Master of Dietetic Practice
Course information for - 2025 entry
Domestic
Offered at 2 locations
Melbourne
- Duration
-
2 years full-time
- Fees (first year)*
$9,312 (CSP) $33,264 (Fee)
- Start dates
-
January 2025
Please visit additional entry requirements for Dietetic Practice before commencing your application.
Commonwealth Supported Places are available for this course. See the Courses costs section below, under Fees.
Overview
The Master of Dietetic Practice is a 2-year full-time program. Dietetic Practice is the application of the science of food and nutrition across a range of domains to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals, communities, and populations. The course combines theory and practice placement across dietetic practice areas including food and nutrition counselling with individuals, food and nutrition education and capacity building with groups, public health nutrition, food production and provision to individuals, communities and populations, entrepreneurial dietetic practice and management, and research.
Commonwealth Supported Places are available for this course. See the Courses costs section below, under Fees.
Professional experience
Students will complete a minimum of 132 days of practice placement, which includes 15 days ‘engaging with communities’ placement.
All professional experience placements require pre-verification (e.g. police checks, immunisation).
All students are required to complete at least one regional/rural/interstate placement.
Community engagement
Students undertake a unit ‘Engaging with communities’ where principles of community engagement is integrated within the context of solving food and nutrition problems.
Supervision arrangements
Suitability of supervisors across placements will be assessed by the ACU Master of Dietetic Practice Placement Coordinator. Supervision of competence to practice on placement will be arranged between university academics and placement organisations. Where assessment of competence is conducted during placement, the supervisor needs to be a Full Accredited Practising Dietitian (not provisional).
Accreditation
The Master of Dietetic Practice has been granted Provisional Accreditation with the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA). A graduate of a provisionally accredited program is eligible to become a member of Dietitians Australia with dietetics qualifications, and to join the Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) Program. Full details of the stages in the Dietitians Australia accreditation process are available at https://dietitiansaustralia.org.au/becoming-a-dietitian-in-australia/accreditation-of-dietetics-education-programs/accreditation-standards-and-processes/ ACU is planning to submit a Full Accreditation application within the required timelines as per the usual process. All inquiries regarding the progress of ACU’s Master of Dietetic Practice accreditation should be directed to Dr Adam Walsh: adam.walsh@acu.edu.au
Careers
Employment for graduates will be across a range of sectors and depend in part on the interests of the graduate.
Examples of the work and settings the course prepares graduates for includes:
- Acute health services e.g. hospitals
- Community health services
- Aged care facilities
- Private practice/consulting
- Food and nutrition communication/media
- Food production and provision
- National and international health agencies
- State and federal government health departments
- Public health nutrition
- Food industry
- Food science and technology
- Food safety and regulation
- Food research and product development
- Education sector
Course details
To qualify for the Master of Dietetic Practice, a student must complete 140-160 credit points, dependent on pathway, from the Schedule of Unit Offerings:
Students admitted under Admission Requirement A:
Pathway 1 (140 cp)
To qualify for the Master of Dietetic Practice, a student must complete 140 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings, consisting of:
- 80 cp from Specified Units (Part A)
- 50 cp from Professional Practice Units (Part C)
- 10 cp from International/Community engagement Placement Units (Part D)
Students admitted under Admission Requirement B:
Pathway 2 (150 cp)
To qualify for the Master of Dietetic Practice, a student must complete 150 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings, consisting of:
- 80 cp from Specified Units (Part A)
- 10 cp from Culinary Nutrition Units (Part B)
- 50 cp from Professional Practice Units (Part C)
- 10 cp from International/Community engagement Placement Units (Part D)
Students admitted under Admission Requirement C:
Pathway 3 (160 cp)
To qualify for the Master of Dietetic Practice, a student must complete 160 cp from the Schedule of Unit Offerings, consisting of:
- 80 cp from Specified Units (Part A)
- 20 cp from Culinary Nutrition Units (Part B)
- 50 cp from Professional Practice Units (Part C)
- 10 cp from International/Community engagement Placement Units (Part D)
A student who has completed 20 cp of Culinary Nutrition Units and 20 cp of Specified Units from the Schedule of Unit Offerings may exit with the Graduate Certificate in Culinary Nutrition Science.
The ACU Master of Dietetic Practice is unique for the following reasons:
- Volume and variety of placement experiences
- Inclusion of traditional and emerging areas of practice, including culinary nutrition science
- Engaging with communities and international placement opportunities
- Focus on solving food and nutrition problems
- Student-driven evidence of competence to practice
International placement will also be offered however these will be voluntary.
Entry requirements
To be eligible for admission to the course, an applicant must have completed the following prerequisites:
Admission Requirement A
Pathway 1 (140cp)
a. ACU’s Bachelor of Nutrition Science which includes completion of the ACU units NUTR404 Advanced Culinary Nutrition Science and NUTR405 Foods for Special Diets, AND one of the following:
- a grade point average (GPA) of at least 5.0 on the ACU 7 point scale; or
- evidence of relevant industry experience for at least one year post-Bachelor graduation.
OR
Admission Requirement B
Pathway 2 (150cp)
b. ACU’s Bachelor of Nutrition Science which includes completion of the ACU unit NUTR404 Advanced Culinary Nutrition Science AND one of the following:
- a grade point average (GPA) of at least 5.0 on the ACU 7 point scale; or
- evidence of relevant industry experience for at least one year post-Bachelor graduation.
OR
Admission Requirement C
Pathway 3 (160cp)
c. A Bachelor degree in Nutrition (or equivalent) which includes the equivalent of one full-time half year of study (4 study units or equivalent) in:
- Chemistry followed by Biochemistry; and
- Human Biology and Human Physiology; and
- Food and Human Nutrition Science, which must include foundation nutrition, nutrition through the lifespan, food science, and the role of diet in the development and management of chronic disease;
AND one of the following:
- a grade point average (GPA) of at least 5.0 on the ACU 7 point scale; or
- evidence of relevant industry experience for at least one year post-Bachelor graduation; or
- completion of ACU's Graduate Certificate in Culinary Nutrition Science with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 5.0 on the ACU 7 point scale.
NOTE: Applicants having completed ACU’s Graduate Certificate in Culinary Nutrition Science may be eligible for recognition of prior learning of up to 40 credit points.
Disclaimer: The course entry requirements above are for 2025 Admission.
An applicant must also comply with the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.
International applicants must also meet the English Language Proficiency requirements as defined in the Admission to Coursework Programs Policy.
To be eligible for admission to the Master of Dietetic Practice, an applicant must have completed the following prerequisites:
Admission Requirement A
Pathway 1 (140cp)
a. ACU’s Bachelor of Nutrition Science which includes completion of the ACU units NUTR404 Advanced Culinary Nutrition Science and NUTR405 Foods for Special Diets, AND one of the following:
- a grade point average (GPA) of at least 5.0 on the ACU 7 point scale; or
- evidence of relevant industry experience for at least one year post-Bachelor graduation.
OR
Admission Requirement B
Pathway 2 (150cp)
b. ACU’s Bachelor of Nutrition Science which includes completion of the ACU unit NUTR404 Advanced Culinary Nutrition Science AND one of the following:
- a grade point average (GPA) of at least 5.0 on the ACU 7 point scale; or
- evidence of relevant industry experience for at least one year post-Bachelor graduation.
OR
Admission Requirement C
Pathway 3 (160cp)
c. A Bachelor degree in Nutrition (or equivalent) which includes the equivalent of one full-time half year of study (4 study units or equivalent) in:
- Chemistry followed by Biochemistry; and
- Human Biology and Human Physiology; and
- Food and Human Nutrition Science, which must include foundation nutrition, nutrition through the lifespan, food science, and the role of diet in the development and management of chronic disease;
AND one of the following:
- a grade point average (GPA) of at least 5.0 on the ACU 7 point scale; or
- evidence of relevant industry experience for at least one year post-Bachelor graduation; or
- completion of ACU's Graduate Certificate in Culinary Nutrition Science with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 5.0 on the ACU 7 point scale.
NOTE: Applicants having completed ACU’s Graduate Certificate in Culinary Nutrition Science may be eligible for recognition of prior learning of up to 40 credit points.
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Pathways
Graduates of the Master of Dietetic Practice are likely to commence practice however may progress to additional postgraduate study. A Master of Public Health or Master of Business Administration are typical, as is further studies in Education.
Fees
$9,312 (CSP) $33,264 (Fee)
*This is an indicative first-year fee based on the tuition fee rates for a full-time student, using unit enrolment data from domestic students who studied the course in the previous year.
A student’s annual fee will vary depending on factors including:
- Number of units studied per year
- Choice of major or specialisation
- Elective units
The University reviews fees annually.
- You can view current course costs and domestic tuition fee rates by unit.
You should be able to concentrate on getting good marks instead of worrying about how you’ll pay your fees. We have a number of options that can help you ease the financial burden, including government assistance, scholarships and income support. Students enrolled in this course may be eligible to receive Youth Allowance (student), or Austudy and/or the Pensioner Education Supplement
You could be eligible for one of the hundreds of scholarships we award each year to help students from across the university with the cost of studying, accommodation or overseas study opportunities. Some of our scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit, but these aren’t just for the academically gifted; ACU also recognises excellence in community engagement and leadership. We also offer a range of scholarships for those who may be struggling financially or who have faced other barriers to accessing education.
Staff Profile
Dr Adam Walsh
Senior Lecturer and National Course Coordinator for the Master of Dietetic Practice, School of Behavioural and Health Sciences
Dr Walsh is an early-career academic whose focus is the promotion of evidence-based practice in teaching. Dr Walsh graduated from Deakin University with a PhD in nutritional epidemiology for his work characterising paternal influence on the diets and physical activity behaviours of young children. Dr Walsh is an Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian with extensive experience in the clinical and higher education sectors. As an educator of future dietitians, Dr Walsh encourages students to challenge conventional wisdom as they strive to better the livelihoods of those they treat.
Associate Professor Sharon Croxford
Associate Professor (Nutrition and Dietetics) and Head of Discipline Nutrition and Public Health, School of Behavioural and Health Sciences
Sharon is an award-winning academic with expertise across a range of teaching and food and nutrition-related professional domains. She has written on food and cooking, as well as nutrition, and has published in academic journals as well as magazines and newspapers abroad. Sharon has written and co-written books on Ottoman and Turkish cuisines, cheeses and preserving methods, the science of food, and food and nutrition through the life cycle. She is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and has worked professionally as a dietitian/nutritionist for more than 35 years in a range of contexts including acute health care, community and public healthcare, and education. Her research interests relate to dietary acculturation and its impact on health and defining terms in culinary culture and nutrition. Sharon is discipline lead for nutrition and public health at ACU and has led the development of undergraduate nutrition science, post graduate dietetic practice and post graduate culinary nutrition science courses. She is also passionate about the development of community engagement and international learning experiences for students across disciplines and has helped teams to pivot to online and blended learning models and is a senior fellow of the Higher Education Academy.