Undergraduate - CourseBachelor of Nutrition Science

NOTE: This course has had one or more changes made to it since publication on 1 October 2014. For details of changes, please consult the Handbook change registerHandbook change register (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/2015handbooks/2015-change-register.html).

This course prepares students to become nutrition scientists and qualifies students for careers in a wide variety of fields including, the food industry, nutrition research, government and non-government agencies and public health.

The course has a strong scientific and nutrition foundation in the first two years covering the scientific basis of nutrient requirements and healthy eating, intertwined with practical elements such as assessing dietary intake, food chemistry and composition, and the complex regulatory requirements relating to food. The final year focuses on research skills, culminating in a nutrition-related research project encouraging students to apply the principles of scientific inquiry. The importance of public health nutrition is also a prominent feature of the third year as the challenges associated with the increase in chronic disease are articulated. A choice of electives in year three allows students to tailor the degree to their relevant interests.

The course is built around four themes delivered within a partially integrated curriculum:

• Personal development and professional practice
• Determinants and influences of public health and nutrition
• Nutrition fundamentals of health and disease
• Food: From science to systems.

These course outcomes are aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework level 7, the Bologna Cycle 1 and Monash Graduate AttributesAustralian Qualifications Framework level 7, the Bologna Cycle 1 and Monash Graduate Attributes (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/alignmentofoutcomes.html).

Upon successful completion of this course it is expected that graduates will be able to:

• understand the associations between nutrition and health and nutrition and disease and integrate and apply this to the practice of nutrition science
• be skilled human nutrition scientists innovative in their approach to analysis, critical thinking, problem-solving and evaluation
• possess appropriate oral, written and IT skills, including the ability to present coherent argument, negotiate effectively and manage conflict
• communicate effectively and efficiently with other peers, professionals, clients and the public
• formulate and apply the principles of scientific inquiry to plan and undertake a research project to test a nutrition-related hypothesis
• describe and discuss in detail the impact of nutrients, gene- nutrient interactions and their potential role in the prevention of diet-related diseases
• advocate on behalf of individuals, groups and the profession influencing the wider environment about factors which affect eating behaviour and nutrition standards
• demonstrate effective communication skills to communicate nutritional sciences at an appropriate level to both experts and lay people
• demonstrate awareness of the social, ethical, economic, political and environmental context of food and eating, nutrition, health and illness and psychological wellbeing
• maintain high standards in professional life through a commitment to life-long learning and excellence of practice.

Special requirements

Students must refer to the information available on the special requirements outlined below. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure they have the correct documentation.

Police checks

Students must have a current Police checkPolice check (http://www.med.monash.edu.au/current/police-checks.html) regarding their suitability to undertake placements.

Working with Children checks

Students must have a current Working with Children checkWorking with Children check (http://www.med.monash.edu.au/current/wwc-check.html) regarding their suitability to undertake placements.

Immunisation and infection requirements

In accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council recommendations, this course requires that students comply with the faculty's Immunisation and vaccination policy and proceduresImmunisation and vaccination policy and procedures (http://www.med.monash.edu.au/current/immunisation/). These are designed to provide maximum protection against the increased risk of some vaccine preventable diseases for students, patients and workers in a health care setting.

This policy, and the associated procedures require that students have certain specified vaccinations, and have their blood borne virus status determined, before they commence a clinical placement. Students who have not complied with this policy may not be able to undertake clinical placement, with the attendant academic consequences.

Prospective students are provided detailed information on the effect of blood borne virus infection on the scope of practice of health care workers. Students who test positive to a blood borne virus (including HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C) will be required to consult a specialist medical practitioner approved by the faculty to provide advice on any necessary restrictions on work practices to protect patients and others from infection.

Depending on the units studied, this course may require students to undertake off-campus placements or fieldwork. Students are responsible for all expenses while undertaking placements/fieldwork.

Graduates may be eligible to apply for registration as an Associate Nutritionist with the letters ANutr. Suitability for Associate Registration is determined by the Registration Committee of the Nutrition Society Australia and applies to qualified graduates with a Bachelor of Science or other suitable qualification in nutrition or an appropriate subject.

This course consists of a compulsory units and elective in year three .

First year

Semester one

• BND1001 Personal and professional perspectives in nutrition
• BND1101 Science foundations

Semester two

• BND1002 Evaluating the evidence: Nutrition and population health
• BND1102 Introduction to food and nutrition science

Second year

Semester one

• BND2001 Health across the lifespan
• BND2102 Food: Science, composition and skills

Semester two

• BND2002 Applied research methods in nutrition
• BND2103 Integrated science systems

Third Year

Full-year unit

• NUT3001 Evidence based nutrition

Semester one

• NUT3002 Nutrition, activity and health in chronic diseases
• NUT3003 Sport and exercise nutrition
• NUT3004 Nutrition controversies* or elective

Semester two

• NUT3004 Nutrition controversies* or elective
• two elective units

* This unit or the elective can be studied either in semester one or semester two.

Suitable elective units can be identified using the browse units toolbrowse units tool (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/units/search) in the current edition of the Handbook. Note: Some units may require permission from the owning faculty. The level of the unit is indicated by the first number in the unit code; undergraduate units are those that commence with the numbers 1-3.

• Nutrition and dietetics

Honours

Successful completion of the Bachelor of Nutrition Science may provide an opportunity for progression into 3865 Bachelor of Nutrition (Honours).

Bachelor of Nutrition Science