Program Overview

Overview

The graduate program in Human Nutrition offers opportunities for advanced study and original investigations in basic and applied human nutrition at both the master's and doctoral levels. The curriculum includes coursework and thesis research through laboratory or field work in a variety of areas relevant to human nutrition including nutrient metabolism, diet and disease, nutrition through the life cycle and nutrition behaviours.

Program Details

• Faculty: Faculty of Land and Food Systems
• Academic Unit: Faculty of Land and Food Systems
• Specialization: Human Nutrition
• Mode of delivery: In person at UBC Vancouver
• Program Components: Dissertation
• Tuition (First Year):
  • Domestic: $5,626.02
  • International: $9,883.98
• Median Funding: 50% of students receive $39,710 or more funding per year in the first 4 years, before tuition and fees

Admission Information & Requirements

Minimum Academic Requirements

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements.

English Language Test

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

Prior Degree Requirements

Applicants for the Ph.D. degree must ordinarily hold a First Class Master's degree in Nutrition with a standing of "A", and a Bachelor's degree with the above academic standing in Nutrition or a related science.

Research Information

Research Focus

Research projects examine environmental, social, and individual determinants of food choices and eating patterns; this includes better understanding of socio-cultural effects on diet, and the impact living in “food deserts” can have on good health. International nutrition projects in Cambodia, Zambia, Rwanda, and other countries seek to improve maternal, infant, and child nutrition.

Facilities

• Clinical Nutrition Research Laboratory
• Clinical Research Unit
• Vij’s Kitchen & Culinary Laboratory
• Sensory Laboratory

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

• Application Fee: $118.50 (Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat), $168.25 (International)
• Tuition per year:
  • Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat: $5,626.02
  • International: $9,883.98
• Other Fees and Costs:
  • Student Fees (yearly): $1,144.10 (approx.)
  • Costs of living: Estimate your costs of living with our interactive tool

Financial Support

• Program Funding Packages: From September 2024, all full-time students in UBC-Vancouver PhD programs will be provided with a funding package of at least $24,000 for each of the first four years of their PhD.
• Funding Statistics: Based on the criteria outlined below, 11 students within this program were included in this study because they received funding through UBC in the form of teaching, research, academic assistantships or internal or external awards with a mean of $41,954 and a median of $39,710.

Career Outcomes

• Graduates of our program have pursued academic positions at universities or colleges, consulting, or careers in health-related fields including medicine, dentistry, and others.
• Those who were registered dietitians before pursuing graduate study have gone on to senior clinical or administrative positions.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

• Enrolment Data:
  • Applications: 8 (2023), 11 (2022), 9 (2021), 6 (2020), 9 (2019)
  • Offers: 3 (2023), 7 (2022), 3 (2021), 2 (2020), 3 (2019)
  • New Enrolment: 3 (2023), 6 (2022), 2 (2021), 2 (2020), 2 (2019)
  • Total Enrolment: 13 (2023), 12 (2022), 10 (2021), 7 (2020), 8 (2019)
• Completion Rates & Times:
  • Graduation rate: 100% based on 8 students admitted between 2011 - 2014
  • Minimum time to completion: 2.73 years
  • Maximum time to completion: 5.81 years
  • Average time to completion: 5.05 years

Research Supervisors

• Supervision: Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor.
• Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for this program: All applicants need firm commitment from a supervisor prior to applying.

Sample Thesis Submissions

• The impact of polyphenols on the interplay between metabolism and epigenetics in liver cancer
• Folic acid supplementation and dietary folate intake in children with sickle cell disease: a double-blind randomized non-inferiority cross-over trial
• A comparison of (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid vs folic acid and the effects on maternal folate status and the human milk folate profile: evidence from a randomized clinical trial
• The impact of dietary diversity on type 2 diabetes: an investigation of the cross-national EPIC-InterAct cohort

Related Programs

• Same specialization: Master of Science in Human Nutrition (MSc)
• Same Academic Unit:
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Animal Biology (PhD)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science (PhD)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (PhD)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Science (PhD)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Soil Science (PhD)
  • Graduate Certificate in Aquaculture (GCAQUA)
  • Master of Food and Resource Economics (MFRE)
  • Master of Food Science (MFS)
  • Master of Land and Water Systems (MLWS)
  • Master of Science in Applied Animal Biology (MSc)
  • Master of Science in Food Science (MSc)
  • Master of Science in Human Nutrition (MSc)
  • Master of Science in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (MSc)
  • Master of Science in Plant Science (MSc)
  • Master of Science in Soil Science (MSc)