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.

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.

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

*Understanding the difficulty of accessing an equivalent Food Science course to FNH 200, even as part of a nutrition degree in Canada, the MND program allows this course to be in-progress at the time of application. See condition a. below. 

Applicants can have multiple attempts of each prerequisite; the higher grade will be used in the GPA calculation. If multiple courses are declared to fulfill one pre-requisite, then a simple average of these course grades will be used.

The MND Program will accept either condition a. or b., but not both:

a. At the time of applying to the program, an applicant is allowed FNH 200 and a maximum of one other prerequisite course to be in progress.  

For example, having both FNH 200 and biochemistry, or FNH 200 and human physiology in progress are allowed. However, an applicant with both biochemistry and physiology “in progress” at the time of application will not be considered eligible for admission to the MND. 

A transcript from the institution needs to display that the course is “registered” or “in-progress”. The deadline for submitting the final grade of all “in-progress” courses is May 3, 2024. An applicant with a conditional admission offer who fails the prerequisite course may forfeit their spot in the program.  

b. 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.

As part of the required Self-Report Form (see how to apply: Step 4), applicants will identify their prerequisite courses, and if required, will submit additional forms and course syllabi.

All applicants should review this Prerequisite Flowchart carefully, to understand whether their Self-Report Form will require supporting documentation.

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 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.

In accordance with the Practice Education Guidelines for BC - Communicable Disease Prevention, 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.