Bachelor of Food and Nutrition
Undergraduate | LAT-HUN-DEG | 2024
Join a rapidly growing industry
Study nutrition as a science as well as a crucial part of wellbeing. Work towards a career as a nutritionist in a range of sectors. Graduate with the opportunity to move into Dietetics, and register with the Nutrition Society of Australia.
- Study method
- Online & on-campus
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Applications close
- 12 May 2024,
- 11 Aug 2024,
- 10 Nov 2024
- Credit available
- Yes
- Duration
- 3 years full time or part time equivalent
- Total subjects
- 24
- Price from
- $24,933
- Available loans
- Australian Higher Education Loan Program (HELP)
- CSP available
- Yes
Bachelor of Food and Nutrition
About this degree
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Apply well developed literacy and communication skills across a variety of settings, including demonstration of digital literacy, to effectively communicate your knowledge, skills and ideas to others.
- Critically appraise research evidence to enable knowledge translation for ethically informed and evidence-based nutrition practice incorporating health data, nutrition epidemiology methods and biostatistics.
- Critically analyse problems and provide innovative and practical solutions that consider the sociocultural factors that influence food intake and impact food security in changing and complex food, health environmental and economic systems.
- Integrate and apply knowledge and strategies that support health and wellbeing among individuals and communities to provide specialist advice when working collaboratively with key stakeholders.
- Engage in personal and professional development through reflective practice and self-directed learning.
- Integrate and apply specialist knowledge and practical skills to understand the role of diet in health maintenance and illness prevention and promote health in diverse settings.
- 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. La Trobe's Bachelor of Food and Nutrition will equip you with the skills and knowledge to work with people, communities and organisations to prevent many chronic diseases.
Designed by leading nutrition experts and in collaboration with industry, you'll get a practical hands-on experience while exploring a range of topics such as environmental sustainability of our food system, sustainable diets, food product development, culture and food, and nutrition and disease. You'll have the opportunity to study in modern science labs and commercial kitchens.
By completing La Trobe's Bachelor of Food and Nutrition, you will:
- build expertise in chemistry and nutrition science, analysis, physiology and biochemistry, epidemiology, and research and communication
- have the flexibility to study online or on campus, or even choose an accelerated option to finish your degree in 2.5 years
- 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
- graduate ready to apply for membership with the Nutrition Society of Australia, or pursue postgraduate studies through the Master of Dietetics or our Honours research program.
Note: Completion of this course is subject to core participation requirements, essential requirements, and additional costs. Please see the Entry requirements and pathways & Fees and scholarships tabs for more information.
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.Â
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
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
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.Â
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.
Transition arrangements are changes that occur when courses are updated or phased out. This happens regularly as part of continuous improvement. It may affect you if you are currently enrolled in this course, or if you plan to use credit from previous study towards it.
Continuing students in the previous version/s of the Bachelor of Food and Nutrition will be taught out under their original structure, some with subject substitution.
Pending course progression, some students may require subject replacement/s and as described below (applicable to subject codes PHE101, PHE102, HBS102, CHM102):
- PHE102 Individual Determinants of Health replaced by PHE1IDH Individual Determinants of Health (Coming in Semester 1, 2024)
- PHE101 Social Determinants of Health replaced by PHE1SDH Social Determinants of Health
- HBS102 Introduction to Anatomy replaced by HBS1HBB Human Biosciences B
- CHM102 Applied Food Chemistry replaced by DTN1CFC Chemistry of Food and Cooking
The subjects below will cease delivery at the end of 2026, students are expected to complete the following subjects prior to the end of 2026:
- DTN201 Nutrition Fundamentals
- DTN306 Nutrition Research Minor Project
- DTN304 Nutritional Epidemiology and Research Skills
The third university established in Victoria, La Trobe University has a diverse community of more than 38,000 students and staff. 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.
Learn more about La Trobe University.
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Entry requirements
Please note, to do any more than the four open access pathway subjects, you must apply for and be accepted into the degree.
Successful completion of HBS101 Introduction to Human Physiology, and one of the following Open Access Pathway subjects:
- DTN101 Introduction to Nutrition
- CHM101 Essentials of Chemistry
- PHE1UHW Understanding Health and Wellbeing
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
Study method requirements
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 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.
Career opportunities
Graduates may enter a wide variety of sectors including public or community health, government, food (including development, technology and analysis), research or media.
Possible roles include:
- Nutritionist
Provide nutritional counselling and promote nutrition through community-level education.
- Food scientist
Apply scientific expertise and technological principles to the development of food products and processes within manufacturing and nutrition research settings.
- Health promoter
Work with community groups, government or policy to plan and develop ways to help people improve and manage their health.
- Nutrition policy officer or health marketing officer
Advise government on nutrition policy. Support the marketing and media of health and wellbeing organisations or hospitals.
- Nutrition community educator
Teach the public how to improve their nutrition and develop healthy eating habits by working with communities and government.
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 outlook
- Dietitians:
- Unknown average
- Nutrition Professionals:
- Unknown average
- Nutritionists:
- Unknown average
Degree FAQs
That's up to you! Because we let you choose when to study online, you can actually pick up and pause study when it suits you. Many universities have a set time you need to complete your degree within. For some this is up to 10 years, and for others there is no limit.
There are some degrees that are stricter about when you can take breaks, and about how many years you can take to complete your degree. Please always check with your uni what the limits are.
As a general guide, Commonwealth supported place students have 10 years to finish their undergraduate degree through OUA, However, if you're studying with Griffith University, there's a limit of 8 years to complete your studies. If you want to take a break that lasts more than two study terms, you'll need to apply for a leave of absence. You can apply for a leave of absence for up to 12 months, as long as you complete your studies within the maximum time allowed for your degree.
If you're studying with Macquarie University, with the exception of certain degrees, there's no limit to how long you can take. But, please check with Macquarie Student Administration to be sure.
If you're studying with the University of Adelaide, you have up to 9 years to complete your undergraduate degree and graduate.
If you're studying with La Trobe University and want to take a break of minimum 1 study term, you must apply for leave of absence to avoid being inadvertently withdrawn from your degree.
Through OUA, you can study all year round, so it's possible to fast-track and finish up sooner than studying at a traditional uni would allow. That said, you need to spend around 12 hours a week on each undergraduate subject you do, so taking on extra work to finish ahead of time can be challenging.
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Payment options are explained in Fees, and you can contact a student advisor for more information.
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