Bachelor of Nutrition and Food Sciences
Degree Level Undergraduate
Year 2025
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- Australian or New Zealand Citizen
- Australian Permanent Resident (including Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders)
Entry Scores
2025 Guaranteed Entry
Year 12 (ATAR-based): 72.00
Year 12 (Grades-based): B,B,B
TAFE/RTO: DIP
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2024 Cut-Offs
Year 12 (ATAR-based):
- Internal: 72.00
TAFE/RTO: Dip
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Entry requirements
Admission criteria
The admission criteria have been grouped to assist you to easily find the information most relevant to your circumstances. However, you may fit into more than one and the university will consider applicants against each of the relevant criteria.
Certain conditions apply. For more information refer to Appendix 4 of the University's Selection and Entry policy.
Applicants are required to meet one of the following criteria with a competitive result, and demonstrate that they fulfil any prerequisite requirements and essential requirements for admission:
Recent secondary education
Meet any prerequisite requirements with a minimum grade of C- or equivalent
AND- Qualify for the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE), and achieved a competitive Selection Rank (ATAR), or
- Complete secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE, or
- Complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum score of 24 points
Applicants who have not achieved the Selection Rank required for automatic selection may be selected for any remaining places based on the grades of their year 12 subjects.
OR
Higher education study- Complete or partly complete a recognised higher education program at a recognised higher education institution, or
- Complete at least four Open Universities Australia (OUA) courses at undergraduate level or above
OR
Vocational Education and Training (VET)- Complete an award from a registered training organisation at Certificate IV level or above
OR
Work and life experience- Qualify for Special Entry, or
- Complete a 12-month UniSA Foundation Studies program or equivalent, or
- Hold completed secondary qualifications equivalent to SACE obtained more than 2 years in the past
Essential requirements for admission
Prerequisites
NoneAssumed Knowledge
None
Students commencing in July will require additional time to complete the degree due to course scheduling and degree structure. Students may be limited to studying at a maximum of 75% of the required courses per semester in their first two years. SP5 intake is not available for international students.
Degree overview
- Be at the forefront of innovation in the food and nutrition industries, with opportunities to go into healthcare, scientific and advisory roles.
- Study at the No.1 university in South Australia for graduate careers.1
- Study both food science and nutrition and then choose your specialisation to match your career goals.
- Learn from a university with well above world-class research in nutrition and dietetics.2
- Learn from industry experts in our dedicated on-campus nutrition and food science hub.
- Benefit from UniSA’s strong links with the food and nutrition industry.
- Build industry connections while you study, with industry placements and field trips to the state’s major nutrition and food providers.
- Graduate career ready with industry workplace experience in your third year, and field trips throughout your degree.
- UniSA is an unstoppable university for unstoppable people. As one of the World’s Top Young Universities,3 we’ll ensure you get the experience your future profession demands so it’ll feel like you’re studying one minute and in a career the next.
1ComparED (QILT) Graduate Outcomes Survey 2021-23– Full-time Employment Indicator (Domestic Undergraduate). SA public universities. 22018 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA). 3Ranked #43, 2024 THE Young University Rankings.
Snapshot
Start your unstoppable career in the health and food industry, where you can drive innovation and change in sustainable food product development, and community health.
With this degree, you’ll be actively involved in promoting and managing diets and lifestyles, conducting research for enhanced wellbeing, developing innovative and sustainable foods, and more. You'll graduate ready to make an immediate impact on healthy eating habits across the greater community.
You can also grow your knowledge and increase your career opportunities by studying for a double degree in the complimentary fields of Human Movement or Exercise and Sport Science.
What you'll need
Nutrition and food science experts require an enthusiasm for food and its effect on health. You should also possess a variety of personal skills such as problem-solving attributes, creative thinking and the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively.
Students who undertake activities where interaction with patients/the public is required for their degree, such as field or clinical placements/visits and in University clinics and gyms, must demonstrate they meet mandatory pre-placement conditional requirements. These include criminal history clearance, child related employment clearance and immunisation requirements.
Please visit the Clinical Placement Unit for information on key requirements, and to access the full student checklists.
What you'll learn
This unique degree offers practice-based and theoretical learning to ensure you’re primed for a healthy career.
During the first two years you’ll explore both nutrition and food science topics, gaining a strong understanding of the key elements of each. You’ll complete group work and research on topics, including innovative and environmentally sustainable food practice, in the sensory lab. You’ll get to analyse micro-organisms and explore key topics like food contamination in the microbiology lab.
Your knowledge will be developed in:
- biology
- chemistry
- health in our society
- human and lifespan nutrition
- biochemistry
- physiology
- the chemistry of food
- food quality and safety
- relationships between food bioactives and health
- consumer education
- influences of the senses on consumer food choice
- food sustainability
In your third year you’ll specialise in either a nutrition or food science stream.
If you choose nutrition, you’ll get to develop:
- essential communication skills across a variety of platforms
- skills to promote good health through food and nutrition in the community
- dietary and exercise plans to manage weight
- nutrition for sports, exercise and activity
- sustainable nutrition choices
If you choose food science, you’ll focus on:
- food microbiology
- quality assurance in food processing and manufacturing
- developing safe, nutritionally and environmentally sound foods for the marketplace
- food and beverage fermentation
You can gain an extra qualification and broaden your career prospects by completing a Diploma in Languages.
Study hours
For each course you study, you will need to allocate time for various classes such as lectures, tutorials, workshops, seminars and practicals. Plus you will need additional hours to study in your own time to complete assignments, readings and projects, as well as to contribute to online discussion forums (independent study). So as a general rule, if you are studying full-time you would need to allocate 12–26 hours of study when at university and 14–28 hours of independent study per week.
Assessment
Your studies will incorporate practical, professionally focused and research-based learning, so assessment types will vary. You can expect them to include:
- quizzes
- practicals
- reports
- assignments
- projects designing health promotion activities and nutrition information
- placements
- research reports
- examinations
In your last year of study, the assessment tasks will reflect the type of work you will be doing in your career.
Global opportunities
Enrich your studies and your life – make overseas study part of your qualification. You may have the option to undertake an exchange, short-term program or study tour overseas while you study. We have links with universities worldwide, as well as a range of travel grants available to make going overseas much more accessible.
You can choose short-term or semester-long study from a range of universities and countries depending on your area of study and cultural interests.
Take a look at the global opportunities available.
Why Bachelor of Nutrition and Food Sciences
The growing awareness of nutrition and food quality and their influence on human wellbeing requires highly competent and skilled graduates. At UniSA, you'll develop your knowledge and skills in the scientific basis of food and nutrition, and will graduate ready to work as part of multidisciplinary teams in a range of health and industry settings.
Throughout your studies, you’ll learn from award-winning academics and industry experts from a curriculum informed by well above world-class research in nutrition and dietetics.1
You’ll also learn in UniSA’s on-campus state-of-the-art facilities. Practice your skills in our dedicated nutrition and food science hub, which is home to a $1 million commercial kitchen, sensory laboratory (one of only a few in Australia) and microbiology laboratory.
The commercial kitchen is where interactive food preparation and cooking activities take place. Get involved in cheese making, plant-based substitutes for meat, adapting recipes to make them nutritionally sound for different life stages, texture modification of foods for the elderly, designing food quality assurance plans (in line with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) and food and beverage fermentation.
Graduates are eligible to apply for professional membership with the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST), can start their registration pathway towards becoming a Registered Nutritionist (RNutr) with the Nutrition Society of Australia.
12018 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA)
Your career
Nutrition is high on Australia’s health and wellness agenda. In Australia, the nutrition profession is expected to grow over the next five years.1 Through scientific advancements in food and nutrition, your future career can have a positive impact on the whole community – from children, teens and parents, to adults of all ages and abilities.
With emphasis on both current and future careers, nutrition and food science is an innovative field with local and global applications, as well as a strong focus on sustainable future industry.
Your unstoppable career options include:
- Community nutritionist: change attitudes toward food and health; provide advice, guidance, and support to people.
- Health promotion officer: use social and environmental interventions to improve health.
- Sports, exercise and fitness nutritionist: optimise the performance of athletes and physically active people.
- Food scientist: use chemistry and biology to look at the microbiological, chemical and physical properties of food and ingredients.
- Product development manager: develop innovative products and solutions to meet strategic business objectives.
- Microbiology specialist: work in food manufacturing or government to research microorganisms to prevent food-borne diseases.
- Food policy advisor: offer qualified health and nutrition advice to the public.
- Food safety advisor: conduct food and safety reviews and monitor procedures to ensure standards are met.
- Quality assurance officer: conduct assurance audits of production facilities to oversee quality, efficiency and production issues.
- Research scientist: conduct lab-based investigations, experiments and trials to broaden scientific understanding; as well as non-lab-based field research and clinical human trials.
- Food technician: conduct research and experiments on food products involved in the production process.
- Flavour technologist: sample products and conduct experiments to alter the ingredients in food and beverages to make it taste better, replicate a taste, or develop a new taste.
1Australian Government National Skills Commission Employment Projections 2021
Professional accreditation and recognition
Graduates of the program are eligible to apply for professional membership of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST).
Graduates of the program are initially eligible to apply to the Nutrition Society of Australia for registration as an Associate Nutritionist (ANutr), leading to Registered Nutritionist (RNutr), usually after three years of experience.
Industry facts
Applying to study with us:
- go to the top of this page and make note of the SATAC code, then click Apply
- you will be redirected through to the SATAC website to continue your application
Alternative Pathways
Australian
There are other pathways you can follow to study this degree, including:
- UniSA College Diploma in Health (Biomedical Science)
- UniSA College Undergraduate Certificate in University Studies (Health)
- SAIBT Diploma of Health Science
International
There are other pathways you can follow to study this degree, including:
Deferment
This degree is available for deferment. This option is made available by responding to your offer during the application process via the SATAC website. Applicants who receive an offer into a midyear degree are eligible to defer for six months.
Scholarships
Every year, over 2,500 UniSA students are supported in their studies through scholarships and grants worth millions of dollars. Check out the scholarships below. One of them may be perfect for you. Visit our scholarships page for more.
UniSA Excellence Scholarships
$5,000 scholarship for South Australian students with an ATAR of 99 who enrol to study a UniSA undergraduate degree.
UniSA Outstanding Achievement Scholarship
Up to $10,000 per annum (full time) for South Australian students who obtain an ATAR of 99.95 or IB equivalent and enrol to study at UniSA.
Your study experience and support
Our campuses are home to fantastic facilities including modern lecture theatres, libraries, workshops and laboratories, as well as spaces that simulate real work environments. But you’ll also discover that your journey at UniSA is about social experiences, healthy living and getting involved. You’ll find student sports and fitness facilities, community clinics, tech zones and chill-out spaces. There are campus sport activities to keep you active, and if you are keen to explore the social side of university life, there are movies, cooking demonstrations, parties and loads more.
Adelaide also has a variety of accommodation options to suit different requirements and budgets. Options include dedicated student accommodation and private rentals. See our long-term accommodation pages, or explore our student accommodation by Scape on Bank Street in Adelaide’s lively cultural precinct, an ideal location for students. It is within easy reach of UniSA’s city and metropolitan campuses, Rundle Mall shopping, the Central Market, Chinatown, and the West End’s vibrant nightlife. It is also across the road from the Adelaide train station, and on bus and tram routes.
Student services
Our student services provide you with all the support you need at university. We want you to succeed, and if you need help, we're here to assist. You can access a full range of support services, including:
- academic counselling
- personal counselling
- social support services, including family support and nearby childcare
- common rooms
- prayer rooms
- security officers
- career services and mentoring
- Wirringka Student Services, offering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students a supportive place to study
- as well as services offered through our student association, USASA.
When you become a UniSA student, you can also contact Campus Central for help with anything related to your degree. They will help you with your enrolment, ID cards, fees, timetables and more.
24/7 digital environment
Our learnonline facilities include a personal learning environment with virtual classrooms, lecture recordings, emails, learning support, administration, library access and results. The environment is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you can tailor your learning to your life. We are continually investing in innovative digital technologies for a high-quality student learning experience.
Your study spaces
You’ll have access to some of UniSA’s state-of-the-art nutrition facilities, such as the:
- commercial kitchen
- sensory laboratory
- microbiology laboratory
- physiology laboratory
- biology laboratory
- chemistry laboratory
You’ll also have access to a range of on-campus spaces including modern lecture theatres, collaborative teaching rooms and relaxed student lounges.
Your program director
In this degree, we have a team of passionate teachers and researchers who strive to provide graduates with expert knowledge and a practical background in nutrition and food sciences. Our graduates are able to enter the workforce with expert knowledge and practical skills to begin their career in this rewarding field.
Ask UniSA
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How do I apply?
The way you apply for UniSA will depend on the undergraduate or postgraduate coursework degree you're interested in studying.
The majority of applications are made via the South Australian Tertiary Admissions Centre (SATAC). Check out more information on the SATAC website and follow the appropriate process for your degree of interest.
There are a small number of degrees that you need to apply for through direct application processes. The process you need to follow will be listed on the 'How to Apply' section of the degree homepage, but you'll also be taken to where you need to go if you hit the 'apply' button.
If you are interested in studying one of our 100% online degrees you'll need to apply directly to UniSA Online.
You can find more information about the application processes for UniSA on our How to Apply webpage.
If you're more interested in applying for a postgraduate degree by research, check out and follow the information in our step by step guide to applying. -
Is there a closing date for applications?
Applications for all degrees will close ahead of study commencing, but the timelines may vary for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
Undergraduate
The deadline to apply to study a degree at UniSA for semester one (commencing late February) and be guaranteed equal consideration is generally in very late November or early December. While you may be able to apply after this date, you are not guaranteed to be considered equally with other applicants and your application may not be assessed in time for the main round of offers. More competitive degrees may not make any offers after the main offer round. Find more information on the Key Dates section of the SATAC website, but you can also call the Future Student Enquiries team for more information on 08 8302 376.
Postgraduate
Many postgraduate by coursework degrees do not have set closing dates. The exceptions are highly competitive degrees, so it is best to check – either on the degree homepage on the SATAC website or by checking with our Future Student Enquiries team.
As most postgraduate applications are assessed as they are submitted and offers are continuous, there are no set closing dates for applications. Degrees can be filled and closed with little notice so it is best to apply as soon as possible to avoid missing out on a place. For more information, please contact our Future Student Enquires team on (08) 8302 2376 or submit an enquiry.
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What credit can I receive for previous studies?
You may be eligible for credit or advanced standing for your chosen UniSA degree based on your previous studies, if they are in a related area and completed within a certain timeframe. Receiving credit or RPL will reduce the number of courses you undertake within the degree, and may also reduce the overall duration of your degree. You can read more about our pre-existing credit agreements through our online Credit Assessor. If you have related industry experience, you may also be eligible to receive recognised prior learning (RPL) for this experience. Credit and RPL is assessed by the Program Director once you've received an offer, and you apply through UniSA's current student experts, Campus Central.
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Can I speak to someone regarding my study options?
Future Student Enquiries welcomes the opportunity to meet with you to discuss your study options at UniSA. We can discuss degree information, entry requirements and pathways, applications, general career outcomes and student life, so you have the information to make the best study decision for your future. Head to our Book an Appointment webpage to find a date and time to speak with us, and take your next steps on journey to university study.
What others are saying
While studying I attended many industry visits including: Golden North Ice-cream, Ingham’s, National Foods, and The West End Brewery. As well as these industry visits I was able to do a work placement at Rymill Winery in Coonawarra. The experiences were vital for showing us how an actual production plant works and is operated.
Scott Woollett
Bachelor of Nutrition and Food Sciences
Microbiology Specialist | Lion Australia and New Zealand
I chose to study nutrition and food sciences as I wanted to combine my love of food with my interest in health and how food is used to nourish the body.
Rhiannon Dick
Bachelor of Nutrition and Food Sciences
While studying I undertook a valuable week-long field trip to Port Augusta, working with Aboriginal communities and school children. We worked with families and children to promote healthy eating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and volunteered for a local community festival.
Sophie Cheesman
Bachelor of Nutrition and Food Sciences
Academics, staff and students at UniSA were very supportive. I also benefited from the diverse facilities and practical experience the degree provided, including an 8-week summer scholarship program, where I was exposed to health-orientated research and gained first-hand experience in data collection, entry and analysis.
Weike Zhang
Bachelor of Nutrition and Food Sciences
I arrived at UniSA wanting to make a difference back home in Kenya. Whilst studying, I learned that one in four children in Kenya had stunted development because of poor nutrition. This formed the basis of my work with Food for Education, which I founded through community fundraising. Since 2012, the organisation has provided over 120,000 school meals which have contributed to improved nutrition status, school attendance and performance.
Wawira Njiru
Bachelor of Nutrition and Food Sciences
Founder and Executive Director | Food for Education
.jpg "Sophie Cheesman, Nutrition and Food Sciences graduate")
