Human Nutrition and Dietetics Schools and Programs in Spain

Human Nutrition and Dietetics Studies in Spain

In Spain, dietitian-nutritionist (dietista-nutricionista) is a regulated health profession, and the way into it is a specific official bachelor's degree, the Grado en Nutrición Humana y Dietética. The Universidad de Navarra describes it as the health degree that trains experts in food, nutrition and dietetics, whose work covers both prevention and treatment. Because the profession is regulated, the degree has a common structure at every Spanish university.

How the degree is organised

The Grado en Nutrición Humana y Dietética has 240 ECTS credits over four years, like most Spanish bachelor's degrees. Its competences and modules are set by Order CIN/730/2009, the ministerial order for degrees that qualify for the profession. The subject is relatively young as a university degree: the Universidad Complutense de Madrid has taught it in its Faculty of Medicine since 2001, first as a three-year diploma (diplomatura).

The order sets minimum modules, in ECTS credits:

• basic training: 60 (chemistry, biochemistry, the human body, statistics, psychology and food culture)
• food science: 18
• hygiene, food safety and quality management: 18
• nutrition, dietetics and health: 36
• public health and community nutrition: 18
• placements and final project: 30

The placements take place in hospitals, primary and social care centres, community organisations, the food industry and collective catering. At some universities they start early: the Universidad de Navarra, for example, offers placements from the first year.

Admission and language

Students who completed secondary school outside Spain usually apply through UNEDasiss, the UNED service that assesses international students' academic records and runs the tests needed to enter a Spanish bachelor's degree. Documents must be legalised and translated, and the application for a place is then made to each university within its own deadlines.

Places are limited. The Universidad de Murcia offers 60 first-year places, with a cut-off mark of 7.324 for 2025-26 admission; the Universidad de Navarra offers 90 places in Pamplona. Both teach the degree on campus and in Spanish. Navarra also runs an International Nutrition Certificate, its own qualification, for which students take several subjects in English.

Where to study nutrition and dietetics in Spain

A search of the ministry's Register of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT) for bachelor's degrees with "nutrición" in the title returns 53 records, including degrees being phased out. Public universities in our directory that offer the Grado en Nutrición Humana y Dietética include the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, the Universitat de Barcelona, the Universidad de Alicante, the Universidad de Granada, the Universidad de Murcia, the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela and the Universidad de Valladolid. Private options include the Universidad de Navarra, the Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio, the Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, the Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM) and the Universidad Católica de Ávila. Madrid and Barcelona have the most schools for this subject in our directory.

After the degree, students can specialise with an official master's degree of 60, 90 or 120 credits.

Recognition of the qualification

Anyone with a foreign degree who wants to work as a dietitian-nutritionist in Spain must apply for homologation to the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, only through its online portal. The degree is compared with the competences and modules of Order CIN/730/2009, and applicants need Spanish at level B2 unless they are nationals of a country where Spanish is an official language. Documents must be legalised and apostilled, except for degrees from the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. Holders of an EEA qualification can instead ask the Ministry of Health for professional recognition under Directive 2005/36/EC, which is free. Those who do not intend to practise can apply for a declaration of equivalence; the ministry advises checking with the professional association of dietitian-nutritionists which activities are reserved for the profession.

Careers

According to the Universidad de Navarra, graduates work in:

• dietetic practices and hospitals
• the food industry and collective catering
• sports nutrition
• teaching and research
• the public sector and patient associations

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to study nutrition and dietetics in Spain?

Four years. The Grado en Nutrición Humana y Dietética has 240 ECTS credits.

Is dietitian-nutritionist a regulated profession in Spain?

Yes. Practising requires the official degree or a foreign degree homologated by the ministry, or professional recognition for EEA qualifications.

Can I study nutrition and dietetics in Spain in English?

At the universities checked for this page, Murcia and Navarra, the degree is taught in Spanish. Navarra offers a certificate with several subjects in English.

What Spanish level do I need to homologate a foreign nutrition degree?

Level B2, unless you are a national of a country where Spanish is an official language or meet one of the other exceptions listed by the ministry.