Find out more about the training opportunities and career prospects here
Are you considering a career in nutritional therapy ?
Becoming a Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner is not just about seeing clients in clinic. There are also other career paths that can be pursued outside one-to-one clinic as a nutritionist, including organising retreats, working in the community, journalism, corporate wellness, teaching and development of health products. Commonly BANT members combine couple of different, but related, income opportunities to add variety to their working week.
Find out more about your potential future career options.
Training to become a Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner
The below training providers offer Nutritional Therapy Education Commission (NTEC) accredited courses in nutritional therapy which afford you direct entry onto the register held by the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) and will enable you to become a member of BANT. The CNHC holds an Accredited Voluntary Register (AVR) for the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA). The PSA oversees statutory bodies and accredits organisations holding voluntary registers for health and social care occupations in the UK.
NTEC accredited nutritional therapy courses are accredited to the standard required for entry to an accredited register. Students who follow courses that do not meet this standard will not be able to apply for professional registration as a Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, until they have accrued three years clinical experience of working at the level of the National Occupational Standards, evidenced by the submission of a detailed portfolio of evidence.
As of 1st of September 2020, BANT Full Membership will require Bachelor’s (Hons) degree or higher from a recognised university and NTEC accreditation for nutritional therapy practice.
BANT cannot recommend one course over another. However, we do recommend that you should enrol on a course that has been fully accredited. If you decide to enrol on a course before it is accredited you should enquire of your chosen training provider the following:
(a) Is it solvent?
(b) How long has it been established? What is its track record?
(c) What are the qualifications and experience of its teaching staff?
(d) What proportion of the training is clinical practice?
(e) Who by is the course accredited?
(f) The status of its academic qualification: diploma or degree?
Training to meet the competencies laid down in the National Occupational Standards will require in-depth study of the health and nutrition science. There are no exemptions from clinical practice to graduate as a nutritional therapy professional.
College of Nutrition and Health
Attendance and distance courses
BSc (Hons) in Nutrition & Lifestyle Medicine
Centre for Nutrition Education and Lifestyle Management
Degree, distance learning courses
Degrees validated by Middlesex University
BSc (Hons) Nutrition Science + Personalised Nutrition Practice Diploma
MSc/PGDip Personalised Nutrition + Personalised Nutrition Practice Diploma
*** Offers Return to Practice (RTP) ***
Institute for Optimum Nutrition
Attendance and distance courses
Degree validated by the Portsmouth University
BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy
*** Offers Return to Practice (RTP) ***
Northern College of Acupuncture
Combination of Attendance and Distance learning
Degrees validated by the University College of Osteopathy
BSc (Hons) in Personalised Nutrition
MSc/PGDip in Nutrition Science and Practice
University of Worcester
Combination of Attendance and Distance learning
Degrees validated by University of Worcester
Nutritional Therapy PGDip /MSc
University of West London
Combination of Attendance and Distance learning
Degree validated by University of West London
BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy
The College of Naturopathic Medicine (UK sites only)
Attendance course
Nutritional Therapy Diploma
Practising Nutritional Therapy Practitioners have an opportunity to upgrade to Degree and Masters Degree level course at CNELM, ION, NCA and UoW. Please contact the Training Providers for further information.
As of 1st of September 2020, BANT Full Membership will require Bachelor’s (Hons) degree or higher from a recognised university and NTEC accreditation for nutritional therapy practice. This does not impact current student members or full members, or those that started their level 6 diploma course prior to the 1st of September 2020.
BANT continues to accept and supports student members on all NTEC accredited courses. Student members that started their NTEC accredited diploma course on or after the 1st of September 2020 will require an upgrade to BSc (Hons) or higher degree qualification to convert to Full Membership.
Some training providers are currently in transition to move from level 6 diploma course to providing a degree level qualification. If you have signed up or considered a diploma course starting in September 2020, please contact your training provide for further details.