Bachelor of Food and Nutrition

Graduates will have the knowledge and skills to provide evidence-based advice on matters relating to food and how it impacts on health.

Graduates will be prepared for careers requiring knowledge of nutrition, individual and population health, food intake analysis, food policy, nutrition for disease prevention and product development including food quality and safety. Graduates will gain skills to perform a range of roles including advocacy, nutrition promotion and policy, nutrition media and quality assurance.

There are a variety of career outcomes including different occupations and pathways available, and are based on those designed to improve health and wellbeing through food and nutrition often with a focus on community and population health. This may include working in sectors of:

• population or public health (policy and guideline development),
• research (research institutes, academic researcher),
• food industry (food analysis, product development, food technology),
• nutrition consultancy in public health or in industry (nutrition communication, food technology),
• media and marketing (food commentator, media liaison),
• or government and education (community education or development).

Upon completion, graduates are eligible to apply with the Nutrition Society of Australia to gain registration as an Associate Nutritionist.

Many graduates will study nutrition to complement their area of expertise and broaden their knowledge and skill set. A nutritionist is not qualified to provide medical advice or medical nutrition therapy, as this is the role of a dietitian. Graduates of the Bachelor of Food & Nutrition degree may wish to pursue future study in dietetics, such as the Master of Dietetic Practice at La Trobe University.

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.

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 subjects below:

• HBS101 Introduction to Human Physiology
• 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 subjects 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, 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 subjects 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 subjects. Advanced standing for other subjects in the degree will only be assessed after admission to the course and cannot be utilised as a basis for entry.

Higher education

Please note: This degree and its subjects are unavailable to international students.

Successful completion of at least the equivalent of 1 semester of higher education full time study within the last 10 years.

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.

Applicants who do not satisfy Year 12 with relevant English pre-requisite, or have not completed at least the equivalent of 1 semester of higher education full time study within the last 10 years must sit the STAT Multiple Choice.

Secondary education

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

Prerequisite

VCE: Units 3 and 4: a study score of at least 25 in English (EAL) or at least 20 in English other than EAL.

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

*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 Multiple Choice.

VET studies

Demonstrated proficiency equivalent to Year 12 completion and English prerequisite. VET studies at Certificate IV level or above within the last five years.

Applicants who have not undertaken VET studies at Certificate IV level or above within the last five years must sit the STAT Multiple Choice.

English Proficiency Requirements

Demonstrated proficiency equivalent in Year 12 English.

Special requirements

In order to participate successfully in this course students must have reliable internet access.

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.

On campus requirements

The subjects below are electives 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.

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 advanced standing will not be considered until you have successfully been admitted to a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) 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 subjects within the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition that you think align with subjects you have already studied and have completed within less than 8 years prior to the application.
2. Look at the year in which the subject will be taught within the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition – this is indicated by the code of the subject (i.e. DTN102 Applied Food Chemistry is a first year subject as indicated by the '1' after the letters of the subject code). Make sure that the subjects that you have already studied have the same or a higher code.
3. Look closely at the subject content for each subject identified in the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition and ensure that it is at least a 75% match to the subject you would like to submit for assessment for advanced standing.
4. Provide subject outlines with detailed information for each subject that you wish to submit for assessment for advanced standing, identifying which subject within the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition that you have identified as a match. Include subject learning outcomes/objectives and subject content for each subject.
5. Provide a certified copy of your academic transcript for your previous studies.

*Note that a subject studied can only be used once for advanced standing.

Applying for advanced standing/credit

Applications for advanced standing will be considered by a course coordinator 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 the link below:

La Trobe Advanced Standing Application Form 

Once you have completed the advanced standing application form, and have all relevant supporting documentation, please submit your completed application and supporting documents to ASK La Trobe via ask a question.

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.

Additional Information:  In order to participate successfully in this course students must have reliable internet access.

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.

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 2 core-choice elective subjects.
• Complete 1 elective.

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. However, it is possible to enrol in 3 subjects per study period without approval. The addition of a fourth subject requires approval, please contact La Trobe University to apply for this approval. 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.

Refer to the study plan below for the full structure of the degree.

Click here for the study plan.

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)
• 6 core subjects at Level 2
• 7 core subjects at Level 3
• 2 core-choice electives at Level 3
• 1 elective at Level 3

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 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 prior to 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 (if completed prior to 2018).