As individuals we are involved in human nutrition everyday we eat to keep alive, but we also eat to connect with other people, to express our culture, and for the enjoyment of eating. During your undergraduate study you will learn about how foods and eating influence your health and wellbeing and the health and wellbeing of others in a combination of lectures, hands on practicals and laboratory classes and small group case study type tutorials. The skills and knowledge you obtain during your degree can lead into a variety of career pathways.
Human Nutrition also offers a variety of papers and minors to undergraduate students who are not majoring in Nutrition. These include HUNT141 Understanding Human Nutrition, HUNT245 Sport and Exercise Nutrition, HUNT241 Fundamentals of Nutrients and Health, HUNT242 Nutritional Assessment and HUNT243 Lifecycle Nutrition.
Students intending to study any of the degrees in Human Nutrition are strongly recommended to take:
- Year 12 (NCEA Level 2) Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics with Statistics, and English, and
- Year 13 (NCEA Level 3) Mathematics with Statistics and particularly Chemistry
- For the Bachelor of Biomedical Science, you should also study Biology in Year 13 (NCEA Level 3)
Undergraduate degrees you can enrol in include:
Information about the Department of Human Nutrition's minor options can be found here.
- Bachelor of Science (BSc) - Majoring in Human Nutrition
- Bachelor of Science with Honours (BSc(Hons)) - in Human Nutrition
- Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences (BBiomedSc) Nutrition and Metabolism in Human Health
An undergraduate degree consists of 360 points of which 180 points must be above 100-level (of those 72 points must be above 200-level).
Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Human Nutrition
A BSc majoring in Human Nutrition include the following papers:
| 100-level papers | pts | |
|---|---|---|
| *CHEM 191 The Chemical Basis of Biology and Human Health | 18 | |
| *BIOC 192 Foundations of Biochemistry | 18 | |
| *HUBS 191 Human Body Systems 1 | 18 | |
| *HUBS 192 Human Body Systems 2 | 18 | |
| *HUNT 141 Understanding Human Nutrition | 18 | 90 |
| 200-level papers | ||
| *HUNT 241 Fundamentals of Nutrients and Health | 18 | |
| *HUNT 242 Nutritional Assessment | 18 | |
| *HUNT 243 Lifecycle Nutrition | 18 | 54 |
| 300-level papers | ||
| *HUNT 341 Nutrition and Behaviour Change Communication | 18 | |
| *HUNT 342 Nutrition and Chronic Diseases | 18 | |
| *HUNT 343 Community and Public Health Nutrition | 18 | |
| One of HUNT 345 Applied Sport and Exercise Nutrition or HUNT 346 International Nutrition and Health | 18 | 72 |
| Total 216 |
*Major subject requirement.
The remaining points (144) can be made up of optional papers such as HUNT 245 Sport and Exercise Nutrition or HUNT 246 Applied Nutrition.
Supplementary Nutritional Science
100-Level POPH192
200-Level two of HUNT 241 - 246
300-Level two of HUNT 341 - 343 or HUNT 344
Total 90 points
Pre-requisites for HUNT 241 include BIOC 192, CHEM 191, HUBS 191, HUBS 192 and HUNT 141.
View our list of frequently asked questions
How will I study as an undergraduate of Human Nutrition?
Your study will consist of:
- lectures
- tutorials and workshops
- self-directed learning
- practicals and laboratories
- group work
Throughout your degree you will be take part in studies that will tell you more about your own body and health. You will learn about how nutrients affect human health and how deficiency or excess might lead to disease and you will learn about food in much broader behavioural, cultural and community contexts as well. In our 300 level papers students learn how to promote health through motivational interviewing, behaviour change methods, policies and community initiatives. We also have sports nutrition papers for those interested in elite sports or exercise for health, and an applied nutrition paper where you learn how to develop recipes, and get to cook food, eat food and work in Human Nutrition's very own food truck.
Assessment is a combination of tests, assignments, reports, scientific articles and presentations completed individually and in groups. The team at the department are renowned for being helpful and friendly. They ensure you get plenty of feedback during your study and seek feedback from you also.