In Semester 1, 2025, we’re adding two new degrees to the School of Health Sciences: the Bachelor of Nutrition and the Bachelor of Biomedical Science.

These additions follow discussions with industry partners to understand future needs, address market demand, and provide students with opportunities to delve deeper into disciplines they would like to specialise in.

The introduction of these two degrees will not affect your current enrolment in or majors within the Bachelor of Health Science, which remain market-leading options in today’s professional landscape.

If you are currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Health Science, you may wish to consider transferring your studies to one of the new degrees to provide you with a clearer path to your academic and professional goals – particularly if you are majoring in Nutrition or Biomedical Science. This would involve a new course application, and you would need to consider if this would benefit your progress towards your career.

Are you an international student?

Changing your degree will require a new application and Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) and may impact your student visa. If transferring your studies sounds like a valuable opportunity for you, please speak with our International Student Support & Advisory team for more information.

About the Bachelor of Nutrition

The Bachelor of Nutrition offers hands-on learning in state-of-the-art spaces to study the role of food and nutrients in health and wellbeing, from biological processes to populations and public health. While your current degree will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed for a career in fields like nutrition research, health policy and food industry, the Bachelor of Nutrition can offer these and a clear pathway to postgraduate studies in dietetics.

Transferring from the Bachelor of Health Science to the new Bachelor of Nutrition may be of interest to you if you are a local student who:

  • is currently majoring in Nutrition
  • began your degree after 1 January 2022
  • have only completed the first or second year of study or have a minimum of 100 credit points left to complete in your current degree.

To find out if transferring to the Bachelor of Nutrition is right for you, please contact Margaret Murray, Senior Lecturer, Department of Health Science and Biostatistics, via msmurray@swinburne.edu.au.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bachelor of Health Science is a broad degree that allows people unsure of their career pathway to enter the degree and ‘discover’ what career they may like to pursue as they go through the course.

In contrast, the Bachelor of Nutrition is focused on career outcomes related to nutrition and diet. The Bachelor of Nutrition is directly aligned as a pathway into the postgraduate Master of Dietetics, and it can also allow students to take elective units that can increase their career outcomes within the nutrition field. This includes areas such as nutrition in public health, communication and advertising in nutrition, biosciences for nutrition, and entrepreneurship and innovation in the nutrition field.

Yes, this is possible. However, depending on when you transfer during your degree, you may be required to complete additional units. The units of your degree become more focused as you move through each year, meaning that transferring your degree in your third year is more complicated than changing during the first year of your study. Swinburne tries to remain as flexible as possible so students can develop the career best suited for them. Whenever possible, it’s important to follow the outline presented in course planners, as this is the best way to facilitate changes.

No WAM cut-off is applied for entry into the Master of Dietetics. Applications are individually considered by the Course Director based on academic merit

Yes, we have a range of electives that can tailor your career path within the nutrition field. Please ask the course convenor for further information about what is recommended.

Each Bachelor has eight core units that match the units of a Nutrition major. In total, each degree requires 24 units of study. Additional units can be a co-major (8 units) or a selection of minors (4 units) and elective units. The structure is similar to the current Bachelor of Health Sciences.

To find out if transferring to the Bachelor of Nutrition is right for you, please contact Margaret Murray, Senior Lecturer, Department of Health Science and Biostatistics, via msmurray@swinburne.edu.au. Once you have determined if transferring is right for your circumstances, you can enrol in the new degree for 2025 via My Swinburne. A course planner will be provided to help you outline the best plan of study.

About the Bachelor of Biomedical Science

The Bachelor of Biomedical Science is an immersive, tech-focused entry into a vital healthcare domain, offering state-of-the-art facilities and opportunities to connect and work with leading organisations.

While your current degree can lead you to career opportunities in fields like medical research, healthcare consultancy and health communications, the Bachelor of Biomedical Science offers these outcomes and provides a more focused degree that can allow a clear transition to postgraduate pathways and biomedical industry roles.

Transferring from the Bachelor of Health Science to the new Bachelor of Biomedical Science may be of interest to you if you are a local student who:

  • is currently majoring in Biomedical Science
  • began your degree after 1 January 2022
  • have only completed the first or second year of study or have a minimum of 100 credit points left to complete in your current degree.

To find out if transferring to the Bachelor of Biomedical Science is right for you, please contact Jason Howitt, Department Chair, Health Science and Biostatistics, via jhowitt@swinburne.edu.au.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bachelor of Health Science is a broad degree that allows people who are unsure of their career pathway to enter the degree and ‘discover’ what career they may like to pursue as they go through the course. Careers can range from community health services to advanced management of medical instrumentation, depending on the major(s) chosen in the degree.

In contrast, the Bachelor of Biomedical Science is more focused, allowing people to pursue a degree aligned with a range of careers focused on medical science. There are still a large variety of career options in a Bachelor of Biomedical Science, but they all have an emphasis on the medical industry or research careers.

Yes, this is possible. However, depending on when you transfer during your degree, you may be required to complete additional units. The units of your degree become more focused as you move through each year, meaning that transferring your degree in your third year is more complicated than changing during the first year of your study. Swinburne tries to remain as flexible as possible so students can develop the career best suited for them. Whenever possible, it’s important to follow the outline presented in course planners, as this is the best way to facilitate changes.

The Bachelor of Biomedical Science has eight core units and a major in Biomedical Science consisting of eight units. In total, each degree requires 24 units of study. Additional units can be a co-major (8 units) or a selection of minors (4 units) and elective units. The structure is similar to the current Bachelor of Health Sciences.

To find out if transferring to the Bachelor of Biomedical Science is right for you, please contact Jason Howitt, Department Chair, Health Science and Biostatistics, via jhowitt@swinburne.edu.au. Once you have determined if transferring is right for your circumstances, you can enrol in the new degree for 2025 via My Swinburne. A course planner will be provided to help you outline the best plan of study.

Need help?

If you have any questions about how these changes impact you or need help with planning your enrolment, please book an appointment with our Enrolment Specialists.

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