Health Sciences

Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics

The Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in clinical nutrition, community nutrition, and dietetics. The programme provides specialised training in nutritional assessment, diet therapy, public health nutrition, and nutrition research.

Core areas include clinical nutrition, nutrition in the lifecycle, nutritional assessment and intervention, nutritional epidemiology, food quality assurance, nutrition policy, nutrition education, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, field attachment, and research.

The programme is offered by Mount Kenya University, Kabarak University, and Kenya Methodist University. All confirmed institutions are private universities offering the programme over two years through full-time and part-time study, combining coursework with field attachment and research.

Students develop competencies in clinical nutrition, community nutrition, nutritional assessment, diet therapy, nutrition education, nutrition policy, and research. The programme includes coursework, examinations, field attachment, and a supervised research thesis, preparing graduates for clinical, community, and public health nutrition roles.

MKU charges KES 70,000 per semester (~KES 140,000/year) while Kabarak charges KES 62,500 per semester in tuition (~KES 125,000/year). No public university confirmed offering the exact programme name. Entry requires at least a Second Class Honours Upper Division degree in nutrition, health, or a related discipline from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as clinical dietitians, community nutritionists, nutrition programme managers, public health nutritionists, nutrition researchers, and nutrition educators across hospitals, community health agencies, NGOs, government ministries, academic institutions, and international organisations.

Skills Required

Clinical Nutrition and Diet Therapy
Community Nutrition and Public Health
Nutritional Assessment and Intervention
Nutritional Epidemiology
Nutrition Education and Communication
Food Quality Assurance and Nutrition Policy
Nutrition in the Lifecycle
Research Methods in Nutrition
Nutrition Planning and Management
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Clinical Nutrition and Diet Therapy
Nutrition in the Lifecycle
Nutritional Assessment and Intervention
Nutritional Epidemiology
Food Quality Assurance and Nutrition Policy
Nutrition Education and Communication
Research Methods in Nutrition
Community Health and Nutrition
Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition
Thesis Research

Certifications

Kenya Nutritionists and Dieticians Institute (KNDI) Registration
WHO Nutrition Certification

Specializations

Clinical Nutrition

Focuses on clinical nutrition, covering diet, therapy, assessment, management, and managing clinical nutrition and diet therapy.

Community Health and Nutrition

Examines community health, covering healthcare, primary, planning, management, and managing community health nutrition.

Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition

Covers maternal and child nutrition, covering maternal, infant, feeding, growth, and managing maternal and child nutrition.

Public Health Nutrition

Focuses on public health nutrition, covering public, health, policy, programmes, and managing public health nutrition.

Nutrition in Disasters and Emergencies

Examines nutrition in emergencies, covering disasters, emergencies, humanitarian, relief, and managing nutrition in emergencies.

Critical Care and Nutritional Support

Covers critical care nutrition, covering critical, support, metabolism, therapy, and managing critical care nutritional support.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 326,400
Private, up to: Ksh 150,000
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 20 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Clinical Nutrition and Diet Therapy
Nutrition in the Lifecycle
Nutritional Assessment and Intervention
Nutritional Epidemiology
Food Quality Assurance and Nutrition Policy
Nutrition Education and Communication
Research Methods in Nutrition
Community Health and Nutrition
Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Clinical Nutrition
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines diet, therapy, assessment, management, and managing clinical nutrition and diet therapy.
Nutrition in the Lifecycle
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers nutrition, lifecycle, pregnancy, infancy, ageing, and managing nutrition across the lifecycle.
Nutrition Assessment and Intervention
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines assessment, intervention, evaluation, monitoring, and managing nutritional assessment and intervention.
Nutritional Epidemiology
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers epidemiology, research, data, analysis, and managing nutritional epidemiology.
Food Quality Assurance and Nutrition Policy
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines quality, assurance, policy, standards, and managing food quality and nutrition policy.
Nutrition Education and Communication
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers education, communication, behaviour, counselling, and managing nutrition education and communication.
Research Methods in Nutrition
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines research, design, methods, ethics, and conducting research in nutrition, preparing students for their thesis.
Healthcare System and Nutrition in Primary Healthcare
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers healthcare, primary, system, delivery, and managing healthcare systems and nutrition in primary healthcare.
Nutrition Planning and Management
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines planning, management, programmes, resources, and managing nutrition planning and management.
Advanced Clinical Nutrition and Diet Therapy
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers advanced clinical, diet, therapy, management, and managing advanced clinical nutrition and diet therapy.
Field Attachment
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Provides practical experience in community nutrition assessment, diet therapy, and nutrition programme management in hospital and community settings.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 215 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on a nutrition and dietetics topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and nutrition knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Clinical Nutrition
Focuses on clinical nutrition, covering diet, therapy, assessment, management, and managing clinical nutrition and diet therapy.
Community Health and Nutrition
Examines community health, covering healthcare, primary, planning, management, and managing community health nutrition.
Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition
Covers maternal and child nutrition, covering maternal, infant, feeding, growth, and managing maternal and child nutrition.
Public Health Nutrition
Focuses on public health nutrition, covering public, health, policy, programmes, and managing public health nutrition.
Nutrition in Disasters and Emergencies
Examines nutrition in emergencies, covering disasters, emergencies, humanitarian, relief, and managing nutrition in emergencies.
Critical Care and Nutritional Support
Covers critical care nutrition, covering critical, support, metabolism, therapy, and managing critical care nutritional support.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Nutrition and Dietetics programme combines lectures, practical sessions, field work, seminars, group discussions, and independent study. Sessions cover clinical nutrition, community nutrition, nutritional assessment, and diet therapy. Clinical nutrition sessions examine diet, therapy, assessment, management, and managing clinical nutrition. Community nutrition sessions cover communities, public, health, prevention, and managing community nutrition. Nutritional assessment sessions cover assessment, intervention, evaluation, monitoring, and managing nutritional assessment. Nutritional epidemiology sessions cover epidemiology, research, data, analysis, and managing nutritional epidemiology. Nutrition education sessions cover education, communication, behaviour, counselling, and managing nutrition education. Food quality sessions cover quality, assurance, policy, standards, and managing food quality and nutrition policy. Research methods sessions cover research, design, methods, ethics, and conducting research. Field attachment provides practical experience in community nutrition assessment, diet therapy, and nutrition programme management. Seminars provide opportunities for presenting case studies and discussing current research. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on a nutrition and dietetics topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme addresses Kenya's significant malnutrition and diet-related disease challenges.
Programme offers multiple specialisation tracks in clinical, community, and maternal and child nutrition.
Graduates are eligible for KNDI registration and WHO nutrition certification.
High job market demand for nutrition professionals in Kenya and globally.

Against it

No public university confirmed offering the exact programme name, limiting options and affordability.
All confirmed institutions are private, making the programme relatively expensive.
Kabarak fee data is tuition only per semester; total fees not publicly available.
Programme requires a relevant health or nutrition degree for entry, limiting access.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 349 health sciences courses

Public180k to 326k

180k at Kisii University326k at Kenyatta University

Private125k to 150k

125k at Kabarak University150k at Mount Kenya University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

KU 326.4k/yr (kenyaeducationguide). MKU 75k×2=150k/yr. Kisii ~180k/yr (brochure). Kabarak 62.5k/sem (Kabarak page).

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. Universities may offer scholarships for eligible students. KNDI may offer professional development grants. Some NGOs, international organisations, and government agencies may sponsor staff for postgraduate study.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
University Scholarship
KNDI Professional Development Grant

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
University Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 140,000Kenyan
Universities may offer scholarships for eligible postgraduate nutrition students.
KNDI Professional Development Grant
ScholarshipKsh 100,000Kenyan
KNDI may offer professional development grants for registered nutrition professionals pursuing postgraduate study.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: MKU accepts holders of a Bachelor's degree in Nutrition and Dietetics with Second Class Upper or Lower with two years of experience. Kabarak accepts BSc Second Class Upper in relevant health fields, or Lower with two years of experience. KEMU accepts similar qualifications. Contact respective universities for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework40% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, practical tests, seminar presentations, group discussions, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination60% of the mark
Written examinations covering clinical nutrition, community nutrition, nutritional assessment, and diet therapy.
Field Attachment Assessment
Project30% of the mark
Practical assessment through field attachment in hospital and community settings, demonstrating nutrition and dietetics skills.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis on a nutrition and dietetics topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and nutrition knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Mount Kenya University, Kabarak University, and Kenya Methodist University (all private) offer MSc in Nutrition and Dietetics. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in nutrition. Graduates should be registered with the Kenya Nutritionists and Dieticians Institute (KNDI). The programme aligns with WHO and FAO global nutrition standards.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. Mount Kenya University, Kabarak University, and Kenya Methodist University (all private) offer MSc in Nutrition and Dietetics. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in nutrition. Graduates should be registered with the Kenya Nutritionists and Dieticians Institute (KNDI). The programme aligns with WHO and FAO global nutrition standards.
Kenya Nutritionists and Dieticians Institute (KNDI)
Professional accreditationRequired
KNDI regulates nutrition and dietetics practice in Kenya. Graduates should be registered with KNDI to practise as nutrition professionals.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Clinical Dietitian
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Provides clinical nutrition and diet therapy in hospitals, overseeing assessment, treatment, management, and managing clinical dietetics.
Community Nutritionist
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Manages community nutrition programmes, overseeing communities, health, prevention, and managing community nutrition.
Nutrition Programme Manager
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 450,000
Manages nutrition programmes and interventions, overseeing planning, implementation, evaluation, and managing nutrition programmes.
Public Health Nutritionist
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Manages public health nutrition, overseeing public, health, policy, programmes, and managing public health nutrition.
Nutrition Researcher
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Conducts nutrition research, overseeing studies, evidence, practice, and managing nutrition research.
Nutrition Educator
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Teaches nutrition at university or college level, overseeing instruction, curriculum, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

Nutritional Assessment Tools
EquipmentPrimary
Nutritional assessment tools for evaluating nutritional status, covering assessment, screening, monitoring, and managing nutritional assessment.
SPSS
Software
SPSS for statistical analysis of research data, covering statistics, analysis, research, and managing research data.
Diet Analysis Software
Software
Diet analysis software for meal planning and nutritional analysis, covering diet, analysis, planning, and managing dietary data.
WHO Growth Standards
Equipment
WHO growth standards for child nutrition assessment, covering growth, monitoring, assessment, and managing child nutrition data.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Nutrition and dietetics is just about meal planning.
Nutrition and dietetics covers comprehensive clinical therapy, public health, epidemiology, policy, and research beyond just meal planning.
This programme is only for hospital dietitians.
Nutrition and dietetics skills are valuable for community health, public health, research, policy, and education roles beyond just hospital dietetics.
Nutrition research is not rigorous science.
Nutrition research uses rigorous scientific methods including epidemiology, clinical trials, and evidence-based practice to improve health outcomes.
Dietitians and nutritionists do the same thing.
Dietitians are clinically trained to manage medical conditions through diet therapy, while nutritionists focus broadly on community and public health nutrition.
Community nutrition is not as important as clinical nutrition.
Community nutrition addresses population-level health challenges, prevention, and health promotion, which are equally important as clinical nutrition.
Nutrition careers are limited in Kenya.
Kenya faces significant malnutrition and diet-related disease challenges creating demand for trained nutrition professionals across multiple sectors.