Bachelor of Food and Nutrition

There is a growing demand for specialists in food and nutrition science with a wide range of career options available for graduates.

The Bachelor of Food and Nutrition will prepare students for careers in:

• nutrition and agribusiness
• government – food policy and regulation, quality assurance, community health programs
• sports industry
• food industry - food safety, food manufacture
• marketing – product development
• media – consumer education and awareness
• other areas of nutrition and biosciences – food laboratories and research institutes.

Professional recognition

Graduates of the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition may apply for membership with the Nutrition Society of Australia. Membership may be subject to additional or ongoing requirements beyond completion of the degree. Please contact the relevant professional body for details.

Career objectives

Equip students with knowledge and skills in a broad range of nutrition related subjects and be able to apply this knowledge in understanding the role of diet in health maintenance and illness prevention.

Equip students with the skills and knowledge in health data, nutrition epidemiology methods and biostatistics to enable students to understand evidence-based practice as applied to illness prevention and health promotion.

Equip students with skills and knowledge in the sociocultural factors that influence food intake and impact food security and be able to apply this knowledge in health promotion and community nutrition.

Open enrolment subjects

There are four open enrolment subjects in this degree. Students do not have to submit an Application Form for open enrolment subjects, and can enrol in the units below:

• HBS101 Human Biosciences A
• DTN101 Introduction to Nutrition 
• CHM101 Essentials of Chemistry
• PHE102 Individual Determinants of Health

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. 

Please note: La Trobe students studying on campus who wish to do individual units need to apply for La Trobe CSP On Campus to Online.

Higher education via OUA

Successful completion of two of the four open enrolment subjects: HBS101, DTN101, (CHM101 or SCI18), PHE102**

NB:  Meeting minimum prerequisites does not guarantee an offer of a place.  Entry into all La Trobe degrees is based on competitive selection and there may be limited places available.

**Credit based application eligibility assessment: If you can provide evidence that you have successfully completed an equivalent of two or more of the four open enrolment/pathway units at another university you may request entry based on your previous study. La Trobe University will need to assess your application and the assessor will need to confirm that the subjects are equivalent and that you would be granted advanced standing for them upon admission to the course. Follow the steps in How to Apply and when requested provide certified copies of your transcript/s and detailed subject outline for your previous studies, and a statement that identifies the evidence of study that is equivalent for any pathway subjects where you are seeking credit. Note: Credit will only be assessed for the four open enrolment/pathway units. Advanced standing for other units in the degree will only be assessed after admission to the course and cannot be utilised as a basis for entry.

Higher education

Successful completion of at least the equivalent of 1 semester of higher education full time study with a minimum grade average of 65%.

La Trobe University may need to approve any prior learning you have to determine that you meet the eligibility requirements for admission into the program.

Please note: La Trobe students studying on campus who wish to do individual subjects need to apply for La Trobe CSP On Campus to Online.

Secondary education

• Obtain a Tertiary Entrance Ranking 65.85 (TER, ATAR, ENTER, UAI, OP or equivalent)*                                      

*Tertiary Education Ranking scores must also have been within the past five years. If the period has been longer potential students are encouraged to complete a STAT.

English Proficiency Requirements

Achieve a minimum of 145 in all sections of the STAT (Multiple Choice and Written English)

On campus requirements

The subjects below are electives only and not compulsory to complete the degree:

• DTN202 Food and Nutrition Practical Skills requires attendance at La Trobe's Melbourne Campus in an intensive block study period
• DTN310 Advanced Food Skills requires attendance at an external provider in Melbourne in an intensive block study period.

La Trobe University, will consider applications for Advanced standing, or credit for prior study. Credit may be applied to a current course 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 Advanced Standing will not be considered until you have successfully been admitted to a Commonwealth Supported place in the Bachelor or Food and Nutrition through OUA.

Assessing whether you should apply for Advanced standing for subjects in the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition.

Advanced standing may be granted for relevant subjects in the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition. The following steps will help you to decide which subjects you wish to apply for:

1. Identify units within the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition that you think align with units/subjects you have already studied and have completed within the last 5 years.
2. Look at the year in which the unit will be taught within the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition – this is indicated by the code of the unit i.e. DTN102 (Applied Food Chemistry) is a rst year subject as indicated by the 1 after the letters of the unit code. Make sure that the units/subjects that you have already studied have the same or a higher code.
3. Look closely at the unit content for each unit identied in the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition and ensure that it is at least a 75% match to the unit/subject you would like to submit for assessment for advanced standing.
4. Provide unit/subject outlines with detailed information for each unit/subject that you wish to submit for assessment for advanced standing, identifying which unit within the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition that you have identied as a match. Include unit/subject learning outcomes/objectives and unit/subject content for each unit/subject.
5. Provide a certied copy of your academic transcript for your previous studies.
6. Note that a unit/subject studied can only be used ONCE for advanced standing i.e. if you have studied a rst year chemistry subject it cannot be used for advanced standing against the Chemistry and Applied Food Chemistry subjects within the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition.

How to apply for Advanced Standing/Credit

Applications for Advanced Standing will be considered by academic staff at La Trobe University following successful admission to the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition via OUA. The Advanced Standing/Credit application form can be obtained by clicking here.

La Trobe Advanced Standing Application Form 

Once you have completed the application for Advanced Standing form, and have all relevant supporting documentation, please submit your completed Advanced Standing documents via the Online Support Team mailbox support-studyonline@latrobe.edu.au

Nutritionists help translate nutritional science for the lay public and advise the community about good food choices for healthy eating. To do this, nutritionists consider the nutritive value of foods, the nutrients bodies need at different stages of development, and the role nutrients and diet play in health and in disease prevention. They can also do research: for example working on new food products, or examining the relationships between nutrients/dietary patterns and disease (however, they do not help treat disease through nutrition – this is the role of dietitians).

The Bachelor of Food and Nutrition aims to provide graduates with a thorough understanding of food and human nutrition, as preparation for careers in various fields related to the promotion of health at individual and community levels. During the degree, students will study biosciences, principles of nutrition, food science and food skills, nutrition and disease, nutritional needs over the lifespan and for sports performance, and the social and public health aspects of nutrition.

Please note: La Trobe students studying on campus who wish to do individual subjects need to apply for the La Trobe On Campus to Online degree.

Recommended Study Pattern

This degree is an OUA Pathways degree, which means there is a recommended series of subjects that, once successfully completed, can be credited towards this degree. To commence the Pathway for this degree, simply select subjects from the Pathway stream below.

To get the most of this degree:

• Start with CHM101, HBS101, DTN101 and PHE102 prior to the other Level 1 subjects
• Complete all subjects in a year level before progressing to the next
• Complete 3 core-choice electives.

Award Requirements

To qualify for the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition from La Trobe University, a student must complete the 24 subjects as follows:

• 8 core subjects at Level 1 (including 4 Health Pathway subjects)
• 8 core subjects at Level 2
• 5 core subjects at Level 3
• 3 core-choice electives

Students who have been accepted in a Commonwealth Supported Place in the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition 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

Each Module takes around 1 hour to complete. You will find these modules in your La Trobe University Learning Management System (LMS). You can log into the La Trobe University LMS using the username and password provided to you in your welcome to La Trobe University username and password letter.

For a module outline, please click on the modules above. For further information about AIM and Wominjeka at La Trobe, please click here.

Exit Points

The Diploma in Food and Nutrition is an exit qualification designed to provide flexibility for students from the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition.   

To attain the Diploma in Food and Nutrition, students are required to complete 120 credit points (8 subjects) comprised of the first year of the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition:

• DTN101 Introduction to Nutrition
• HBS101 Introduction to Human Physiology
• CHM101 Essentials of Chemistry (or SCI18 if completed pre-2018)*
• PHE102 Individual Determinants of Health
• PHE101 Social Determinants of Health
• HBS102 Introduction to Anatomy
• DTN102 Applied Food Chemistry
• HEA102 Research & Evidence in Practice

*La Trobe consider Murdoch’s SCI18 Fundamentals of Chemistry to be academically equivalent to CHM101 Essentials of Chemistry.

From SP4 2017, all students who are yet to successfully complete SCI18, will be directed to enrol in CHM101 as a direct replacement unit.

This unit has replaced SCI18 in the Health Pathway, both SCI18 and CHM101 will count toward the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition.