Get work-ready
Tailor your studies to focus on career paths you're interested in pursuing after graduation, such as childhood nutrition, nutrition policy, nutrition in ageing, obesity prevention, health promotion and more. With extensive practical and theoretical knowledge at your disposal, you'll have access to a range of careers in the food industry, health services, business, and media. Use your skills to change the way society views nutrition for the better.
Undergraduate
Undergraduate (your first degree)
An undergraduate degree is generally completed between two to four years, depending on the pattern of study and any recognition of prior learning you may have. Associate degrees, bachelor and bachelor with honours are all undergraduate degrees.
Postgraduate
Postgraduate (further study)
A postgraduate qualification can be undertaken by students who have already completed an undergraduate degree or possess significant, demonstrable work experience. Postgraduate courses include graduate certificates, graduate diplomas, masters and PhDs, as well as specialist programs for industry professionals.
Research
Higher Degrees by Research (supervised research)
Research degrees are research based master’s or PhD programs that focus on a single area of expertise. They provide students the opportunity to carry out highly specialised research under expert supervision.
Become a highly sought-after specialist
The health and human services sector is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in Australia and the world. With ageing populations and public health issues like obesity, heart disease, and chronic illness on the rise, employability in the sector is strong, and continually increasing.
Join a sector with a healthy future
The health care and social assistance industry is one of the fastest growing employment sectors in Australia. It’s projected to grow by 301,000 jobs by November 2026 (15.8%).*
Career opportunities
There are so many different careers to explore in the $20 billion Australian food industry, such as:
- community nutrition
- consumer education and awareness campaigns
- food policy
- food regulation
- food laboratories
- food wholesale and retail
- nutrition and agribusiness
- private consulting
- quality assurance and control research institutes
- sports nutrition.
Study nutrition at Deakin
Deakin's flagship nutrition course, the Bachelor of Nutrition Science, ensures you'll graduate job-ready by offering industry placements in health, diet and wellbeing. This is your chance to shape the future of Australia's food industry.
Accreditation
As a student or graduate, you can apply for membership of the Nutrition Society of Australia (NSA). If you choose to study the food science major sequence in your course, you’ll be eligible for membership of the Australian Institute of Food Science Technology (AIFST).
As a graduate of our nutrition courses, you’ll also be eligible to apply to become a Registered Associate Nutritionist with various industry bodies, depending on where you’d like to practise.
Studying nutrition at Deakin has a lot of benefits. My degree will provide me the ability to inform consumers, stimulate innovative thinking, drive vital conversations, and build better health outcomes.
Safira Esperanca Da Cruz Carvalho
Bachelor of Nutrition Science
VCE prerequisites
If you're interested in a career in food and nutrition but haven't studied chemistry at school, you can still follow your passion as it's not a prerequisite for studying with us. Our Bachelor of Nutrition Sciences is the largest nutrition course in Australia, and our experienced academics will get you up to speed in no time.
Looking for career with energy?
If sports nutrition is your passion, you’ll graduate with the opportunity to consult directly with athletes or work alongside other professionals in a sporting club or an elite training institute. You could also work in several fields, including:
- community health and wellness
- food laboratories and research institutes
- nutrition research and education
- public health nutrition
- rehabilitation
- sport science.
Industry-leading research
After studying food and nutrition science, you may find you’d like to contribute to research surrounding various public health issues, illness and disease, nutrition and mental health, sports nutrition and more. With a higher degree by research through the Faculty of Health, you'll gain the expertise needed to conduct projects that can shape the food and nutrition industry.
Deakin's School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences is ranked #1 in the world.^ Our research partners include some of Australia's top organisations, such as:
- Cancer Council Victoria
- Dairy Australia
- Diabetes Australia – Vic
- Disability Sports Victoria
- Food Australia
- Geelong Football Club
- Heart Foundation
- Meat and Livestock Australia
- VicHealth
- YMCA Australia.
Researchers at Deakin’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) studied the diets of around 300 children at nine months of age and again at 18 months. They found that at 18 months, 54% of children had salt intakes higher than the recommended upper level. The results of the study are published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Footnotes
*2021 Industry Projections – for the five years to November 2026, Australian Government National Skills Commission
^ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments 2021