Bachelor of Food and Nutrition

On successful completion you will be able to:

1. Apply literacy and professional culturally-safe communication skills across diverse settings, including demonstration of digital literacy, to effectively communicate and collaborate your knowledge, skills and ideas to others.
2. Critically appraise research evidence and apply analytical skills to interpret a range of health data from diverse nutrition methods to enable ethically informed and evidence-based nutrition practice.
3. Critically analyse problems and provide innovative and practical solutions that consider the sociocultural factors and other complex food, health, environmental and economic systems.
4. Integrate and apply knowledge and culturally-safe and food-first strategies that support health and wellbeing across the lifespan of individuals and communities.
5. Demonstrate personal and professional development through reflective practice and self-directed learning.
6. Apply and integrate biochemistry, physiological, and food chemistry principles and use specialist knowledge and practical skills to examine the role of diet in health maintenance, illness prevention and promotion of health policies and intiatives.
7. Apply knowledge and skills to demonstrate accountability and ethical responsibility in decision-making in a range of food, nutrition and health-related contexts.

Gain the skills to make a difference in people’s lives through food and nutrition with La Trobe University’s Bachelor of Food and Nutrition. 

In this degree, you’ll learn how to work with people, communities and organisations to help prevent many chronic diseases and optimise health. Designed by leading food and nutrition science experts and in collaboration with industry, you’ll explore topics such as the nutrition science and metabolism, environmental sustainability of our food systems and diets, food product development, culture and food, nutrition assessment, individual and public health nutrition across the lifespan, and links between nutrition and disease.  

Depending on your study mode, you can tailor your studies through electives or an open access minor, with recommended nutrition minors.  

You’ll prepare for your career at every stage of the degree, with the option to exit early via the Diploma or Associate Degree in Food and Nutrition.  

By studying the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition, you will learn how to: 

• analyse food chemistry, nutrition science, physiology, biochemistry and epidemiology 
• apply research and communication skills in food and nutrition contexts 
• conduct a food and nutrition research project 
• evaluate sustainable diets, food systems and the factors that shape nutrition practice 
• interpret public health nutrition challenges across people, communities and organisations 
• examine professional, ethical, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health perspectives in nutrition practice. 

Recommended study pattern

This degree is structured to allow students to complete 2 subjects per study period and this is the strongly recommended study load from La Trobe University. If you enrol in more than 2 subjects per study period, this may limit your options for enrolment in later study periods and thus careful planning and assessment of required prerequisites is needed. 

Please refer to the La Trobe University Handbook  to review the full structure.

Students who are studying and want to take a break (minimum one study period) must submit a leave of absence covering the relevant dates.

Students who have been accepted in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) are required to complete the following 2 modules in their first study period as a CSP student:

LTU0AIM Academic Integrity Module

ABS0WOM Wominjeka La Trobe: Indigenous Cultural Literacy for Higher Education

Award requirements

To qualify for the award of Bachelor of Food and Nutrition, students must complete 24 subjects (360 credit points) as follows:

• 20 core subjects
• 4 elective subjects (which can include a minor)

Students who have been accepted in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) are required to complete the following 2 modules in their first study period as a CSP student:

LTU0AIM Academic Integrity Module

ABS0WOM Wominjeka La Trobe: Indigenous Cultural Literacy for Higher Education

Choose your subjects

Electives

Students may wish to complete a minor (detailed below) or elective subjects.

Students may wish to complete a course related minor sequence consisting of 4 subjects (60 credit points) from the following minors:

• Nutrition in Practice*
• Nutrition and Health

*Students wanting to apply for the Masters of Dietetics at La Trobe will be required to complete the Nutrition in Practice minor as part of the course structure to address the prerequisite requirements for the Masters. The Nutrition in Practice minor addresses the application of theory of biochemistry, physiology and human nutrition within a laboratory environment.

Exit points

Upon completion of Level one 8 subjects (120 credit points), students have the option to exit with a Diploma in Food and Nutrition (HDFN).*

Upon completion of Level one and Level two 16 subjects (240 credit points), students have the option to exit with an Associate Degree in Food and Nutrition (HA005).*

*Please note that if you are a past La Trobe student who has discontinued study, or if you have been absent without leave, you are not eligible to apply for an alternative exit retrospectively. 

Degrees are usually made up of core subjects and electives. Some degrees include a choice of majors, so you can focus your studies on a specialisation.

This list is a general overview. Download the full Degree Guide for more information.

• Level one core subjects

• Level two core subjects

• Level three core subjects

• Level one elective subjects

• Level two elective subjects

• Level three elective subjects

• Minor in Nutrition in Practice

• Minor in Nutrition and Health

Open Universities Australia is a not-for-profit organisation. You will not pay any fees for using our services.

Indicative total fee $29,640

The amounts shown here are indicative for an Australian citizen studying full-time, which is typically 8 subjects per year.

Fees may vary depending on:

• the subjects you choose
• credit from previous work experience
• your eligibility for government funding loans or subsidies such as HECS-HELP or a Commonwealth supported place.

To learn more, go to Fees or contact a student advisor.

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Its commitment to excellence in teaching and research prepares students to make a bold and positive impact in today's global community. La Trobe provides Open Universities Australia with its core tenets, entrepreneurship and sustainability.

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Successful completion of DTN101 Introduction to Nutrition, and one of the following Open Access Pathway subjects:

• ANP1001 Anatomy and Physiology 1
• CHM101 Essentials of Chemistry
• PHE1UHW Understanding Health and Wellbeing

Important to Note: Students who successfully complete two from these four open enrolment subjects may apply under the Academic Eligibility category for admission to the restricted Bachelor of Food and Nutrition. You must be enrolled in the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition to be eligible to enrol in all other non-open access subjects offered in the degree.

Demonstrate proficiency equivalent to Year 12 prerequisites.

Satisfy the academic requirements by completing the STAT multiple choice if you:

• are not currently studying an Australian Year 12 (or equivalent)
• have no prior secondary school (Year 12), VET studies, HE studies or relevant work experience that can be considered for entry, or
• do not meet the minimum academic requirements for the program.

Refer to the La Trobe University STAT page for further information.

La Trobe University will consider applications for advanced standing, or credit for prior study. Credit may be applied to a current degree if you have undertaken previous tertiary study and completed and passed subjects similar in content and standard to those offered at La Trobe, from either another recognised tertiary institution or a different La Trobe course.

Note: Applications for credit will not be considered until you have successfully been admitted to a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) in a La Trobe course offered through OUA.

Assessing whether you should apply for credit for subjects in your course:

Credit may be granted for relevant subjects. The following steps will help you to decide which subjects you wish to apply for:

1. Identify subjects within your course that you think align with subjects you have already studied and have completed within 8 years of your La Trobe University course commencement year.

2. Provide subject outlines with detailed information for each subject that you wish to submit for assessment for credit, identifying which subject within your course that you have identified as a match. Include subject learning

outcomes/objectives and subject content for each subject.

3. Provide your academic transcript for your previous studies.

*Note that a subject studied can only be used once for credit

In this course you will be required to complete cooking and food science practicals/assessment tasks in your own kitchen or one you arrange to access. You will need to purchase ingredients and have access to standard kitchen equipment including a digital thermometer and digital scales. Cooking or handling foods from across all food groups (including red meat, eggs and milk) is part of the required coursework. Sensory analysis requiring the tasting of food, is at your discretion to accommodate special dietary requirements. Students should direct any questions to the course coordinators prior to enrolment.

For intensive classes (HBS301, DTN310) students are required to purchase their own safety equipment. Students will also incur the cost of travel and any associated costs with attending the intensive block study period on campus.

The subjects below are part of the Nutrition in Practice* minor only and not compulsory to complete the degree:

• HBS301 Food and Nutrition Practical Skills requires attendance at an external provider in Melbourne in an intensive block study period
• DTN310 Advanced Food Skills requires attendance at an external provider in Melbourne in an intensive block study period.

*Students wanting to apply for the Masters of Dietetics at La Trobe will be required to complete the Nutrition in Practice minor as part of the course structure to address the prerequisite requirements for the Masters. The Nutrition in Practice minor addresses the application of theory of biochemistry, physiology and human nutrition within a laboratory environment.