Major structure
Overview
Building on basic sciences, you’ll look at the many different facets of nutrition, from biochemistry and physiology through to food production and nutritional regulation.
You’ll cover topics such as human food history, nutritional guidance approaches, nutrition needs at various life-stages, sports nutrition, the intestinal microbiome, nutrition in disease, and nutritional policy.
Your major structure
You can study this major in the Bachelor of Biomedicine or Bachelor of Science.
BACHELOR OF BIOMEDICINE
You will take 8 core subjects (125 points) across your degree that will build an understanding of the structure and function of the body and consideration of the determinants of health and disease, including genetic and environmental influences (4 in first year, 2 in second year and 2 in third year).
In your third year, you will complete 50 points (four subjects) of deep and specialised study in human nutrition.
Throughout your degree you will also take elective and breadth (non-science) subjects.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
In your first and second years you will complete subjects that are prerequisites for your major, including biology, chemistry and foundational human nutrition subjects.
In your third year, you will complete 50 points (four subjects) of deep and specialised study in human nutrition.
Throughout your degree you will also take science elective subjects and breadth (non-science) subjects, in addition to your major subjects and prerequisites.
Sample course plan
View some sample course plans to help you select subjects that will meet the requirements for this major.
Human Nutrition BSc - Start-year intake
If you did not achieve a study score of at least 25 or equivalent in year 12 Biology, you will need to enrol in the relevant introductory first year biology subjects: BIOL10008 Introductory Biology: Life’s Machinery and BIOL10010 Introductory Biology: Life’s Complexity instead of BIOL10009 Biology: Life’s Machinery and BIOL10011 Biology: Life’s Complexity. If you have not undertaken VCE Units 3/4 Chemistry previously, you may first need to enrol in CHEM10007 Fundamentals of Chemistry in your first semester.
Year 1
100 pts
- Chemistry 2 – elective – CHEM10004 – 12.5 pts
- elective – 12.5 pts
- elective – 12.5 pts
- breadth – 12.5 pts
Year 2
100 pts
- Food Nutrition and Health – major – NUTR20001 – 12.5 pts
- elective – 12.5 pts
- elective – 12.5 pts
- elective – 12.5 pts
Year 3
100 pts
Explore this major
Explore the subjects you could choose as part of this major.
Complete all of the following subjects:
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Advanced Topics in Nutrition · 12.5 pts |
This subject critically examines a range of key aspects of the application of human nutrition, along with current fields of research investigation adding to the understanding of nutrition science. These include, but are not limited to: sports nutrition, nutritional genomics, nutrient‐gene interactions, fad diets, evolution of the human diet, nutritional supplements, intestinal microbiome and health, brain function and nutrition, bioactive foods, foetal origins of disease, epigenetic and nutrition in disease, nutritional deficiencies. Students will undertake case studies in the above mentioned topics in which they will evaluate and interpret recent research data and findings. |
| Monitoring Food and Nutrition Intake · 12.5 pts |
The subject will introduce students to the concepts of human food history, the food supply system food composition and processing, contemporary food supply and intake, nutrition assessment and monitoring at the individual and population level, nutritional standards of reference, dietary advice and food guidance systems and food law. Particular attention is given to methods of measuring food and nutrient intake and applying scientific reasoning and problem solving in evaluating results against established nutrient intake guidelines. |
| Lifestage Nutrition · 12.5 pts |
The subject will cover the nutritional issues relevant to life stages, including: pregnancy, foetal development, breast feeding, infancy, childhood, adolescence and the elderly. Students will gain an understanding of the differing nutrient recommendations for the various life stages and the scientific rationale behind these recommendations and subsequent dangers involved in failing to meet these recommendations and dangers involved in excessive intake of supplemental nutrients. |
Complete one of the following subjects:
| Accordion | |
|---|---|
| Nutritional Biochemistry and Genomics · 12.5 pts |
The subject will focus on nutritional biochemistry and genomics and will examine how our genes and their corresponding proteins and enzymes connect with nutrition. Emphasis will be placed on the connection to human health. Students will explore the biochemical mechanisms behind the individual response to nutrients and dietary patterns and their implication to a personalised approach to nutrition. More specifically this subject will explore I) the relationships between genetics and diet, II) the impact on human health of enzymes disrupted function resulting from gene variants and mutations, III) the role of diet in affecting chemical modifications of DNA and histones that constitute the epigenome and, VI) the challenges of translating the fast-accumulating evidence in nutrition. |
| Cellular Metabolism and Disease · 12.5 pts |
The interpretation of nutritional information relies on an understanding of how nutrients are metabolised and what can go wrong in disease states. The subject material covers the regulation of blood glucose concentration and the causes of diabetes; the generation of free-radicals and the importance of antioxidants in protecting proteins, lipids and DNA from oxidative damage; metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells, neurons and immune cells; metabolism in the gut: the role of the microbiota; metabolomics and other research methods for the study of metabolism. |