Graduate as a confident nutrition practitioner, equipped to drive change in health, wellbeing, and performance.
Why study postgraduate Advanced Nutrition Practice
Nutrition plays a vital role in health, wellbeing, performance, and disease prevention. Studying Advanced Nutrition Practice strengthens your confidence and skills to work effectively in complex, practice-based settings. You'll develop your ability to influence change with individuals, communities, and populations, applying evidence across different social and cultural contexts.
This subject prepares you to work confidently across health teams and community settings in Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond. Graduates are supported to become an Associate Registered Nutritionist with the New Zealand Nutrition Society, with a pathway towards full Registration. Otago also provides the mentoring required for your first year of associate registration.
The programme also provides a bridge between undergraduate study in Human Nutrition and your career, and can be completed in person or from a distance.
If you have not studied Human Nutrition at undergraduate level but would like to develop your career in this direction, please see our conversion degree, MSc (Coursework) Human Nutrition.
Career opportunities
Studying Advanced Nutrition Practice opens doors to a variety of meaningful careers. Graduates are equipped to take on roles that combine science, health, and community impact. Possible pathways include:
- Private practice or consultancy
- Community health, public health, or policy roles
- Sports, food industry, or workplace wellness nutrition
- Nutrition education or science communication
- Management in community health or nutrition-focused organisations
What it’s like to study at this level
In this course, you’ll explore clinical nutrition, public health, sports and exercise nutrition, and practical food solutions to complex nutritional challenges. You’ll engage with the latest nutrition research, sharpening your ability to apply evidence in diverse settings.
You can also tailor your learning by choosing papers from other departments like sports and exercise science, entrepreneurship, public health, science communication, or food science to match your interests.
The programme includes the opportunity for a work placement or project within an organisation, giving you professional experience that connects theory to practice.
This is for you if ...
Advanced Nutrition Practice is for you if you have an undergraduate degree with a major or minor in Human Nutrition and want to strengthen your skills and confidence for a career as a Nutritionist. It suits recent graduates as well as those returning to study after time in the workforce.
Advanced Nutrition Practice that makes a difference
Advanced Nutrition Practice equips you with expert knowledge, skills and confidence to tackle today’s complex and changing health challenges. This subject blends current science with practical application, preparing you to support diverse populations and influence health, wellbeing and performance outcomes.
You’ll explore emerging topics like personalised nutrition, chronic disease management, and cultural approaches to wellbeing. With a strong focus on evidence-based practice, you learn to critically analyse research and apply it in authentic professional settings.
Whether you aim to work clinically, in public health, sports nutrition, food systems, or policy, this programme prepares you to create lasting change for individuals and communities.
Choose a study option
Whether you are advancing your career with our specialised graduate qualifications or pursuing in-depth research and expertise through our postgraduate programmes, Otago is here to support your aspirations.
Postgraduate qualifications
Honours, masters’, PhDs, and other advanced degrees for graduates. Just one additional year of study will earn you a valuable postgraduate degree. Or perhaps you want the depth of a full year of research-only time during a master’s or to step up to a PhD.
Postgraduate Certificate in Science (PGCertSci)
A coursework programme, typically consisting of three papers, that can be completed with full-time (one-semester) or part-time (full-year) study
Postgraduate Diploma in Science (PGDipSci)
A one-year programme which builds on an undergraduate science degree, encompassing coursework and a chosen research topic
Master of Science (Applied) (MSc(Applied))
A coursework postgraduate degree with a research component. The MSc(Applied) can be completed in 12 months or in stages over a longer period.
Ready to apply?
Take your expertise to the next level with advanced study.
Programme details
Compare programmes for this subject.
Subject offered from 2027.
| Papers |
|---|
120 points from: Note: Substitutions of other postgraduate papers may be approved by the Head of the Department of Human Nutrition. |
| Papers |
|---|
Students must have an undergraduate Nutrition degree and will complete:
|
Contacts
Department of Human Nutrition
Tel +64 3 479 7959
Email human-nutrition@otago.ac.nz
Web otago.ac.nz/humannutrition
This information must be read subject to the statement on our Copyright & Disclaimer page.
Regulations on this page are taken from the 2026 Calendar and supplementary material.
World-class research
The University of Otago has a global reputation for research excellence. Our expertise is vast across health, society, culture, sustainability and the environment.
Explore our research