 3(3-0) | English-1 |
| 3(2-1) | Introductory Biochemistry |
| 2(2-0) | Pakistan studies |
2nd Semester
| Credit Hours | Course |
|---|---|
| 3(3-0) | Macronutrients in human nutrition |
| 3(3-0) | English-2 |
| 2(2-0) | Islamic studies/ethics |
| 3(2-1) | Human anatomy |
| 3(2-1) | Human physiology-1 |
| 3(3-0) | Fundamental of sociology |
3rd Semester
| Credit Hours | Course |
|---|---|
| 3(3-0) | Micronutrient in human nutrition |
| 3(2-1) | Human physiology-2 |
| 3(3-0) | English-3 |
| 3(2-1) | Introductory molecular genetics |
| 3(2-1) | Food microbiology |
| 2(2-0) | Food safety and quality management |
4th Semester
| Credit Hours | Course |
|---|---|
| 3(2-1) | Bio-statistics |
| 3(2-1) | Computer science and information technology |
| 3(3-0) | Assessment of nutritional status |
| 3(2-1) | Nutrition through life cycle |
| 3(1-2) | General pathology |
| 3(1-2) | Food analysis |
5th Semester
| Credit Hours | Course |
|---|---|
| 3(2-1) | Dietetics-1 |
| 3(3-0) | Nutrition and psychology |
| 3(2-1) | Nutritional education and awareness |
| 3(2-1) | Meal planning and management |
| 3(2-1) | Public health nutrition |
| 2(2-0) | Food and drug law |
6th Semester
| Credit Hours | Course |
|---|---|
| 3(2-1) | Dietetics-2 |
| 3(3-0) | Functional food and nutraceutical |
| 2(2-0) | Nutrition through social protection |
| 3(2-1) | Sports nutrition |
| 3(2-1) | Infant and young child feeding |
| 3(1-2) | Clinical biochemistry |
7th Semester
| Credit Hours | Course |
|---|---|
| 3(2-1) | Dietetics-3 |
| 3(3-0) | Global food issues |
| 3(3-0) | Research methods in nutrition |
| 3(2-1) | Nutritional practices in clinical care |
8th Semester
| Credit Hours | Course |
|---|---|
| 6(0-6) | Internship/projects |
| 3(3-0) | Nutrition policies and program |
| 3(3-0) | Food service management |
Related Courses Of DND
- BS in Nutrition and Dietetics
- BS in Food Science and Human Nutrition
- Postgraduate diploma in Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition
- Bachelor of Dietetics and Nutritional Sciences
- Certificate in Sport Nutrition
- Diploma in Community Nutrition
- BS in Food Technology and Dietetics
- Postgraduate certificate in Pediatric Nutrition
- Advanced diploma in Nutritional Counseling
- Certificate in Geriatric Nutrition and Dietetics
Further Courses After DND
- MSc in Nutrition and Dietetics
- MPhil in Nutritional Sciences
- PhD in Human Nutrition
- Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Nutrition
- Diploma in Sport Nutrition
- Certificate in Pediatric Nutrition
- Advanced certificate in Nutritional Counseling
- Master of Public Health (MPH) with a focus on Nutrition
- MSc in Food and Nutrition Sciences
- Advanced Diploma in Dietetics and Therapeutic Nutrition
- Certificate in Community Nutrition
- Master of Philosophy(MPhil) in Food Science and Technology
- Postgraduate Certificate in Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods
- Diploma in Geriatrics Nutrition
- Certificate in Food Safety and Nutritional Education
Fee Structure Of DND
Fee structure varies in every university and college. Here are the following universities and college list given below:
| The Aga Khan University, Karachi | PKR 27,500 |
| Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad | PKR 34,000 (per semester) |
| Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan | PKR 39,845 (per year) |
| Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi | PKR 136,130 (per semester) |
| Fatima Jinnah Medical University, Lahore | PKR 15,630 (per semester) |
| University of Agriculture, Faisalabad | PKR 51,700 (per year) |
| University of the Punjab, Lahore | PKR 10,000 per credit hour |