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History - Location of the Department

The Department of Nutritional Science and Dietetics of the School of Health Sciences at the University of the Peloponnese was founded through Law No 4610/2019 and began operating in the academic year 2019-2020. The students admitted to the Department each year are between 140-150. The Department is located in a campus building of the University of the Peloponnese in the area of Antikalamos, Messinia, seven (7) km away from the center of Kalamata. The same building hosts the Department of Speech and Language Therapy of the School of Health Sciences, while in the 100.000 m2 campus there are the building facilities of the Departments of the School of Agriculture and Food and the School of Management.

In the campus facilities, there is also a Library with a printing unit, a dining area, a cafeteria, sports courts, and greenhouses, while in the city of Kalamata, there is a University Dormitory.

The Department has modern classrooms and lecture halls, while the laboratory classes take place in the well-equipped laboratories of Biochemistry, Physiology-Exercise Physiology, Chemistry, Biology, Computer, and Nutrition of the Department. The Department has a statutory laboratory with the name “Laboratory Biochemistry, Exercise Physiology, Physiology, and Pharmacology” which is active in educational activities and research.  

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Studies

The Undergraduate Curriculum aims to educate new scientists, who will acquire knowledge in the area of improving eating habits and the diet of individuals as well as special population groups, such as newborns, infants, children, teenagers, athletes, and chronic disease patients.

The education offered at the Department covers a wide range of subjects; from general courses, such as Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Food Chemistry, to subjects related to Human Physiology, Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, Diet and Metabolic Processes, to subjects specializing in the diet of particular population groups.

The Undergraduate Curriculum combines theoretical teaching with laboratory and practical exercise and follows any current scientific developments.

The studies last four (4) years and the courses are allocated within the eight (8) semesters of studies. Prerequisites for acquiring the degree are succeeding in the exams of all Undergraduate Curriculum courses, the successful participation in the Internship, and the preparation of a Thesis during the fourth year of studies. The Curriculum offers 240 ECTS-credits in total.

The Curriculum of the Department is in the process of being evaluated by the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education.
 

Carrer Prospects

The Department’s graduates have exactly equal professional rights with all graduates of other University departments of Nutrition and Dietetics in Greece.

Their professional rights have been established through Government Gazette 36/A΄/1989 and 213/A΄/2014, and Law No 4999/2022 (Α’ 225). 
All graduates may  acquire a professional license and register at professional associations.

The Department’s graduates can work as nutritional counselors or dieticians in the public or private sector (such as Hospitals, Elderly Health Care Units, and Rehabilitation Centers, in the Food Sector Industry, in Education, in National or International Organizations (e.g. National Organization for Medicines, Hellenic Food Authority), as Researchers or as freelancers.

Apart from any professional opportunities offered by the degree, graduates can continue their academic studies – in case they are interested – to acquire a postgraduate or a doctoral degree.
 

Research

The Department has the approved Laboratory of Biochemistry, Exercise Physiology, Physiology and Pharmacology, in which various measurements are performed such as fitness measurements of adults and athletes, basic metabolic rate, skin fold measurements, and anthropometric measurements. In addition, the department deals with the dietary habits of various populations and with clinical trials related to nutrition.

The Department has a Doctoral Studies Regulation approved by the University’s Senate and as of the academic year 2021-2022, the first doctoral candidates have enrolled at the Department.
 

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