Bachelor of Science / Master of Nutrition and Dietetics

Course overview

The Bachelor of Science/Master of Nutrition and Dietetics (BSc/MND) is a five year combined course designed for you to follow a career in nutrition and dietetics. The scope of human nutrition extends far beyond the classical study of the physiological and biochemical processes involved in nourishment: that is, how substances in food are converted into energy and body tissues. Human nutrition has come to involve all the effects on humans of any component found in food; these include most chronic degenerative diseases (for example coronary heart disease), which are now major targets of research activity. The scope of nutrition encompasses the effects of food on human function, for example, mental function, athletic performance, resistance to infection, and foetal health and development. Dietetics is the application of nutrition in the health services.

• Course structure
• Professional recognition
• Career opportunities
• What if I don't get in? Are there other ways to study nutrition and dietetics?

Course structure

Refer to the Bachelor of Science course structure table, and the Master of Nutrition and Dietetics course structure table.

This program is designed to give you a solid knowledge of nutritional science and nutrition as a scientific discipline, and to make you a scientist capable of working in and furthering this emerging field. The BSc/MND will prepare you to lead in the dietetics profession, and maintain and advance the profession’s standards.

You start your combined course with the three-year BSc and, as long as you have met the progression requirements, you then complete two years in the MND. A SCIWAM (Weighted Average Mark calculated for use by the Faculty of Science, and includes only Intermediate and Senior units of study) of 65 or greater in your BSc is necessary for progression into the master's course.

In your BSc, you complete units of study in biochemistry, molecular biology and human physiology which are necessary prerequisites for accreditation by the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA ). If you would like to obtain accreditation as a dietitian, you will need to undertake one semester of practical placement in clinical/community/food service/public health, and industry areas in the Masters course.

You will complete your first year units of study of the Masters program before you can undertake your second year units, research and professional placements.

Professional recognition

The Master of Nutrition and Dietetics is accredited by the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA).

Career Opportunities

Career opportunities include becoming a clinical dietitian in a hospital, working in primary care in public or private employment, community nutrition or public health. Other settings for employment are the food industry, sports nutrition research and education and the media.

What if I don't get in? Are there other ways to study nutrition and dietetics?

If you're worried about your chances of gaining entry into this course, don't worry, you have other options for studying nutrition and dietetics. The Faculty of Science offers the Master of Nutrition and Dietetics as a standalone postgraduate course, which you can apply for after first completing an undergraduate course. In order to gain admission into a postgraduate course, you must first complete an undergraduate course, like the Bachelor of Science, and then apply for postgraduate study. You also need to satisfy certain admission requirements for the Master of Nutrition and Dietetics, like completing study in biochemistry and physiology in your undergraduate years.

For more information about the Master of Nutrition and Dietetics, and its admission requirements, visit the Sydney Nutrition and Dietetics Program website.