Graduate Diploma
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:
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:
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.
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:
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
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 are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements.
4
Compulsory units
4
Elective units
8
Total