Master of Human Nutrition

2025 Deakin University Handbook

Year	2025 course information
Award granted	Master of Human Nutrition
Deakin course code	H714
Faculty	Faculty of Health
Campus	This course is only offered Online
Online	Yes
Duration	Depending on your professional experience and previous qualifications, the Master of Human Nutrition is typically 1 or 1.5 years duration. 1 year full-time (2 years part-time) - 8 credit points 1.5 years full-time (3 years part-time) - 12 credit points Deakin courses can also be studied part-time over a longer period. Depending on which Project Option you choose, it may take longer to complete your course.
Course Map - enrolment planning tool	Theses course maps are for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2025: Research Based Project Option A Research Based Project Option B 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 9

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Study the Master of Human Nutrition to gain an expert understanding of the relationship between nutrition and health. Then, develop skills to translate this evidence-based knowledge into advice, policy and research that improves the health and wellbeing of whole populations.

Want the skills and platform to change lives through food and nutrition?

A history of teaching and research excellence, world-class facilities, pioneering academics and a long list of industry partners make Deakin’s Master 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 five 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 are 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. The course can also be used as a pathway into a PhD 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

Growing public interest in the relationship between diet and health is evident and, as a result, there are increasing demands from the public for reliable 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 Nutrition Society of Australia website for further information or queries about registration.

You can find additional careers information about this course here.

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.

Learn more about careers in nutrition

*Australian Jobs 2019, Department of Jobs and Small Business

Participation requirements

Students are required to complete core units in Trimester 3 of the course.

Elective units may be selected that include compulsory placements, work-based training, community-based learning or collaborative research training arrangements.

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.

Mandatory student checks

Applicable only to students undertaking practicum unit as an elective. Not mandatory for all students.

Working with Children Check

Applicants will be required to hold a valid Working with Children Check (WWCC) for the relevant state prior to undertaking a optional placement as part of this course. Further information and guidance will be provided to students if they enrol into an optional placement unit. Learn more about the Working with Children Check.

Police record check

Applicants will be required to hold a valid National Police Record Check for any optional placements as part of this course. Further information and guidance will be provided to students if they enrol into an optional placement unit.

Pathways

Students who wish to undertake a PhD in the future are recommended to complete units HSN715 Understanding Human Nutrition Research Studies, HSN719 Assessment Methods for Nutrition and Physical Activity Research, HSN750 Nutrition Research Project Part A and HSN751 Nutrition Research Project Part B.

Alternative exits

Graduate Certificate of Human Nutrition (H511)
Graduate Diploma of Human Nutrition (H616)

Course Learning Outcomes

Deakin 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 Master of Human Nutrition students must 12 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate:

DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period
6 credit points of core units
6 credit points which may comprise of:
- Research Based Project Option A
  - HSN753 Research Practice in Human Nutrition (1 credit point)
  - 3 credit points of course elective units
  - 2 credit points of open elective units
- Research Based Project Option B
  - HSN750 Nutrition Research Project Part A (2 credit points) and HSN751 Nutrition Research Project Part B (2 credit points)
  - 2 credit points of course or open elective units

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements. See the enrolment codes and terminology to help make sense of the University’s vocabulary.

Course structure

Core units

This course structure applies to students who commenced the course from 2019 onwards. If you commenced prior to 2019 please refer to the previous online handbooks or contact a Student Adviser in Student Central.

Please refer to the Course Map page for course map information.

Students who completed an undergraduate degree from a non-cognate undergraduate study area (e.g. Arts, Commerce, Business, any non-health/science study areas, etc) must complete either H511 Graduate Certificate of Human Nutrition or H616 Graduate Diploma of Human Nutrition first before enrolling into H714 Master of Human Nutrition.

Students who have completed H511 will receive Recognition of prior learning for the 4 credit points already completed in H511 and then complete 8 credit points in the H714 course.

Students who completed H616 will receive Recognition of prior learning for the 8 credit points already completed in H616 and then complete 4 credits points in the H714 course.

Students who completed an undergraduate degree from a cognate study area may be granted preclusions for the units they have completed in their undergraduate course.

Preclusions mean that you are not required to undertake the specific units within the Masters course but you will need to choose another HSN7xx electives instead.

For example: H315 Bachelor of Nutrition Sciences student has completed HSN211 Nutritional Physiology, they can be precluded from HSN701 Principles of Nutrition and they will need to choose another HSN7XX unit to replace HSN701.

Students must enrol in the online offerings of all units

Trimester 1

DAI001

Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0 credit points)

HSN701

Principles of Nutrition (also available in Trimester 3)

HSN749

Biochemistry and Physiology for Human Nutrition

Trimester 2

HSN702

Lifespan Nutrition

HSN715

Understanding Human Nutrition Research Studies

HSN735

Essentials of Food Science

Trimester 3

HSN719

Assessment Methods for Nutrition and Physical Activity Research

AND

Research Based Project Option A

Trimester 3

HSN753

Research Practice in Human Nutrition

Students would need to complete an additional 5 elective units to complete the 12 credit points for the H714 Master of Human Nutrition.

Research Based Project Option B

Trimester 1

HSN750

Nutrition Research Project Part A (2 credit points core unit)

Trimester 2

HSN751

Nutrition Research Project Part B (2 credit points core unit)

Students would need to complete an additional 2 elective units to complete the 12 credit points for the H714 Master of Human Nutrition

Elective units

Trimester 1

HSN703

Diet and Lifestyle Diseases

HSN705

Public Health Nutrition

HSN708

Nutrition Promotion

HSN709

Sports Nutrition

HSN713

Food, Nutrition and Behaviour

Trimester 2

HSN706

Policy and Practice for Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems

HSN714

Systems Thinking in Public Health Nutrition

HSN734

Obesity Prevention

HSN741

Postgraduate Nutrition Practicum *

HSN746

Nutritional Issues from Early Childhood to Adolescence

Trimester 3

HSN738

International Nutrition

HSN743

Nutrition for Healthy Ageing

HSN760

International Perspectives in Food and Nutrition #

* Practicum Unit
# Study Tour Unit

Students intending to use H714 Master of Human Nutrition as a PhD entry pathway must complete these units:

HSN715

Understanding Human Nutrition Research Studies

HSN719

Assessment Methods for Nutrition and Physical Activity Research

HSN750

Nutrition Research Project Part A

HSN751

Nutrition Research Project Part B

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 site.

Course duration

Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as failing of units or accessing or completing 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.

Research and research-related study

Option A includes research specific units - 1 credit point research related study and 1 credit point independent research as well as 1 credit point in nutrition assessment unit.

Option B includes – 1 credit point research related study, 1 credit point nutrition assessment unit and 4 credit points independent research project.

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.

Estimate your fees

For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.