Click Here to view current information
Course Overview
The Bachelor of Nutrition / Master of Nutrition and Dietetics is designed to meet workforce needs, equipping you with the knowledge, skills, and attributes needed to succeed as a dietitian in regional and rural Australia. The course provides a strong foundation in human biosciences, food, and nutritional science, while also introducing you to psychology, social sciences and First Nations' knowledges. Using the latest evidence, you will be prepared to deliver generalist, relationship-focused dietetic care across the lifespan to individuals, groups, and communities. You will develop the skills to navigate complex health and social systems to provide safe and ethical services across the broad landscape of nutrition and dietetic practice. You will be supported to develop culturally responsive practice, team communication, clinical reasoning, critical thinking, counselling, and behaviour change techniques, as well as digital literacy, leadership, advocacy and management skills.
This course combines both the Bachelor of Nutrition and the Master of Nutrition and Dietetics courses offered at CQUniversity in an integrated format over 4.5 years. It also offers an intensive, fast-track pathway that uses a three-term teaching model, making it the quickest route to earn both an undergraduate nutrition qualification and a postgraduate dietetics qualification in just four years. Students progressing onto the 3rd year of study (or part-time equivalent) will be required to achieve a GPA of 4.5 or above. To support access and equity, this course can also be undertaken part-time.
This course is delivered online to enable you to study remotely. For your engagement, networking and to optimise your learning experiences, you must attend the North Rockhampton campus for compulsory residential schools in years 2 and 3 and during the Master of Nutrition and Dietetics component of the course. You must also undertake hands-on learning experiences (completed in Rockhampton or in your home community) and professional placements (completed in regional and rural settings). Information on residential schools will be available on the Handbook.
This course offers two pathways:
- Pathway to Doctorate entry: This pathway opens doors to advanced research training. The pathway includes completing three research-focused units and placements, as well as achieving a first-author publication in a high-quality peer-reviewed journal. Students wishing to complete the course in 4 years (intensive, fast-track pathway) will be required to choose the Pathway to Doctorate entry. Students can also complete this pathway part-time.
- Pathway to Workforce entry: This pathway includes an additional 4-week capstone internship in a setting aligned with each student's career interests. Students can showcase their potential to future employers, enhance their curriculum vitae and further their workplace networking, assisting their transition from student to professional. Students can also complete this pathway part-time.
Please note that CQUniversity is seeking accreditation from Dietitians Australia (DA), and delivery of the Master of Nutrition and Dietetics component of this course will be subject to accreditation outcomes from the DA.
Career Information
Graduates from this course are eligible for registration as Accredited Practising Dietitian with Dietitians Australia.
| Duration | 4.5 years full-time or 8.5 years part-time |
|---|---|
| Credit Points that Must be Earned | 216 |
| Number of Units Required | CQUniversity uses the concept of credits to express the amount of study required for a particular course and individual units. The number of units varies between courses. Units in postgraduate courses normally consist of 6 points of credit or multiples thereof (e.g. 12, 18, 24). |
| Expected Hours of Study | One point of credit is equivalent to an expectation of approximately two hours of student work per week in a term. |
| Course Type | Postgraduate Joint Course |
| Qualification (post nominal) | MBNutr/MNutr&Diet |
| AQF Level | Level 9: Masters Degree (Coursework) |
| Course Fees |
Indicative Year - 2026
Indicative Year - 2025
|
Admission Codes
|
Domestic Students Tertiary Admission Centre Codes (TAC) Codes |
|
|---|---|
|
International Students CRICOS Codes |
Not Applicable |
Units offered via MIX mode are delivered online and require compulsory attendance of site-specific learning activities such as on-campus residential schools, placements and/or work integrated learning. See Course Features tab for further information. Online units are delivered using online resources only.
Please Click Here for more information.
Domestic Availability
-
Term 1 - 2027
-
Term 1 - 2026
-
Term 1 - 2025
International Availability
-
Term 1 - 2027
-
Term 1 - 2026
-
Term 1 - 2025
Each student will be assessed individually.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Admissions Pathway:
Students who identify as an Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islander may choose to enter the course via the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Admissions Pathway. This includes graduates of the Deadly Start Traineeships (or equivalent).
For an offer through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Admissions Pathway, applicants must:
- complete a Semi-Structured interview, and
- hold a minimum completed Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) equivalent Certificate III, or higher; or
- can demonstrate academic preparedness from prior learning and/or professional experience.
For further information, please refer to the Semi-Structured Interview Panel details on the course page.
If you were not born in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa or the United States of America, you are required to meet the English language proficiency requirements set by the University.
You are required to provide documentation confirming completion of:
- a secondary qualification (Year 11 and 12, or equivalent), or
- a completed Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Certificate IV or Diploma level qualification, or
- a Bachelor level qualification study for a period of at least 2 years fulltime with a minimum overall GPA 4.0.
These qualifications must be completed within Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Ireland, or the United States of America to meet the English language proficiency requirements.
If you do not satisfy any of the above, you will need to undertake an English language proficiency test and achieve the following scores:
- an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic) overall band score of at least 6.0 with a minimum 5.5 in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking), or
- a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT overall score of at least 75 with no score less than 17 in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking), or
- a Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) overall score of at least 54 with no less than 46 in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking), or
- an Occupational English Test with a minimum result of 'B' in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking).
English test results remain valid for no more than two years between final examination date and the date of commencement of study, and must appear on a single result certificate.
Each application will be assessed individually.
Awards and Accreditation
| Interim Awards | CM60 - Bachelor of Nutrition |
|---|---|
| Exit Awards | CM60 - Bachelor of Nutrition CL13 - Diploma of Health Science |
| Accreditation |
|
Residential School Requirements
| Compulsory Residential School | Whilst the Bachelor of Nutrition component is able to be completed almost exclusively online, students will need to attend the North Rockhampton campus for residential schools in years 2 and 3. They are also required to attend compulsory residential schools during the Master of Nutrition and Dietetics component of the course. The following units have compulsory residential schools: CHEM12077 (7 days) NUTR28002 (3 days) NUTR29012 (2 weeks) |
|---|---|
| Click here to view all Residential Schools | |
Practicum/Work Placement
| NUTR29011 - This unit provides 30 days of placement in a Public Health setting. |
| NUTR29013 - This placement is aligned with the focus of our dietetics course and integrates regional/rural/remote setting placements, providing 50 days of placement. |
| NUTR29004 - This unit provides 30 days of placement in a regional healthcare setting regional healthcare setting where students are managing more complex cases. |
| NUTR29006 - This research placements enables students to contribute to a research or quality improvement project in a work setting across the broad landscape of dietetics. This unit provides 20 days of placement. |
| NUTR29009 - This capstone placement unit supports students to transition to the workforce providing opportunities for networking and to showcase their potential to future employers. This unit provides 20 days of placement. |
| BMSC13012 - At the undergraduate level, students will be required to complete 6 weeks (minimum of 180 hours) of placement at a nutrition-related industry or practice. |
| NUTR28002 - This unit provides students with the opportunity to participate in a 5 day observational placement in an inter-professional health setting. This placement can be completed as part of a First Nations cadetship. |
| NUTR29012 - This unit provides students with the opportunity to attend 8 x 1/2 days at the UCUniversity Clinic to observe and participate in dietetic consultations. |
Previous and Current Enrolments
| Year | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 |
- 1. Communicate effectively with diverse audiences using strengths-based language across multiple modes to build trust, support behaviour change and improve health and nutrition outcomes for individuals, communities and populations.
- 2. Apply ethical principles to interpret, design, conduct and disseminate research to improve nutrition and dietetics outcomes.
- 3. Critically implement the nutrition care process using evidenced based practice, clinical reasoning and a socioecological systems-based approach across the broad landscape of dietetic practice.
- 4. Collaborate inclusively and equitably with key partners to provide relationship-focused services navigating the complexities of health and social systems.
- 5. Strategically engage in professional activities demonstrating effective leadership and management capabilities, and safe, ethical and culturally responsive dietetic practice.
- 6. Synthesise professional standards to effectively apply the five interconnected cultural capabilities described in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework (2016).
| Course Learning Outcomes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Qualifications Framework Descriptors | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 1. KNOWLEDGE Have a body of knowledge that includes the understanding of recent developments in a discipline and/or area of professional practice | ||||||
| 2. KNOWLEDGE Have an understanding of research principles and methods applicable to a field of work and/or learning | ||||||
| 3. SKILLS Have cognitive skills to demonstrate mastery of theoretical knowledge and to reflect critically on theory and professional practice or scholarship | ||||||
| 4. SKILLS Have cognitive, technical and creative skills to investigate, analyse and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories and to apply established theories to different bodies of knowledge or practice | ||||||
| 5. SKILLS Have cognitive, technical and creative skills to generate and evaluate complex ideas and concepts at an abstract level | ||||||
| 6. SKILLS Have communication and technical research skills to justify and interpret theoretical propositions, methodologies, conclusions and professional decisions to specialist and non-specialist audiences | ||||||
| 7. SKILLS Have technical and communication skills to design, evaluate, implement, analyse and theorise about developments that contribute to professional practice or scholarship | ||||||
| 8. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to use creativity and initiative to new situations in professional practice and/or for further learning | ||||||
| 9. APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to use high level personal autonomy and accountability | ||||||
| 10 APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Be able to plan and execute a substantial research-based project, capstone experience and/or piece of scholarship. | ||||||
| APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS Communicate, interact and collaborate with others effectively in culturally or linguistically diverse contexts in a culturally respectful manner | ||||||
- Complete the core structure
| Number of units: 32 | Total credit points: 216 |
|---|
Please note that CQUniversity has obtained Program Qualification status from the Australian Dietetics Council. However, graduates are only eligible to apply for registration status to become an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) from courses with full accreditation from Dietitians Australia. CQUniversity is applying for full accreditation with accreditation documents due on the 1st April 2026.
The Bachelor of Nutrition / Master of Nutrition and Dietetics is an integrated vertical Masters course whereby students obtain a Bachelor and Master award and graduate as an accredited dietitian.
Students can commence the course online and study remotely. However, they will need to attend the North Rockhampton campus for residential schools in year 2 and in year 3 during the Bachelor of Nutrition component, and for a two-week-long intensive at the start of the final year of the Master of Nutrition and Dietetics component of the course. Students will also be required to participate in hands-on learning experiences and professional placements in regional, rural and / remote settings, including hospitals, community organisations, and private practice settings.
The standard duration of this course is 4.5 years full-time. Students can also complete this course part-time. This course also allows graduation in 4 years in an intensive course design utilising our trimester calendar (1.25 EFSTL per year) for the fast-track pathway (see Pathway to Doctorate entry below).
This course offers two pathways:
- Pathway to Doctorate entry: This pathway opens doors to advanced research training. The pathway includes completing three research-focused units and placements, as well as achieving a first-author publication in a high-quality peer-reviewed journal. Students wishing to complete the course in 4 years (intensive, fast-track pathway) will be required to choose the Pathway to Doctorate entry. Students can also complete this pathway part-time.
- Pathway to Workforce entry: This pathway includes an additional 4-week capstone internship in a setting aligned with each student's career interests. Students can showcase their potential to future employers, enhance their curriculum vitae and further their workplace networking, assisting their transition from student to professional. Students can also complete this pathway part-time.