Last updated: November 23, 2022
Are you keen on taking on a role in Australia’s healthcare sector? If you want to become a professional nutrition advisor or nutritionist in Australia, we’ve got a list of some of the top accredited nutrition courses to set you in that direction.
Making a career switch to the nutrition and health science field is possible, even if you do not have any relevant experience or qualifications.
How can you do this?—Via a professionally-recognised nutrition course.
Some nutrition courses you may look into include undergraduate courses (Bachelor’s) related to human nutrition or nutrition science, Certificate IV courses, and diplomas. The right course for you depends on your career goals and interests.
Understandably, picking a course can be challenging. So, we’ve shortlisted a list of the best study-at-home nutrition courses in Australia.
These check all the right boxes—they’re professionally accredited with minimal entry requirements and conveniently delivered online.
Let’s get into it!
There are three main levels of undergraduate nutritionist courses in Australia.
The Certificate IV will train and provide students with the skills to be nutrition advisors in the health and wellness field.
After completing this course, you will be able to work with healthy individuals to help them with meal planning and modifying their diet based on their individual goals. Additionally, you can provide advice on dietary supplements.
Depending on the scope of your course, career outcomes include the following:
The Diploma is helpful for landing a job as a nutrition advisor or nutrition coach. But on top of that, the diploma can equip you with the required knowledge and skills before you further your studies in this field.
With a diploma in nutrition, you should be able to help your clients with the following:
The Bachelor’s degree is one of the most common pathways to becoming a nutritionist. Depending on the type and focus of the course, you may take on nutrition-related roles in community settings, public healthcare, the research field, the food industry, and health promotion.
The Bachelor’s degree allows you to diversify your career opportunities, increases your odds of landing a job, and paves the way for post-graduate study.
Related bachelor’s degrees include the Bachelor of Health Science and the Bachelor of Nutrition Science.
You want to get ahead of your competition. Well, having the right educational background and qualifications can help you get there.
But you don’t want to waste resources on a course that doesn’t get you anywhere. So here’s how you can spot one worth your time, money, and effort.
If you’re interested in a Cert IV course, go for a nationally recognised one. This signifies that the training provider or institute is a registered training organisation (RTO). Hence, the program delivered will lead to vocational qualifications or outcomes recognised all across Australia.
If you opt for a diploma or bachelor’s degree in nutrition, it should be recognised by the Nutrition Society of Australia (NSA) or the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA).
Some online courses will require you to complete a mandatory work placement. If so, find out where their approved facilities are located and whether this would be convenient for you to travel to.
Clarify how classes are run—at your own pace or following a fixed schedule—and how attendance would work for these classes.
Some online courses also require students to be physically present at exam centres during assessments, which is something best clarified with their representative before enrolment.
How will support be provided to students?
Many online course providers will have a dedicated team to help students with various issues via email, live chat, or face-to-face virtual support. Some will provide support after hours and during the weekends as well.
Australian universities will require their lecturers to have a higher qualification than the level they are tutoring. For instance, a lecturer with a master’s degree can conduct classes for a bachelor’s degree course.
If not already stated on the university handbook or website, ask the course representatives for information about the qualifications and credentials of your potential lecturers.
Lower-level qualifications such as the Certificate IV should still be taught by someone with appropriate qualifications, such as a registered nutritionist or dietitian.
Here’s our list of some of the best online and accredited nutrition courses in Australia.
These online courses have minimal entry requirements, making it very possible for those without prior knowledge or related education to make a switch.
2 years
Online
~$9500(Subsidy available)
Via this nationally-recognised Certificate IV, you will learn the following:
How to recommend meal plans based on dietary guidelines
Helping your clients modify their meals according to their health goals
Interpreting medical terminology
With these skills and knowledge, you’ll be able to pursue a career as a nutrition assistant, dietetic assistant, or allied health assistant.
There are no entry requirements at all for this course. While the theory part is delivered entirely online, you will need to undergo 120 hours of mandatory work placements. This Certificate IV runs for 2 years through self-paced learning.
Self paced 12 months from enrolment date
Online
$4,499Total course cost
The Certificate IV in Nutrition is a nationally-accredited course that gives you the tools and skills to customise nutrition plans and provide individualised advice for your clients. After completing the course, you can take on the role of a nutrition advisor, a sports nutrition advisor, or a health and wellness coach.
There are no entry requirements for this course either, and it is run entirely online via a self-paced study mode. There are also no mandatory work placements required to finish this course, and it will run over one year. A university qualified nutritionist or dietitian will assess your course performance.
1 year full time, 2 to 3 years part time
Online
~$20,000 (scholarship available)
The Diploma of Nutrition will deliver an in-depth understanding of how nutrition can affect health. You’ll cover ground in the following areas:
This Diploma will set your path toward becoming a nutrition advisor or furthering your studies with a related bachelor’s degree. The course will take either one year full-time or two to three years part-time. The course is run completely online.
3 year(Full-time) 6 years (Part-time)
Online
~$60,000 (scholarship available)
This Bachelor of Nutrition will prepare you to assess the health and nutrition needs of the community and develop and implement various nutrition interventions in preventative health. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of the role of nutrition in public health and how to apply evidence-based practice in supporting the health and wellness of your clients.
Upon completing this degree, you’ll gain access to various health and nutrition roles in community nutrition and health advocacy and promotion. Some career outcomes of this course include:
This course runs for 3 years full-time and 6 years part-time. The materials and content are delivered online and can be completed based on your own schedule. On top of that, you will attend 120 hours of community nutrition placement to gain hands-on, practical experience.
The Bachelor of Nutrition is also a fantastic way to gain the education and qualifications required to pursue a postgraduate degree, such as a master’s degree in Public Health.
Say you’re looking for a low-commitment and affordable way to boost your knowledge in a specific nutrition field.
Why not enrol for these short courses?
Your client asks for details on the keto diet, but you’re not sure what’s the best advice to give them.
The keto diet has become overwhelmingly popular in the past few years, and it doesn’t look like this will dwindle anytime soon. Keeping up-to-date with the latest dietary trends will help you stay on top of your game, and this course will help you do just that.
This Internationally Accredited Diploma delivers all the content and guidance you need to become a professional keto advisor. You’ll gain a much deeper understanding of the following:
You’ll also receive full lifetime access to all the content—which is great for learning at your own pace.
If you have clients who are athletes or train competitively, this is definitely one course to add to your must-learn list.
This internationally accredited diploma will walk you through various areas, including:
You will receive full lifetime access to all the content and materials of this course.
According to the Skills Priority List by the National Skills Commission, there is currently no shortage of nutritionists in Australia. Moderate demand for nutritionists is expected in the future.
These are some of the common job outcomes of a nutrition course in Australia.
A nutritionist delivers advice on food and diet in relation to health. They can devise, evaluate, and implement nutrition programs in the community. Some nutritionists may pursue a path in research or as nutrition consultants in various industries or public health organisations. Nutritionists work with the healthy, general population.
What’s the difference between a nutritionist and a dietitian, though?
It’s almost as if both these terms can be used interchangeably.
However, there is a rather stark difference between both roles. A nutritionist cannot provide medical advice or develop medical nutrition programs for those with a medical condition. Only a dietitian has the qualifications to prescribe dietary treatment.
The title “nutritionist” isn’t regulated in Australia, and anyone can call themselves one. However, the Nutrition Society of Australia provides a registration system for nutritionists in Australia, where you would need suitable qualifications and experience to qualify for registration.
The average salary of a nutritionist in Australia is around $80,000 per year.
A nutrition assistant also provides advice to clients and designs individualised dietary plans based on their clients’ goals. You’ll be working under a nutritionist or accredited practising dietitian.
Your duties may include:-
The average yearly salary of a nutrition assistant in Australia is $60,000.
Getting relevant qualifications is one of the best ways to put yourself ahead of the competition and establish client trust.
Since the title “nutritionist” isn’t regulated or protected in Australia, your qualifications and credentials will set you apart.
And, of course, these courses will help you build the foundation towards pursuing higher-level study in this field, including a graduate diploma or master’s degree.
The most straightforward route to becoming a registered professional nutritionist in Australia is via a Bachelor of Nutrition or any other suitable degree qualification.
After finishing your bachelor’s course, you can register to be an associate nutritionist under the NSA. And once you’ve completed three years of relevant experience and practice, you can apply to become a registered nutritionist under the NSA.
You do not need any certifications to call yourself a nutritionist. The government does not regulate professional nutritional practices in Australia. Hence, anyone can use the title “nutritionist.”
Because of this, the NSA has developed a Register of Nutritionists to distinguish those with proper qualifications and experience from the rest.
There are a handful of online nutritionist courses that you can complete from any location. However, many bachelor courses require you to undergo physical work placement to complete the course successfully.
A Bachelor’s degree takes around 3 years of full-time study to complete, while an Honours degree will take about 4 years of full-time commitment. A lower-level qualification such as the Certificate IV will only need 1-2 years to complete.
This can vary anywhere from $50,000 to over $100,000 for a Bachelor’s course, and Australian citizens may be eligible for subsidies depending on the course provider. Most bachelor courses cost over $100,000 for the entire program.
Choosing between becoming a nutritionist or a dietitian will depend on your interests. If you are interested in helping generally healthy people improve their diet, fitness, and eating habits, you may wish to study nutrition.
However, if you’re more interested in food science or prescribing dietary treatment, a dietetics course may be better suited.
The dietetic profession is regulated, while the nutritionist profession isn’t. Dietitians will have to be registered with a nationally recognised organisation, such as the Dietitians Association of Australia.
You’ll also have to complete an accredited dietetics degree from an approved Australian university to become a dietitian.
