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You are here » Home / Faculties & Programs / School of Holistic Nutrition / Diploma of Holistic Nutrition

Diploma of Holistic Nutrition

Program Overview

The Diploma of Holistic Nutrition is a 3-year (6-semester) program that explores the use of food to maintain health and to treat illness. This, the most comprehensive on-site program of holistic nutrition in Canada, is comprised of both theoretical and practical courses and includes cooking and clinical coursework. This program is recognized by the National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP) and is a NANP-recommended education program.

Having reached for the first time a point in human existence where more humans are overweight than are hungry, where our children's life expectancy is less than ours, and where food resources and indigenous knowledge are vanishing faster than we can preserve them, increasing nutritional knowledge on both local and global scales is of vital importance. The Diploma of Holistic Nutrition is training students to advance human and environmental health through the sharing of nutritional knowledge.

The objectives of the Diploma of Holistic Nutrition are threefold:
- to increase human health through the betterment of nutritional practices,
- to preserve and spread indigenous food-based knowledge and practices, and
- to safeguard the global ecosystem trough the employment of sustainable food practices.

Curriculum

The Diploma of Holistic Nutrition curriculum is the most comprehensive on-site program in Canada and integrates nutritional philosophies of various indigenous cultures and medical viewpoint. Foundational studies include Ayurvedic Medicine, Western Herbal Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine. Below is a list of all courses that must be completed for a student to be eligible for graduation with a Diploma of Holistic Nutrition. Some course prerequisites do exist, and it is the responsibility of students to ensure that they are eligible to enrol in any particular course. The Course Descriptions page indicates course prerequisites. Please see Study Options below for more information on course selection.

Ayurveda		Total Requirements
AYU101/102 AYU201 AYU211	Foundations of Ayurveda Ayurvedic Nutrition Ayurvedic Herbs and Spices	6 credits 3 credits 3 credits	90 hours 45 hours 45 hours



Total		12 credits	180 hours

Biomedical/Biological Sciences		Total Requirements
BMS101/102 BMS111 BMS112 BMS201/202 BMS211 BMS231 BMS331 BMS431	Anatomy and Physiology I/II Ethnobotany Botany/Horticulture Pathophysiology I/II Biochemistry Western Diagnosis/Laboratory Tests Advanced Western Diagnosis Western Pharmacology	6 credits 3 credits 3 credits 6 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits	90 hours 45 hours 45 hours 90 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours



Total		30 credits	450 hours

Cooking		Total Requirements
CO101 CO201	Holistic Nutrition Cooking I Holistic Nutrition Cooking II	3 credits 3 credits	45 hours 45 hours



Total		6 credits	90 hours

Nutrition		Total Requirements
NU201 NU202 NU211 NU212 NU213 NU214 NU301 NU302 NU312	Holistic Nutrition/Healing Foods Western Nutrition Nutrients and Diet Therapeutics I Nutrients and Diet Therapeutics II Nutrients and Diet Therapeutics III Nutrients and Diet Therapeutics IV Vegetarianism Intro to Supplements Toxicity of Food	3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits	45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours



Total		27 credits	405 hours

Oriental Medicine		Total Requirements
OM101/102 OM231 OM401	TCM Foundations I/II Five Elements Shi Liao: Chinese Diet Therapy	6 credits 3 credits 3 credits	90 hours 45 hours 45 hours



Total		12 credits	180 hours

Professional Development		Total Requirements
PD101 PD201 PD202 PD211 PD302 PD304	Professional Writing Development Fundamentals of Public Speaking Business of Food Patient Communication Business Development & Practice Management Research Project	3 credits 3 credit 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits	45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours



Total		18 credits	270 hours

Western Herbal Sciences		Total Requirements
WHS101 WHS151	Intro to Herbal Medicine Energetics of Herbal Medicine	3 credits 3 credits	45 hours 45 hours



Total		6 credits	90 hours

Various Topics		Total Requirements
Elective	Various Topics	6 credits	90 hours



Total		6 credits	90 hours

Nutrition Clinical Practice		Total Requirements
NCP101 NCP200 NCP300	Nutrition Clinical Observation Nutrition Clinical Supervised Practice Nutrition Clinical Independent Practice	6 credits 3 credits 6 credits	90 hours 90 hours 180 hours



Total		15 credits	360 hours

Total Requirements: Diploma of Holistic Nutrition		Total Requirements
	Ayurveda Biomedical/Biological Sciences Cooking Nutrition Oriental Medicine Professional Development Western Herbal Sciences Various Topics Nutrition Clinical Practice	12 credits 30 credits 6 credits 27 credits 12 credits 18 credits 6 credits 6 credits 15 credits	180 hours 450 hours 90 hours 405 hours 180 hours 270 hours 90 hours 90 hours 360 hours



Total		132 credits	2115 hours

Study Options

The School of Holistic Nutrition offers year-round educational opportunities with an academic calendar based on 3 semesters per year. New students may enrol every January, May and September and students may either choose to pursue year-round studies or to take a semester or more off at their discretion. By choosing their course load each semester, students may complete any semester on a part-time or a full-time basis.

Students who wish not to enrol in any program are also eligible to take individual courses for personal enrichment provided that applicable course prerequisites have been met. Please see Non-Matriculating students below for more information.

What follows represents only a suggested template of courses for students aiming to complete the program in 6 semesters.

Semester One				Semester Two
BMS101/102 BMS111 OM101/102 PD101 WHS101 NCP101	Anatomy and Physiology I/II Ethnobotany TCM Foundations I/II Professional Writing Development Intro to Herbal Medicine Clinical Observation	6 cr 3 cr 6 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr	90 hrs 45 hrs 90 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs	AYU101/102 BMS112 BMS201/202 NU201 WHS151 NCP101	Foundations of Ayurveda Botany/Horticulture Pathophysiology I/II Holistic Nutrition/Healing Foods Energetics of Herbal Medicine Clinical Observation	6 cr 3 cr 6 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr	90 hrs 45 hrs 90 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs
Total		24 cr	360 hrs	Total		24 cr	360 hrs

Semester Three				Semester Four
AYU201 BMS211 BMS231 NU202 NU211 OM231 PD201 NCP200	Ayurvedic Nutrition Biochemistry Western Diagnosis & Lab Tests Western Nutrition Nutrients & Diet Therapeutics I Five Elements Fundamentals of Public Speaking Clinical Supervised Practice	3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 1.5 cr	45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs	AYU211 BMS331 CO101 NU212 OM401 PD202 PD211 NCP200	Ayurvedic Herbs and Spices Advanced Western Diagnosis Holistic Nutrition Cooking I Nutrients & Diet Therapeutics II Shi Liao: TCM Diet Therapy Business of Food Patient Communication Clinical Supervised Practice	3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 1.5 cr	45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs
Total		22.5 cr	360 hrs	Total		22.5 cr	360 hrs

Semester Five				Semester Six
BMS431 CO201 NU213 NU301 PD304 Elective NCP300	Western Pharmacology Holistic Nutrition Cooking II Nutrients & Diet Therapeutics III Vegetarianism Research Project Various Topics Clinical Independent Practice	3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr	45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 90 hrs	NU214 NU302 NU312 PD302 Elective NCP300	Nutrients & Diet Therapeutics IV Intro to Supplements Toxicity of Food Practice Mngmnt/Business Dvlpmnt Various Topics Clinical Independent Practice	3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr	45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 90 hrs
Total		21 cr	360 hrs	Total		18 cr	315 hrs

Clinical Training

Students in the Diploma of Holistic Nutrition program can complete all clinical training in PRC's on-campus Student Clinic, or can participate in our Clinical Externship Program. Full-time students generally begin clinical training via observation during the very first week of studies.

Please click here for more information on clinical training at PRC.

Post-Graduation

Graduates of the Diploma of Holistic Nutrition have the most comprehensive training offered in Canada with more than three times the on-site education than any other diploma program in the field. Having completed a minimum of 360 hours of clinical training, and having received specific education in practice management and business development, graduates are poised to be successful nutritional practitioners and consultants. Additionally, graduates can also seek employment in other sectors of the health and wellness industry by filling positions such as retail consultants, product developers, teachers, fitness advisers, restaurant consultants, spa managers and more.

This program is recognized by the National Association of Nutrition Professionals as an approved and recommended education program. Graduates are qualified for professional membership with NANP and to sit for the holistic nutrition national board exam offered through the Holistic Nutrition Credentialing Board (HNCB). Successful exam candidates will become Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition.

Admissions

Admission into the Diploma of Holistic Nutrition at Pacific Rim College is on a competitive basis. Entering students must be at least 18 years of age, have a high school diploma or satisfactory post-secondary education, and all non-native English speaking applicants must demonstrate a mastery of written and spoken English. Any foreign applicant may be required to submit an official score report from an English proficiency exam such as TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Test System).

Pacific Rim College is determined to produce only the highest quality health practitioners. As a result, we reserve the right to admit and to retain only students who demonstrate the potential to achieve at the upper-most level. Applicants will be evaluated based on merits such as high academic achievement, emotional maturity, humanitarian activities, morality, community involvement and health-related experience.

To apply for admission into the Diploma of Holistic Nutrition program, please click on the link below. Applicants are encouraged to apply apply no less than 6 weeks prior to the start date of the semester. Applications will still be accepted beyond this point, and will be evaluated, but enrolment space may not be available until the next semester. Upon favourable review of your application by our admissions committee, you may be contacted for an interview, which can be carried out via telephone if a person-to-person interview is not possible.

All successful applicants must submit a non-refundable enrolment deposit of $200, which is credited toward tuition fees. Should a student decide not to enrol for the specific semester of study as stated in the application or registration form, the fee is forfeited and cannot be used to offset any charges that the student may incur. All accepted applicants must submit this deposit within 60 days of the published semester start date, or within 7 days of notice of acceptance if accepted within this time. Enrolment space will not be reserved without this deposit.

International Students

International students are welcome to attend Pacific Rim College and are encouraged to apply. Canadian law requires foreign students to have a valid study permit to study in Canada. Pacific Rim College provides international students with the necessary documentation to receive a valid study permit. In some cases students can apply for and obtain a permit upon entering Canada.

Non-Matriculating Students

Students who wish to take courses at PRC without enrolling in any particular program are welcome to do so as non-matriculating students. Any student who pursues this study route must complete a Program/Course Registration Form. Provided that a student has satisfied course prerequisites, he or she is eligible to enrol in virtually any diploma program course. Enrolment priority is given to program students, and full course tuition is due at time of course registration. Any student who has previously been denied admission into any program at PRC must receive written permission from PRC Administration before enrolling as a non-matriculating student. PRC reserves the right to academically dismiss any non-matriculating student who knowingly or blatantly interferes with the learning of program students.

Academic Calendar

	Winter 2012	Summer 2012	Fall 2012
Orientation	January 2	TBA	TBA
First Day of Class	January 3	April 30	September 4
Reading Break	February 27-March 1	July 2-6	October 8-12
Holidays	April 6 (Easter Friday)	May 21 (Victoria Day) July 2 (Canada Day) August 6 (BC Day)	October 8 (Thanksgiving) November 11 (Remembrance Day)
Last Day of Class	April 23	August 20	December 21

Class Schedule

Please click below for the course schedule for the Diploma of Holistic Nutrition.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition is based on a per credit system. Although the college provides a template for course completion within each program, ultimately each student determines his or her course load and schedule and thus per semester tuition. Audited credits do not apply towards graduation requirements. All prices listed are in Canadian dollars. For each semester, full tuition payment is due on the first day of class.

CREDITS	$210/credit

AUDITING	$150*/credit

*plus tax

Please click here for a description of Academic Fees in PDF format.

Financial Aid

This program is approved for Canada Student Loans. British Columbia residents can apply for student loans online through StudentAid BC by clicking here. Students can also pick up a paper application from PRC or any other academic institution registered with Canada Student Loans. For non-British Columbia residents, please visit www.hrsdc.gc.ca for information about Canada Student Loans.

For a list of all financial aid programs available to PRC students, please visit our Financial Aid page.