Graduate Admissions Requirements

The UBC Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS) requires that applicants for Masters programs have completed an undergraduate degree and meet minimum academic requirements in order to be eligible for admission. Applicants should have a minimum average of 76% (B+) in their upper year courses.

G+PS also determine admissions criteria related to English language proficiency standard for applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction.

List of Prerequisites

Applicants with an undergraduate degree from any discipline can apply to the MND program. However, applicants must complete five prerequisites with a minimum grade of 72% (B) in each course to showcase their foundational knowledge of food, nutrition, and health.

• Two-terms/full-year (6 credits or equivalent) Human Physiology course (e.g. FNH 160+FNH161, BIOL 155, BIOL 153, CAPS 301)
• One-term (half-year) Introductory Biochemistry course (e.g. BIOL 201, BIOC 202)
• One-term (half-year) Statistics course (e.g. STAT 200, LFS 252, BIOL 300, EPSE 482, FRST 231)
• One-term (half-year) Introductory Food Science course (e.g. FNH 200)
• One-term (half-year) Introductory Nutrition course (e.g. FNH 250)

Prerequisite Self-Declaration

• As part of the required Self-Report Form, all applicants will identify their prerequisite courses. Applicants can also self-declare prerequisite equivalencies by filling out the additional form here, attaching the related course syllabi. All applicants should review the prerequisite flowchart carefully, to understand whether their Self-Report Form will require supporting documentation.

Prerequisite Evaluation

• Applicants can have multiple attempts at each prerequisite; the higher grade will be used in the GPA calculation. If multiple courses are declared to fulfill one prerequisite, then a simple average of these course grades will be used.
• Maximum one prerequisite course can be graded as “credit” or “complete” via the official transcript, without a percentage or letter grade. The admissions reviewers will acknowledge completion of the course, but it will not be included in the GPA evaluation. This condition does not substitute any prerequisite with a grade below 72 (B) on the applicant’s transcript. Neither can this condition be applied to applicants who have prerequisite work-in-progress status stated below.

Prerequisite Work-In-Progress

Understanding the strong interest many prospective students have in our program, we allow applicants to submit their applications with a limited number of prerequisites in “work-in-progress” status. Please follow the timeline below:

• November 15, 2025: At the time of application, applicants may have multiple prerequisites in progress, as long as the expected completion dates are clearly indicated in the self-report form and proof of course registration is provided.
• January 8, 2026: Grades for at least three prerequisite courses must be submitted to the MND program. Applications without three completed prerequisite grades by this date will be disqualified.
• May 4, 2026: All remaining prerequisites must be completed, and final grades submitted to the program.

The UBC Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies requires three references for applications to any graduate program.

All applicants are required to submit contact information for at least one academic reference and one professional reference; the third reference can be either. Some referees may know the applicant in multiple contexts (i.e., Mx. T was an applicant’s professor for a course and also the applicant’s supervisor during a research assistantship). In this case, applicants may choose the reference category that they feel applies best to their situation.

Note: If applicants completed their undergraduate degree a long time ago, and have exhausted all possible contact to previous instructors or professors that would be suitable references, applicants are allowed to have three professional references. Please contact dietetics.admissions@ubc.ca for this accommodation.

Please visit How To Apply for how to submit references.

The purpose of resume/CV is to allow the admissions reviewers to determine whether an applicant has the necessary and suitable skills and experience in order to succeed in the MND program.

The purpose of the statement of interest is for the applicant to share who they are and why they are an excellent candidate for the MND program.

The resume/CV and statement of interest will be assessed in relation to the program's vision, mission, and values, as well as the required skills and abilities for the Dietetics Program.

The content and formatting specifications for these documents are available on How to Apply.

Admission to the program is offered on a competitive basis due to annual enrolment limits. Application assessment consists of 30% academic performance, 30% letter of intent and CV/resume, 10% references, and 30% interview (shortlisted applicants only).

The University of British Columbia is subject to the requirements of the Criminal Records Review Act (CRRA); meaning all students, who are enrolled in programs that include a practicum component involving work with children or vulnerable adults, will have to undergo a provincial criminal record check before they will be permitted to register in practice education courses.

If you are found to present a risk of physical or sexual abuse to children, or physical, sexual, or financial abuse to vulnerable adults, as a result of the CRRA check, you will not be permitted to register in practice education, and must withdraw from the program. Please consider this requirement carefully before applying to this program.

Accepted students will be required to pay a fee for the Criminal Records Review Program.

In accordance with the  BC Student Practice Education Guideline: Prevention, Screening and Monitoring of Communicable Diseases, MND students must complete an immunization review prior to their first practice education placement. The review may require receiving additional vaccines and/or doses in order to meet provincial standards. Newly accepted MND students should obtain copies of all vaccination records, including COVID-19 vaccines. This is especially relevant for international students to consider well ahead of time.

Accepted students will be responsible for paying the immunization review fee.