UBC admissions blog

Are you passionate about nutrition, public health and food systems? Do you see food systems as a pathway to dismantling systemic barriers and creating equity within society?

The Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition and Health explores the production and processing of food to its marketing, consumption, and impact on community and individual health. The program prepares socially responsible students for a wide-range of science-based careers that align with their values including public health, nutrition, medical school, and graduate studies.

In the program students are encouraged to customize their studies to create a degree that balances required science courses with subjects they’re interested in such as social justice, climate change, and sustainability.

What you learn in Food, Nutrition, and Health

 The Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition and Health has five different majors to choose from.

Dietetics

The Dietetics program is a professional program planned to meet the accreditation standards for the dietetics profession in Canada, and is the only dietetics program offered in British Columbia. You’ll explore general biological and social sciences courses, as well as specialized dietetics courses like basic and applied human nutrition, food and food systems management, and professional dietetic practice.

As a registered dietitian, you’ll improve and promote health through optimized food and nutrition, and fill a variety of roles in nutrition care, management, or population and public health.

Food Science

In the Food Science program, you will discover the chemistry and microbiology of food, its nutritional and sensory properties, and how it is engineered and processed for consumption. You will also explore concepts and controversies in nutrition, how to prevent food-borne illness, and how land, food, and community fit together.

Food, Nutrition, and Health

In the Food, Nutrition, and Health major, students explore the economic, ecological, social, and technological components of managed landscapes, agrifood systems, and communities comprising the land, food, nutrition, and health continuum. You can customize your degree as you study a broad range of topics related to applied nutrition and the science of nutrition.

The Food, Nutrition, and Health program gives you the flexibility to pursue your interests while gaining a deeper knowledge of issues related to food production, food security, and the role of nutrition in disease prevention. Choosing from a wide variety of electives, you’ll study a broad curriculum as you prepare for a career in the food and health sectors.

Nutritional Sciences

In Nutritional Sciences, you will build a strong foundation in basic and applied human nutrition as you delve into a broad range of topics, from community nutrition to how our bodies actually metabolize and use nutrients. You’ll explore opportunities to integrate nutrition with your interests in other areas within the fields of health and science, such as population and public health, and international nutrition.

The program will equip you to continue your education at the master’s and doctoral levels, or to pursue a career in nutrition or health research, or in research and development-related industries. Graduates can also further their studies in the health professions and veterinary sciences.

Food and Nutritional Sciences

Food and Nutritional Sciences is a competitive double major, combining the core degree requirements of the Food Science and Nutritional Sciences programs. You’ll discover the chemistry and microbiology of food, its nutritional and sensory properties, and the function of nutrients in health and disease.

Students graduate ready for a career in the food and nutrition industries or graduate-level study in health sciences.

Student scoop

“There are countless paths that lead towards being a physician and none are better than the others – however, studying Nutritional Sciences at UBC was perfect for me. The structure of the first two years in the program allowed me to complete the Biology, Chemistry, and Physics courses necessary for a solid science foundation…Most specifically, the Faculty of Land and Food Systems gave me many opportunities to work on collaboration, leadership, and problem-solving – important attributes for a medical student.” – Brenna H. Read about Brenna’s experience as a student in Nutritional Sciences program.

Why choose Food, Nutrition, and Health?

Students choose the Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition, and Health because they can explore relevant, complex issues facing today’s world related to food security, climate change, sustainability and land use from both Indigenous and Western perspectives. Throughout the program, you gain integrated knowledge of food science, nutrition, and human health to contribute towards healthier and safer food choices for our world.

You get to be part of a small cohort within a large institution, where you have the friendly and supportive Food, Nutrition, and Health community as well as the extensive opportunities and resources that UBC offers. There’s also the ability to customize your program with flexible program requirements and a wide variety of electives.

What can you do after graduating?

Graduates from the Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition, and Health are highly employable in diverse roles, with the majority working in the health care system.

Graduates from the program go into careers such as dentistry, nursing, midwifery, rehabilitation sciences, education, food system management, naturopathy, fitness, food service, publishing, pharmaceuticals, medicine, rehabilitation sciences, and veterinary medicine.

Transitioning from high school to university can seem daunting at first. To make the move as easy as possible, UBC offers a selection of first-year study options designed to help you build a community and take the stress out of registering for classes.

If you have been accepted into the Forestry or Land and Food Systems faculties, you are eligible to apply for the Land One study option.

What is Land One?

Land One includes a selection of core courses in Biology, Economics, Math, and English, as well as an integrative seminar. You’ll take all of these key classes with the 50 to 60 students who are admitted to the study option. You will also take part in a seminar, where you’ll enjoy hands-on experiences, build relationships with your instructors, and learn how to solve the problems that are negatively impacting our land.

Why should you choose a first-year study option?

If you’re looking to make new friends from your first day, Land One could be the right path for you. You’ll benefit from smaller class sizes in select courses and your seminar group, a dedicated study space, and low student-to-instructor ratios. Also, you will get to participate in experiential learning opportunities such as field trips and other hands-on activities.

Is Land One right for you?

To take part in Land One, you’ll need to take all of the classes required for the program, which will provide you with 16 credits that can be applied to meet your program requirements. On top of that, you’ll have time to choose additional courses in your first year that help you meet additional requirements and build your own educational path.

Land One’s seminar course covers a range of issues related to land use, climate change, food security, and sustainability. Much of your time will be spent discussing and addressing how to solve these problems, and you’ll also take part in some hands-on activities. You’ll also visit the UBC Farm to learn more about sustainable food systems, and enjoy a two-day field trip to UBC’s Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, where you’ll experience the coastal old-growth rainforest first-hand.

If you’re in Forestry, Land One is particularly useful if you plan to major in Forest Resources Management or if you’re taking your Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Conservation.

If you’re in Land and Food Systems, you’re eligible for enrolment in Land One if you’re taking a Bachelor of Science in Applied Biology, or a Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition, and Health. Land One will prepare you for all majors across those two programs.

How to apply

Applications to Land One are now open and the deadline is May 15, 2024. Once you have been accepted into your Forestry or Land and Food Systems degree program, you will need to submit an online application through Land One’s website. As part of the process, you’ll be asked to write a letter of intent (500 words maximum) explaining why you want to join the Land One cohort. Land One is limited by size, so apply early!

Enrolment in the study option may require additional high school courses not required for admission, so it’s important to check the requirements online.

After you’ve been admitted to the Bachelor of Arts degree, you’ll have to decide which courses to take when registration opens in June. That might seem like a long way off, but it’s worth thinking in advance about how you might like to structure your timetable.

There are two ways to shape your first year in the Faculty of Arts. The first, the Custom Timetable, lets you pick the classes you’re most interested in and build your own schedule. The second lets you join a predesigned course schedule for your first year, where you’ll take nearly all of your classes with the same people.

For Arts students, there are two of these predesigned options to choose from: Arts One and the Coordinated Arts Program (CAP).

What are Arts One and CAP?

Arts One and CAP allow students to study together in small classes (between 20 and 100 students). Each brings courses and ideas together across different disciplines – for example literature, history, psychology, economics, and philosophy – by focusing on a shared topic or theme.

To complete either study option, you’ll need to take all of the courses together , which are collectively worth 18 credits. You can also take up to two additional courses of your choice each semester.

Why should you choose Arts One or CAP?

Arts One and CAP ease the transition from high school to university by offering standard timetables, coordinated assignment schedules, access to an exclusive study space, dedicated academic advisors, and support from your fellow students and faculty.

Both study options admit a small number of students – around 100 in Arts One, and about 100 per stream in CAP. Because you’ll spend most of your time with your cohort – sometimes in groups as small as four in Arts One, and 25 in CAP – you’ll find it easier to make friends. You’ll also work closely with your professors, helping you to make personal connections with faculty. Taking Arts One or CAP sets you up for a variety of degree pathways, and allows you to satisfy the first-year writing and literature requirements.

What’s the difference between Arts One and CAP?

Arts One

Arts One is a single, integrated course that is led by five instructors who work together to create the assignments and a reading list based on the year’s theme.

You’ll read classical and contemporary texts and discuss their influence on culture and society, including novels, philosophical and political texts, films, drama, graphic memoirs, and more. The professors take turns to give the weekly lectures, and you’ll work closely with one instructor who will lead your twice-weekly seminar discussions (20 students) and once-weekly tutorials, where you and three other students will read and evaluate each other’s essays.

CAP

In CAP, you’ll get to choose from one of five streams, each offering a different combination of courses from across the Faculty of Arts. This year, your streams will be Environment and Society (previously People and Planet); Individual and Society; Law and Society; Political Science, Philosophy, and Economics; and Media Studies, and allow students and faculty to discuss ideas from various perspectives.

While your CAP courses are separate, faculty work together to connect the concepts and issues you’ll study, and to make sure your deadlines won’t overlap. Like Arts One, CAP classes are smaller than if you choose to create your own Custom Timetable, ranging from 25 students in the writing course to around 100 to 125 students in a lecture. As part of CAP, you’ll also have the chance to participate in an annual student conference, and in its stream-wide academic and social events during the term.

How to apply

For Arts One, you’ll sign up on Workday Student when registration opens in June by selecting the program course (i.e. ARTS 001A) and one seminar.

For CAP, you’ll also sign up when registration opens in June by selecting your chosen CAP stream.

Registration for Arts One and CAP is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Looking for more information? Read what it’s like to be an Arts One student and a Coordinated Arts Program student and why these students chose each program.

Do you believe education should put students and the quality of their learning first? Do you enjoy sharing knowledge with others and helping people find and develop their innate talent? Consider one of UBC’s seven Bachelor of Education degrees for an internationally recognized learning experience that will launch your career as an educator in Canada and beyond.

Explore your program options

Elementary, Middle, or Secondary School

Gain hands-on experience teaching elementary, middle, or secondary school curricula in one of UBC’s education programs. Choose between Teaching Children and Teaching Adolescents at UBC Okanagan, or Elementary and Middle Years and Secondary at UBC Vancouver. Students in all programs will complete school-based practicums and engage in collaborative learning with instructors, classmates, practising educators, and community partners, and have the opportunity to participate in place-based learning opportunities.

West Kootenay Teacher Education Program

If you believe rural and small school settings present exciting educational opportunities for teachers, the West Kootenay Teacher Education Program (WKTEP) could be for you. Based in the WKTEP Learning Centre in Nelson, BC, and in the surrounding communities, this 11-month post-degree program offers an opportunity to develop the professional qualities and practices necessary to teach in today’s complex learning environments. With a strong focus on community, collaboration, and innovation, you’ll graduate prepared to teach in an elementary, middle, or secondary school setting.

Indigenous Teacher Education Program

Build upon your Indigenous identity and cultural heritage while learning how to be an effective educator in public, band, and independent schools in BC. In the Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NITEP), you’ll develop the skills and academic knowledge expected of beginning educators and complete a specialization in Indigenous Education. As a student at UBC Vancouver, you’ll have access to the Xwi7xwa Library, a centre for academic and community Indigenous scholarship.

International Baccalaureate

Join a community of students focused on international education in Canada’s first IB-recognized teacher education program. You’ll learn key concepts and transdisciplinary themes through enriching, hands-on learning opportunities that promote discovery, exploration, and thinking about real-world issues. You’ll graduate with a strong foundation in the educational practices and underpinnings of IB, and will be eligible for the Level 1 IB Educator credential.

See a full list of education programs at UBC