Academic Calendar - 2024

Western University Academic Calendar. - 2024

Western Main Campus

Diploma DIPLOMA IN DIETETIC EDUCATION AND PRACTICAL TRAINING
Faculty of Health Sciences - Food and Nutritional Sciences, Brescia School of



The post-degree diploma program in Dietetic Education and Practical Training is designed primarily for recent university graduates (i.e., within the last three years) in foods and nutrition who have little or no work experience in this field. It is a one full-year program and links career-specific skills with more theoretical knowledge obtained in the undergraduate degree. It includes work-site placements in four major areas of dietetics (clinical nutrition, community nutrition, food service administration, and practice-based research) that provide students with opportunities to gain real-world experience in their chosen area of dietetic practice.

Courses offered will prepare students to undertake the placements at various work-sites. Hands-on work placements add valuable experience to the undergraduate degree. Emphasis is placed on building professional networks by providing opportunities within and beyond the classroom. The professors play an integral role in bringing professional practitioners as guest speakers in the classroom and as practicum site supervisors or preceptors.

Admission Requirements



An undergraduate (honours) degree in Foods and Nutrition from a DC/PDEP accredited university in Canada. Relevant work or volunteer experiences and skills derived from these activities will also be considered.

Following a face-to-face interview and once accepted into the program, a student is required to maintain an overall average of 70%, with no single grade below 60% in the academic courses. This is a competitive program with limited enrollment. Meeting the minimum admission criteria does not guarantee admission.

The application deadline will be January 31. Applicants who must apply for admission to the University are encouraged to begin the application process as soon as possible. Online application forms will be typically available in early November.

The program starts at Brescia in May for the comprehensive orientation and clinical simulation in the first month and ends in April with the extensive practice-education debriefing and presentation of their practice-based research (supervised by their preceptors) in the last month of the program.

Module/Program Information


Program Requirements

The Diploma in Dietetic Education and Practical Training consists of three 0.5 FCE courses and approximately 8-9 placements of varying duration equivalent to 4.0 FCE courses.

The proposed post-degree diploma program will ensure that students will have opportunities to interact and participate freely in the shaping and criteria for their specific areas of practical training. Evaluations in any of the courses may take multiple forms from written assignments, in-class exercises, feedback on simulation exercises to assessments of case studies. The faculty expects post-degree level work from the students with a high level of participation in discussions and team work.

Foods and Nutrition 4901Y Dietetic Simulation Practice (0.5 FCE) provides an overview of the processes and activities involved in patient care and counselling, nutritional/community assessment, clinical activities required for various disease conditions, electronic patient records and data systems, clinical interface with foodservice systems operations.

Foods and Nutrition 4902Y Regulatory, Legal, and Ethical Issues of Dietetic Practice (0.5 FCE)is an exploration of ethical issues, including ethics and critical incidents review boards, current national and international standards and guidelines, legal principles and issues related to informed consent, liability, and regulatory and legal issues related to dietetic practice.

Foods and Nutrition 4903Y Practice-Based Dietetic Research (0.5 FCE)
provides an overview of the grant-writing process, budgetary aspects of grants, budgeting and managing project costs, managing cash flow, auditing, and negotiating agreements.
*Please note: Course offerings are subject to change based on professional demands and trends.

Foods and Nutrition 4904Y Practicum (4.0 FCE)
A total of 1300 hours, from June to April, can be completed in various practice areas and locations across southwestern Ontario. Similar to any work-related position, students work 25 - 30 hours per week during their practicum. Students must successfully complete the practical training in all areas to satisfy the practicum requirements for the diploma.

The practicum component of this diploma program is considered as a university course in a specialized field of study that is designed to give students supervised practical application.

There are three components to each practicum evaluation:

  • An on-site mid-placement evaluation of performance conducted by a designated site preceptor.
  • A portfolio of their competency development including an on-going learning journal prepared by the student and evaluated by a designated site preceptor.
  • An on-site final placement evaluation of performance conducted by a designated site preceptor.

In addition, an exit interview/evaluation will be conducted with the student by the Internship Coordinator, Placement Coordinator and the Graduate Program Director of the Division of Food and Nutritional Sciences at Brescia. Once all the requirements are completed, graduates are recommended to the College of Dietitians of Ontario for eligibility to take the Canadian Dietetic Registration Examination.



Related Information


Prior to May 1, 2024, this diploma was offered by Brescia University College.