FAQs for Prospective Undergraduate Students

The program (years 3, 4, and 5) is full-time and is not available online, however, year 1 and 2 prerequisites can be taken on a part-time basis as well as online if available (e.g. LFS 250, FNH 200). Non-UBC students can access faculty-specific prerequisite courses online through UBC Non-Degree Studies.

Yes. Due to the extra costs associated with offering a dietetics program with integrated practice education placements, the Board of Governors has approved an Integrated Program Administration Fee for each of the three program years, found here. This is in addition to the standard UBC per-credit tuition fee. As the practice education placements are a degree requirement (curriculum and instructional leadership provided by the UBC Dietetics Major), the cost will include the standard per-credit fee for 30 credits (FNH 381-3 credits, FNH 481-3 credits, FNH 482 and 483-24 credits), in addition to the annual Integrated Program Administration Fee.

Students are also responsible for additional fees associated with program and pre-placement requirements such as criminal record checks, student accident insurance, and immunizations.

While not a degree fee requirement, students must register with a provincial regulatory body, such as the College of Dietitians of BC, prior to practicing as a dietitian. Registration occurs in the spring, near the end of year 5, and typically costs about $1500.

There are several things you can do:

1. Obtain good grades, particularly in the prerequisite courses.
2. Obtain relevant work and volunteer experience - this could, but does not have to be directly in the field of dietetics. Any formal experience working with people, involving organizational skills or related to health care will be an asset.
3. Develop your general skills (e.g., communication, critical thinking, problem-solving).
4. Research the profession and the program and give thought to how you could contribute to it.
   

Dietitians work in a range of settings and communities, all of which can provide valuable experiences to help you gain insight into the dietetics profession. Previous applicants who had success connecting with dietitians have recommended the following:

• Use local volunteering websites: Nutrition or health-related volunteer positions on these websites may provide opportunities to interact with dietitians within the community. These experiences may also help to develop other important skills that can be highlighted on a dietetics application. Examples of volunteering websites could be www.govolunteer.ca. You may also check a list of volunteer places on our website.

• Participate in events that dietitians are likely to attend: Networking at dietetics-related events can help you meet dietitians. One event example is the annual ‘Meet the Dietitian Night’ on the UBC campus.

• Link to dietitians through other dietitians: Not all dietitians are able to provide job shadowing or volunteer experiences for a variety of reasons such as time or liability limitations; however, they may be able to connect you with colleagues who are better suited for working with prospective dietetics students.

• Talk to people you know: Ask if anyone you know has connections to a dietitian who may be willing to have you job-shadow them or simply meet with you over lunch or coffee.

• Network with students in the program: Current dietetics students can be a great resource for advice on how to get involved with nutrition-related opportunities and dietitians in your community.

• Join the UBC LFS Mentorship Program: This program connects groups of 2 students with a professional in the community (including dietitians) for 3 mentoring sessions over the school year. 

Applicants are not required to provide a reference from a dietitian; however, dietitians are valued references in that they have a good understanding of the profession and can therefore speak to your potential suitability within it.

In general, references should be individuals who can speak to your personal and professional abilities and suitability for the profession of dietetics. See the "Apply Now", "prepare your online application package" for more detailed information and tips on how to select your references.

College courses that transfer as MICB 201 (microbiology) are acceptable in lieu of BIOL 112. Review the content under the Taking courses at other Institutions tab for more information.

No, due to scheduling of courses and the practice education component, program length cannot be reduced. If you already have credit for some of the required courses, you may be able to take more electives and/or have a reduced course load (which will give you an opportunity to gain work or volunteer experience).

Go ahead and apply for graduation. As a separate process, go into the Student Service Centre and apply for the B.Sc. in Food, Nutrition & Health in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems.

If you have a nutrition-related degree and would like to become a dietitian, here are your options:

(a) Apply to complete the UBC Dietetics Major as a second degree.

UBC offers the only dietetics degree program in British Columbia. Note that program admission is competitive.

For more information about completing the UBC Dietetics Major as a second degree, review the content under the Completing Dietetics Major as a Second Degree tab for more information.

(b) Complete qualifying courses for dietetics to be eligible to apply for a post-graduate practice education.

Most post-graduate degree practice education programs are in Ontario and positions are highly competitive to obtain (less than 50% success rate).  Nutrition degree graduates wishing to pursue a post-graduate practice education in another province should inquire with an accredited degree program in that province regarding academic assessment and upgrading procedures.

There are no post-graduate practice education programs in British Columbia, and several UBC courses required for practice education eligibility are restricted to students in the Dietetics Major. Accordingly, UBC does not provide course assessments for students wishing to be eligible to apply to post-graduate practice education.

(c) Complete qualifying courses for dietetics and apply to our MND (Masters of Nutrition and Dietetics) program.

The Master of Nutrition and Dietetics (MND) graduate degree comprises of 28-months of full time study, including academic coursework and over 1400 hours of practice education across BC. This entry-to-practice graduate program is designed for individuals who wish to become a registered dietitian, and who have previously completed an undergraduate degree.

For general information about the education required to become a dietitian in Canada, visit the Dietitians of Canada Becoming a Dietitian page.
For the most up to date information on accredited programs in Canada visit the PDEP accredited program list

Math is not an official prerequisite for the Dietetics Major, and therefore does not count towards dietetics GPA calculations.  However, prospective students should take approved math courses (equivalent to UBC’s MATH 102 and MATH 103) to satisfy year promotion requirements and upper-level course prerequisite requirements for other majors within the B.Sc. in Food, Nutrition and Health program, should their application to the Dietetics Major be unsuccessful.

We follow procedures provided by the Undergraduate Admissions Office. Grades assigned using numeric scales are converted using a grade-point scale, while letter grades are converted as described in the UBC calendar. When translating letter grades to percentages, we use the lowest number in the range shown. Review the content under the Taking courses at other Institutions tab for more information.

Yes, you can use them towards the prerequisite requirements; however, the grades will not be used towards the GPA calculation.

Questions vary from year to year. The questions align with the criteria we have established for assessing applicants and are not meant to be trick questions. The purpose of the interview process is to assess your communication skills and further assess your commitment to the profession.

Interviews are conducted by five pairs of practicing Registered Dietitians from across the province. Interviewers have experience with practice education and are trained to ensure that a standardized approach is used.

The composition of the interview team is relatively consistent. To avoid potential bias, an effort is made to assign repeat applicants to a pair of interviewers who did not meet them the previous year.

We make every effort to keep our selection process unbiased. Reviewers are unable to see your grades (those are tabulated by Student Services). The written component of the application is “blinded” (no names attached) so reviewers do not know who they are assessing. Each written package is reviewed by two reviewers using a consensus process. Names are used for the interviews; however, interviewers are able to see the list prior to the interview and if they know the applicant, the applicant will be re-assigned to another pair of interviewers.

Age and having more than 2 years of university study are not selection factors. Maturity and life experience could give some applicants an edge on some aspects of the admissions process, but each year we do admit some applicants directly from year 2.

Location of the applicant is not a selection factor. However, if successful, the applicant will be required to relocate to attend courses at UBC.

International students are able to apply to the program, provided they meet the Admission Requirements.

We are not able to accommodate individualized declined applicant advising. However, each declined applicant is sent a document summarizing common reasons for declined admission as well as tips to assist declined applicants to reflect on and improve a future application. Anyone wishing to reapply to the program is advised to follow the guidance provided in this document and to attend an applicant information session.

No two applicants have the same issues. We evaluate applicants based on the criteria outlined in the UBC Calendar. Applicants can lose marks related to any of these criteria. Grades account for 30% of the admission score. Applicants who have a GPA below 75% have to be exemplary in other areas in order to achieve a competitive score.