Graduate Diploma of Human Nutrition

2024 Deakin University Handbook

Year	2024 course information
Award granted	Graduate Diploma of Human Nutrition
Deakin course code	H616
Faculty	Faculty of Health
Campus	This course is only offered Online
Duration	1 year full-time or part-time equivalent
Course Map - enrolment planning tool	The course map for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2024 The course map for new students commencing from Trimester 2 2024 The course map for new students commencing from Trimester 3 2024 Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central.
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 8

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Learn about the composition of food and explore the social, cultural and economic aspects of nutrition with the Graduate Diploma of Human Nutrition. Take your new skills into the community to provide nutrition advice that make a real difference to the lives of people you work with.

Ready to inspire positive change through evidence-based nutrition?

A history of teaching and research excellence, world-class facilities, pioneering academics and a long list of industry partners make Deakin’s Graduate Diploma of Human Nutrition one of the leading human nutrition courses in Australia. The course attracts high-achieving students from a broad range of sectors. It caters for those looking to turn their lifelong passion for nutrition into sustained career growth, as well as professionals from other areas of health who want to enhance the quality of their care with expertise in human nutrition.

To truly understand the connection between nutrition and health, you will draw on studies from a variety of related disciplines, such as food science, biochemistry, physiology, epidemiology, psychology, public health and politics. Combining this knowledge allows you to examine nutrition from different angles, which is particularly beneficial when providing advice to audiences from diverse backgrounds. Better still, everything you learn is evidence-based, giving you the confidence to combat the dissemination of nutrition misinformation.

A highlight of the course is having the freedom to choose up to four elective units. This allows you to create a degree built for you and your unique career goals. Some of your elective unit options include:

Sports Nutrition
Obesity Prevention
Food Policy and Public Health
International Nutrition
Diet and Disease

If you’re looking to pursue a specific nutrition career pathway, you might like to visit the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences' careers website to ensure the elective units you choose meet your career development needs. This course can also be used as a stepping stone into the Master of Human Nutrition, and includes four core units from the masters program.

While the course is conveniently offered on our premium online learning platform, there are many opportunities to engage in practical learning. During the course you can:

go on an international study tour to gain a global perspective of food and nutrition
leverage the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences’ extensive list of industry partners to secure work and placement opportunities
develop your practical research skills with a nutrition research project.

There is growing public interest in the relationship between diet and health, and as a result there are increasing demands from the public for reliable, evidence-based and trustworthy information. In response, the Nutrition Society of Australia (NSA) has developed a ‘Register of Nutritionists’ to establish a list of appropriately qualified nutrition professionals.

As a graduate of this course, you may be eligible for registration as an ‘Associate Nutritionist’. Following three years of relevant work experience, Associate Nutritionists are able to apply for ‘Registered Nutritionist’ status. Registration with NSA does not authorise registrants to obtain provider numbers with Medicare or Private Health Insurers. Please refer to the NSA website for further information or queries about registration.

Indicative student workload

As a student in an online course in the Faculty of Health you will be expected to spend 11-13 hours every week studying, interacting online and completing assessment tasks for each unit in your course.

Professional recognition

Career opportunities

As the prevalence of global health issues like obesity, malnutrition and mental illness grow, so too has the public’s interest in the relationship between nutrition and health. As a result, there are increasing demands for health professionals who can provide reliable, evidence-based nutrition advice. So much so that jobs in nutrition are expected to grow 17.6% by 2023*.

As a graduate of this course, you will have the practical skills, knowledge and real-world experience to take advantage of this demand. You can confidently enter the role of a nutritionist, nutrition promotion officer or nutrition consultant, and explore roles across a variety of sectors including:

the food industry
state and federal health departments
NGOs with a focus on nutrition
news and media
education
private business.

You will be trained to provide dietary advice in community settings. And you will be equally as comfortable working on large-scale nutrition campaigns that impact the health and wellbeing of whole populations.

* Australian Jobs 2019, Department of Jobs and Small Business

Mandatory student checks

Applicable only to students undertaking practicum units, who will therefore require a Working With Children Check. Not mandatory for all students.

Pathways

Master of Human Nutrition (H714)
Master of Nutrition and Population Health (H748)

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, and their study discipline or your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Use the Fee estimator to see course and unit fees applicable to your course and type of place. For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.

Course Learning Outcomes

Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Apply advanced and integrated knowledge of nutrition and health to nutrition related health problems.
Communication	Select and use appropriate modes of communication to obtain and share evidence based nutrition knowledge.
Digital literacy	Select and use appropriate technologies to analyse and synthesise complex nutrition information and problems, and to interpret and share knowledge, skills and ideas.
Critical thinking	Critically analyse, reflect on and synthesise complex information and problems in nutrition, to come to well-reasoned conclusions.
Problem solving	Apply best practice and evidence to identify problems and generate and evaluate practical solutions to complex nutrition issues.
Self-management	Employ high level personal responsibility, accountability and autonomy to demonstrate expert judgement, adaptability to new situations, effective work practices, and responsibility as a nutritionist.
Teamwork	Establish, contribute and maintain a key role in relationships with a range of stakeholders to achieve successful outcomes to advance nutrition sciences.
Global citizenship	Engage in professional and ethical practice that demonstrates a high level of personal autonomy, within diverse contexts in nutrition sciences.

Course rules

To complete the Graduate Diploma of Human Nutrition students must attain 8 credit points, 4 core units (1 credit point each) and 4 credit points of elective units listed below. You may choose to undertake 2 electives from postgraduate units offered by any faculty of the University (subject to unit rules and approval by the Course Director) and 2 electives from the elective units listed below.

All commencing Faculty of Health Undergraduate and Postgraduate course work students are required to complete DAI001 Academic Integrity Module (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first trimester of study.

Students who wish to continue into H714 Master of Human Nutrition and complete the Research Based Project Option B (Research focus) i.e. HSN750 Nutrition Research Project Part A and HSN751 Nutrition Research Project Part B, are strongly advised to undertake HSN715 Understanding Human Nutrition Research Studies and HSN719 Assessment Methods for Nutrition and Physical Activity Research as elective units in this course.

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements.

Course structure

Core Units

Course structure applies to students commencing in 2019 onwards. Students who commenced prior to 2019 should refer to previous online Handbooks or contact a Student Adviser in Student Central.

Trimester 1

DAI001

Academic Integrity Module (0 credit points)

HSN701

Principles of Nutrition (also offered in Trimester 3)

HSN749

Biochemistry and Physiology for Human Nutrition

Trimester 2

HSN702

Lifespan Nutrition

HSN735

Essentials of Food Science

Elective Units

Trimester 1

HSN703

Diet and Lifestyle Diseases

HSN705

Public Health Nutrition

HSN708

Nutrition Promotion

HSN709

Sports Nutrition

HSN713

Food, Nutrition and Behaviour

HSN750

Nutrition Research Project Part A

Trimester 2

HSN706

Policy and Practice for Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems

HSN714

Systems Thinking in Public Health Nutrition

HSN715

Understanding Human Nutrition Research Studies

HSN734

Obesity Prevention

HSN741

Postgraduate Nutrition Practicum *

HSN746

Nutritional Issues from Early Childhood to Adolescence

HSN751

Nutrition Research Project Part B

Trimester 3

HSN719

Assessment Methods for Nutrition and Physical Activity Research

HSN738

International Nutrition

HSN743

Nutrition for Healthy Ageing

HSN753

Research Practice in Human Nutrition

HSN760

International Perspectives in Food and Nutrition #

* Practicum Unit
# Study Tour Unit

Work experience

Work Integrated Learning principles are embedded within all units. A Postgraduate Nutrition Practicum unit is also available for students to elect to undertake. Specifically designed Careers modules are available on the course specific online site.

Other course information

Course duration

Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as accessing or completing work placements.

Further information

Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.

Contact Student Central

Other learning experiences

A 1 credit point elective unit “International Perspectives in Nutrition” which features a 2 week study tour is available to all students every second year.