Introductory courses

108 units

BIO100 Bioscience Foundations
HLT109 Anatomy & Physiology I
HLT110 Anatomy & Physiology II
HLT112 Introduction to Health Science Research Methods
NUT102 Food in Society
NUT110 Introduction to Nutrition and Dietetics
PUB112 Public Health Foundations
SCI105 Introductory Chemistry
SCS130 Introduction to Indigenous Australia

Developing courses

96 units

BIM204 Advanced Physiology & Pathophysiology I
BIM205 Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology II
LFS251 Biochemistry
NUT201 Food Studies
NUT202 Nutrition Assessment
NUT205 Public Health Nutrition
NUT212 Principles of Nutrition
NUT232 Nutritional Biochemistry

Graduate courses

84 units

NUT301 Advanced Public Health Nutrition
NUT302 Medical Nutrition Therapy 2
NUT312 Food Service Systems
NUT313 Nutrition Communication and Education
NUT333 Health Research Design
NUT351 Medical Nutrition Therapy 1
NUT361 Counselling and Communication Skills for Dietetics

Pathway plans

96 units

Select 1 pathway

Dietetics Project Pathway

Dietetics Research Pathway 

Note: Program structures are subject to change. Not all UniSC courses are available on every UniSC campus.

In order to graduate you must:

To graduate from the Bachelor of Dietetics (Honours), a student is required to have completed the following 384 units:

• 9 Introductory courses (108 units)
• 15 Developing and Graduate courses (180 units)
• 1 of the following 2 pathways:
  • 3 project pathway courses (96 units)
  • 3 research pathway courses (96 units)

The program provides two pathways towards an Honours-level qualification. Students embark on differentiated pathways in the third and fourth years of the program. One pathway is a research pathway, which focuses on learning the basic research skills required to perform a research project of publishable standard in a scientific journal. This is an important competency if students wish to pursue a career in research and is attractive to large tertiary and research-intensive hospitals. This pathway is via competitive entry (based on grade point average from the first two and a half years of the program and a competitive selection process) and only open to students with a grade of DN or greater for the course NUT333 and a grade point average greater than 5.5 (GPA cut-offs will be determined on a yearly basis depending on number and quality of applicants and places available). The number of research pathway places will be dependent on the number of permanent Nutrition and Dietetics Discipline staff. Students must maintain a GPA of greater than 5.5 to remain in the research pathway.  

All other students will complete the project pathway, which focuses on the application of research knowledge through activities completed during a research placement in the final year of study (NUT409).

Honours Classification calculation.

Students in the project pathway will not be awarded a specific classification.

Students in the research pathway will complete NUT411. Students will develop professional competencies relevant to research practice. Students will engage in research activities such as reviewing of literature relevant to the topic, data collection, analysis of data, and interpretation of the data relevant to your research study. Students will subsequently produce an honours thesis that includes a manuscript suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed journal as the write up of your research outcomes. Students enrolled in NUT411 will also complete an oral presentation and written piece to showcase your research progression. Students will also deliver a final oral presentation and oral defence through a series of questions asked by the audience after you have completed your oral presentation. Both of these tasks are assessed and contribute to the final honours weighting (Research progress + oral: 10%; Final presentation and oral defence: 20%; Thesis (with manuscript): 70%)

Students in the research pathway will be awarded one of the following three classes: Honours Class I, IIA or IIB. Students receiving an overall percentage of less than 59.5% who meet all the requirements of the degree will be awarded the Honours degree but without an Honours classification. If the student achieves an average mark to meet a particular class of honours but the thesis mark is less than required for that class, the mark for the thesis will determine the class of honours.

Program notes

• For Sippy Downs students some courses in this program will be taught at the Sunshine Coast Health Institute
• Preparing for study at SCHI
• Cross-institutional study is not permitted for 300-level courses (or higher) within the Bachelor of Dietetics (Honours). For 100-200 level courses cross-institutional requests will be made at the discretion of the Program coordinator.
• Students wishing to study less than four (4) courses per trimester should contact the Program coordinator
• NUT408 and NUT412 MUST be completed over a minimum of 100 days of full-time placement. The trimester of enrolment for NUT408 and NUT411(Research Pathway only) will be year 3, trimester 3 as progressive courses. The trimester of enrolment for NUT409(Project Pathway only) will be determined by the Academic staff. 
• Completing this program within the specified (full-time) duration is based on studying 48 unit points per trimester (normally 4 courses) and following the recommended study sequence
• The unit value of all courses is 12 units unless otherwise specified
• It is each students responsibility to enrol correctly according to your course requisites, program rules and requirements and be aware of the academic calendar dates
• Courses within this program are assessed using a variety of assessment methods including essays, seminar presentations, reports, in-class tests and examinations. Not all courses will necessarily include all methods
• Not available to international students on a Student Visa
• Refer to the Managing your progression page for help in understanding your program structure, reviewing your progress and planning remaining courses.

WIL notes

It is a Queensland Government requirement that students undertaking a placement within a clinical setting are fit tested annually for an approved respirator.  Clinical settings include hospitals, residential aged care facilities, residential disability care facilities, prison health services, youth detention health services, community health care settings, and vaccination clinics. If the fit testing requirement applies to placement activity within your program it will appear in your mandatory checks on Sonia Online.  In accordance with Australian Standards, you must be clean shaven for your fit test. At this stage, there is no exemption in Queensland to this requirement for religious or other reasons and UniSC is unable to waive this requirement.

Mandatory Requirements for your placement:

Mandatory Requirements are compliance checks and activities that are mandatory for you to complete BEFORE and maintain DURING your placement. They may be requirements of both the University and the host organisation. These requirements (see outline below) may include, but not be limited to: 1) current first aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certificate; 2) evidence of specified immunisations; 3) Driver’s licence; 4) National Criminal History Check; 5) Blue Card or Yellow Card. Detailed information on the mandatory requirements that relate to your program are available via Sonia Online.

Students who have not completed their mandatory requirements are not eligible to attend their placements. It is important to comply with your mandatory requirements and manage valid documentation of your compliance.

When are my Mandatory Requirements due?

You must complete the mandatory requirements of both the University and the host organisation by the discipline specific deadline, detailed in Sonia Online. For clinical placements, mandatory requirements are due ten (10) weeks prior to commencement of the placement.

How do I record and manage my Mandatory Requirements?

You can record and manage your compliance with mandatory requirements through Sonia Online, in which you can:

• Learn about, submit and manage Mandatory Checks for your WIL placement
• Submit and track the progress of your checks (for example blue cards, immunisation and Student Placement Agreement [SPA])
• Upload Mandatory Check documents to Sonia Online as instructed by your discipline
• Complete all necessary forms

You must maintain currency with the mandatory requirements for the duration of the placement and must notify the placement coordinator or Placement Academic Supervisor of an inability to maintain that currency. You are responsible for any fees or charges incurred in meeting the mandatory requirements.

Examples of mandatory requirements:

• Hold a valid Blue Card from the Public Safety Business Agency (PSBA), throughout the duration of your program. You should allow 12 weeks for PSBA to issue the card. Note students who do not possess a valid Blue Card will be unable to complete the clinical practice component of their program and will be unable to meet graduation requirements
• Have a National Criminal History check (by Queensland Police Service or other state/territory authority)
• Provide evidence of vaccination for the vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) of: Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR), Varicella (Chickenpox), Pertussis (Whooping Cough)(please note: this is included in the DTPA - Diptheria, Tetanus and Whooping Cough - combined vaccination).
• Complete an orientation package, (a Queensland Health [QH] requirement) before undertaking any placement which involves QH. The package can be completed online
• Complete any other mandatory checks and pre-placement modules

Prospective students must consider the Inherent Academic Requirements before applying to study this program.

Refer to Dietetics - Inherent Academic Requirements

UniSC strongly supports the rights of all people to pursue studies. The University embraces diversity and endeavours to accommodate all students.

What are Inherent Academic Requirements (IARs)?

The IARs of a program are those fundamental skills, capabilities and knowledge that students must be able to demonstrate in order to achieve the essential learning outcomes of the program, while maintaining the academic integrity of that program.

Students with a disability or chronic health condition may be able to have reasonable adjustments made to enable them to meet these requirements.

UniSC is committed to making reasonable adjustments to teaching and learning, assessment, placement and other activities to enable students to participate in their program.

Reasonable adjustments must not fundamentally change the nature of the IAR.

Consideration is given to a student's cultural and religious background/beliefs, which may impact on participation in their program or course. For further information contact Student Support.

Why are Inherent Academic Requirements (IARs) important?

IARs ensure the academic integrity of a program is maintained and preserves the University's learning, assessment and accreditation processes. They must be met by all students.

How does this affect you?

To successfully complete a program at UniSC, you need to be able to meet all the Inherent Academic Requirements.

If you are applying for a program, you should read the IAR statement carefully to ensure you are able to meet them.

If you have a disability or chronic health condition, contact a UniSC Disability Advisor to talk about the adjustments that may be put in place so you can meet the requirements.