Bachelor of Psychological Science/Bachelor of Nutrition Science

As a nutritionist you will create opportunities for people to learn about food and nutrition, design food products to support a healthy diet, influence food systems to foster sustainability, and advocate for a safe and equitable food supply across the globe. You will understand the science behind food and nutrition including human physiology and biochemistry, and food and culinary nutrition science. The focus on the role of food and nutrition in health promotion and disease prevention for individuals, communities and populations, particularly in at-risk groups, will prepare you for work in the emerging areas of the industry.

In today’s fast-paced and challenging world, understanding human behaviour is a vital skill. The Bachelor of Psychological Science will help you understand human functioning in a broad range of professional settings. You will graduate from the degree having completed a sequence in psychology accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) as a Level 1 Program. This sequence will ensure graduates acquire an advanced understanding of human behaviour and mental processes, and develop employable skills that are highly regarded by industry leaders. The degree also helps you prepare for optional further postgraduate study which may lead to registration as a professional psychologist. You will be equipped to make meaningful contributions toward improving the outcomes of clients, customers, colleagues and collaborators in a diverse range of settings including, but not limited to: government departments, private sector, schools, business, and not-for-profit organisations.

Combining the Bachelor of Psychological Science and the Bachelor of Nutrition Science allows for greater insights into both disciplines and, thus, benefits the graduates of the course. For instance, knowledge gained from the Bachelor of Nutrition Science can be applied by clinical psychologists working with eating disordered populations for better treatment outcomes. Further, health psychologists working with chronically ill populations, such as with people with heart disease or Type 2 diabetes, will benefit from knowledge in the area of nutrition science. Nutritionists will benefit from the knowledge gained from a Bachelor of Psychological Science which covers the motivations for eating behaviours, how habits are formed, ways to increase behavioural change, and empathetic and culturally appropriate communication skills. In recent years, there has been a shift in the practice of many nutrition professionals in the area of cardiovascular disease risk factor management, and more specifically overweight and obesity. The focus has shifted away from a reductionist approach to incorporate more holistic strategies to assist clients to change their lives, including their eating behaviours, through the use of mindfulness, and body-acceptance and inclusivity, breaking down diet culture and using non-diet approaches with more successful outcomes. In addition to the professional practice of nutritionists/dietitians and psychologists, research on eating behaviours and approaches to change eating behaviour will only be enriched when researchers come to such topics with an understanding of both disciplines. There is the potential for graduates of this double degree to make a real impact on the lives of individuals, groups and communities through interventions that result in positive changes to health.

Work placement

Work placements provide you with exposure to work settings where you may gain employment following graduation. You can choose to undertake your placements in areas across the food and nutrition industry.

Placement opportunities may be with sporting teams/clubs; food development and production companies; restaurant and catering groups; community health centres; local government; schools; community organisations and other not-for-profit health organisations.

Visit the faculty’s Work Integrated Learning (WIL) webpage to view opportunities in nutrition science. 

Community engagement

Principles of community engagement are integrated throughout the course and are embedded in the public health community engagement unit. This unit has been purposefully designed to give you the opportunity to apply the principles and philosophies of working in the community for the common good into real-world, applied settings.

Professional recognition

Graduates of this degree will be eligible to apply for registration as a nutritionist with the Nutrition Society of Australian (NSA). This degree has been designed to meet the competencies deemed essential by the NSA for registration.

The degree meets the academic qualifications required for Professional Membership of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST). Note: Professional Membership of AIFST also requires three years of relevant professional experience.

Accreditation

This course is accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) (APAC Level 1).

Please note that a minimum six-year sequence of education and training in psychology is required for an individual to become eligible for general registration as a psychologist in Australia. When completing this double degree a minimum of seven-years is required to become eligible for general registration as a psychologist.

Graduates will be qualified to work in:

• food and nutrition research
• food and nutrition education
• food and nutrition communication
• food and nutrition advice
• food product design
• food science and technology
• food and nutrition policy
• child welfare and protection,
• case management,
• community work,
• marketing and market research,
• health,
• education,
• human resources