New course at the University of Salzburg: “Tomorrow’s health professionals”
The Nutrition, Exercise and Health course offers a wide range of career prospects with a focus on everything from anti-aging to digitization.
People are getting older. But how do you ensure that they not only reach old age, but also stay healthy and fit? To be able to be an active part of society and community for a long time and, to put it pragmatically, to relieve the burden on the health and healthcare system? These are the questions addressed by the new degree program Nutrition, Exercise, Health, which started this winter semester at the University of Salzburg. Located in the Sports department of the Faculty of Natural and Life Sciences, it includes the study of various disciplines: from sports and nutritional science to medicine, psychology, biology and computer science to cultural and social sciences such as history, German studies, sociology and communication science.
Health experts wanted
The study is a reaction to the increasing need for people with health expertise who can get involved in politics, communities and organizations, says Susanne Ring-Dimitriou. The professor in the field of training and movement science heads the new course. “The offer is about people in all age and gender groups. We highlight the pillars where we can support health well: diet and exercise,” explains Ring-Dimitriou. It should not be another study of nutrition or sports, but should draw a holistic picture of human health and what is necessary for it. Students should not only learn which forms of nutrition and exercise have a positive effect on the body of this body, but also how knowledge can be put into practice for the general public. In science, this is called public health. “We know, for example, that the Wiener Schnitzel is not optimal from both a health and an environmental perspective,” explains Ring-Dimitriou. However, simply banning it from the menu would represent a break in the established food culture in Austria. “The course is also about: What’s behind it? How can you counteract it? What measures can we take to pick people up where they are?”
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A new professional field with a lot of potential
Public health is not only a research direction at universities, but also offers many new jobs and professional opportunities. What is meant by this is taking measures at the level of politics and cities and communities to promote the health of local people. This can be exercise and nutrition programs or information campaigns on health issues to create a broader understanding among the population. Public health is a growing area with a great need for experts, says Ring-Dimitriou. “We are talking about health officers who offer health promotion programs and are in close contact with the state government. Possible public health jobs are located in social insurance, health insurance, in political consulting and in research. Ring-Dimitriou sees further potential jobs in the areas of movement, marketing, tourism and event and cultural management as well as in the innovation sector in the development of new products. However, the degree does not qualify you to work in nutritional counseling, in the healthcare system as a nursing or medical specialist or as a teacher.
Focal points from anti-aging to digitization
With different modules, students choose between four main areas of nutrition, exercise and health: sustainability and socio-ecological perspectives, health communication and project management, aging research and anti-aging or digitization and e-health. In addition, free electives are to be taken, whereby in principle the offer of the Paracelsus Medical Private University (PMU) is also available. However, Ring-Dimitriou notes that this must be clarified individually for each course, both with the PMU and with the University of Salzburg. However, there are hardly any hurdles on the part of the University of Salzburg, “after all, we are happy when our students think outside the box”. In general, care was taken to create as diverse a range of courses as possible. “With human biology, the students learn how the human body works, what physical and mental illnesses there are and how they can be prevented. With movement science, how a health-promoting training program can be put together.” Knowledge of the right diet for a long and healthy life is also on the schedule.
Lecturers from different departments
The subjects in the curriculum of the course are widely spread: Food science and chemistry are just as much a part as the health psychology of nutrition and exercise, the cultural history of nutrition and the body and sports-physiological diagnostics. In order to master these disciplines, the lecturers in the Nutrition, Exercise and Health course not only come from different faculties at the University of Salzburg, but also from the Medical University of Vienna. The first admissions to the course take place until September 5th, there are no admission restrictions apart from having the university entrance qualification. Ring-Dimitriou strongly recommends reading the course curriculum carefully beforehand. It can be found quickly on the homepage of the University of Salzburg under the keywords “nutrition, exercise, health”.