Frequently Asked Questions

The MScFN Practicum-based program is 5 terms of continuous study, starting in September each year. See details about the curriculum here.

Historically, we have accepted 13-20 students into the MScFN Practicum-based program each year.

Yes, we accept all gender graduates of any Canadian accredited dietetic education undergraduate program (or American ACEND-accredited equivalent program) within the last 3 years.

Yes. The graduate courses are offered during the first two terms of the program and are in person, on our university’s campus, in London, Ontario.

Tuition is paid each term. See the current fee schedule for the 2023-2024 estimate of costs. Please note program fees are subject to change. Students are also advised to consider other costs associated with practicums such as accommodation/moving, food, parking, gas, car maintenance, immunizations, accident and liability insurance, phone, and professional attire.

Yes, the MScFN program is OSAP–eligible.

Yes, bursary and award funding is available to MScFN students. See details on our website here.

Students may choose to work during the first two terms in the program, outside of class hours, ensuring that work hours do not interfere with student responsibilities such as course group work or research work.  Maintaining a work schedule during the practicum portion of the program can be challenging but may be possible for those students who remain in one location for all placements, or those doing remote work. For all graduate students enrolled at Brescia/Western, Western’s School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies recommends that work hours not exceed 10 hours per week.

Students will graduate with a Western University Master of Science in Foods and Nutrition degree.

Applicants should have a minimum GPA of 78% in the final two years of their qualifying undergraduate accredited program, or the last 10 full-course equivalents (which is typically the most recently completed two years’ worth of courses).

The most recent 10 full–course equivalent grades (or 20 half–courses) completed by December 2023, are used to calculate your academic average. First year courses are not included in this calculation. If you have repeated a course, the most recent grade will be used, and not the first attempt.

A driver’s license is no longer a requirement to apply to Brescia’s dietetic practicum programs.  Applicants must have reliable transportation to get to and from placements even when they are not accessible by public transportation.

Applicants are exempt from the English language proficiency requirement if they submit proof they have been enrolled for 2 or more years of full-time undergraduate or graduate study in an English-speaking school in a country where English is the principal language.

KCAT is the Knowledge Competence and Assessment Tool, administered by the College of Dietitians of Ontario.  If you have graduated more than 3 years ago, you may need to complete the KCAT.  Achieving a Level 1 result on the KCAT will demonstrate that your dietetic knowledge is current, and you will be eligible to apply to Ontario dietetic practicum programs.  For more information: College of Dietitians - KCAT-Demonstrating Academic CurrencyAdditionally, If you completed your undergraduate degree outside of Canada/United States, please refer to College of Dietitians - Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition Process as your first step.  As part of this process, you may have to complete the Knowledge Competence and Assessment Tool (KCAT) to prove your education is equivalent to Canadian standards.

Out–of–Province students are welcome to apply but, are expected to relocate to Ontario for the MScFN program including the practicum portion.

Fees for all domestic Graduate students are the same. For details about fees and funding view details here.

If you are an international applicant, please refer to our website that outlines the admission requirements for international applicants:https://brescia.uwo.ca/graduate/mscfn_practicum-based/future_students/admissions.php

International students need BOTH a valid  work permit and a study visa.   work permit is required to participate in the practicum portion of the program. For more information, contact Visas and Permits - International & Exchange Student Centre - Western University (uwo.ca) 

It is recommended that applicants start their MScFN application as soon after the application opens as possible, to become familiar with the functionality. Applicants can start and save the application and return to finish it when they are ready to do so. While there is not a deadline to start the application, all applications must be completed and submitted prior to the application close deadline without exception.

Yes, all applicants must request access to the OWL site to complete the OWL component of the application. See details here.

You only need to request access to the OWL site once and complete the supplementary questions once if you are applying to both the DDEPT and MScFN Practicum-based programs. See details here.

The Admissions Committee has several members who are responsible for assessing the OWL component. These reviewers are considered blinded because they do not have access to any identifying information on any candidate, including academic and Casper test results.

Yes, we accept applicants from other provinces.  There is no allocation of positions for out–of–province applicants; reviewers are blinded to applicants’ geographical locations.

No, the MScFN Practicum-based program does not require reference letters or contact information for referees.

Resumes are not required for applications to the MScFN Practicum-based program in 2024.  Supplementary questions will provide you with an opportunity to share knowledge and skills acquired from your work, volunteer and/or life experiences.

Applicants will have to answer supplementary questions as part of their application. These questions are housed within the OWL component of the application.

No letter of intent/research statement/cover letter is required for MScFN Practicum-based applications.

No, but you should be aware that you will have to assemble these items prior to starting the practicum portion of the program.

No, you can only take the Casper test once per application cycle.

Casper results are automatically submitted to the university. Applicants must pay a fee to Casper for distribution of their results to the university.

No, there is one distribution fee for Brescia, regardless of whether you applied to one or both programs.

You must take the current Casper test identified for Brescia’s 2024 Admissions.

After you register for Casper, you will have access to a full practice Casper test. We highly recommend applicants take the practice test to become familiar with the format of the test, including time limits allowed. Go to: https://acuityinsights.app/test-prep/

Yes, you must apply for an accommodation at least 4 weeks prior to writing the Casper test. Here is a link to the application: Casper Accommodation Application

You can work on the application over time, as long as all components are completed by the deadline.

All application components are required by the deadline EXCEPT proof that you have graduated from your accredited undergraduate degree. The Confirmation of Completion of PDEP-Accredited Academic Program form, signed by your Academic Director with the expected date of completion is an acceptable substitute for proof of degree completion at this application stage.

You will receive an automated email response once you have submitted your MScFN Graduate program online application form, and once you have submitted your supplementary questions as part of the OWL component of the application. After completion of the Casper test, applicants can view the status of their program distributions by logging into their Acuity account. Casper results are delivered to programs 2 weeks after completing the test.It is up to applicants to ensure they have completed all elements of the application before the deadline.

Candidates invited for an interview will have online independent interviews (approx 25 minutes in length) with 1 or 2 faculty members during the week of Feb 19 – 23, 2024.

The number of candidates selected for an interview may vary each year. In 2023, approximately 40 candidates were interviewed.  Those selected for an interview will be notified by email on or before February 13, 2024.

The admissions committee first reviews each application to ensure it is complete and meets all admission requirements. Applicants are then assessed based on their academic transcripts, Casper test score, and supplementary question responses. Candidates with the highest scores are selected for an interview.  Interview scores are combined with the previous application package score to rank applicants for offers of admission.

When you apply to a practicum-based program, you will get to rank your top 3 placement regions in Ontario.  A placement region will be your home base for the duration of your practicum. You will be offered a region during your first year of the MScFN program. Learn more about placement regions here.

You will have an opportunity to discuss your preferred placement location, and indicate changes if necessary, during the first semester of the program

Students in this program must have access to reliable transportation to get to placements, including places where public transit may not be available. Students will be expected to manage their own travel arrangements to placement sites, at their own cost once the practicum starts and be able to travel unattended throughout the practicum.

Yes, limitations vary by cohort and other unique placement scheduling factors.  For example, students in LHSC and HHS cohorts are scheduled more placement weeks in nutrition care at the hospital compared to students placed in other locations. Therefore, students in these cohorts typically have fewer flex weeks.  MScFN students who require additional weeks to complete research activities during the practicum may also have fewer flex weeks.

No, students do not get paid during practicum–based placements.  There are bursaries and scholarships available from Brescia.  Information about financial support is sent to students after admission to the program or you can email brfinaid@uwo.ca for more information.

An out–of–province placement may be possible but cannot be guaranteed.  Students must discuss interest for an out–of–province placement with their Dietetic Education Coordinator as soon as possible, as these placements need to be planned well in advance.

No, students are not allowed to contact individuals or organizations to request a placement.  They may discuss their interests with their Dietetic Education Coordinator who requests all placements on students’ behalf. 

There are 2 weeks of vacation: December 23, 2024– January 3, 2025.  We added a Fall Reading Week in 2023 in line with Western University’s Academic Calendar and expect to continue with this break in 2024.

:Dietetic Education Coordinators (DEC) meet with students during year 1 of the MScFN program to discuss placement interests and career goals.  Every effort is made to accommodate students’ interests, but no placement can be guaranteed due to external factors beyond our control.

Students in the DDEPT program begin placements in late June and complete a practice–based project placement for 4 – 8 weeks. MScFN students begin placements in early May and typically complete 8 – 10 research weeks. All other placement schedule elements are the same.

While individual schedules vary, typically students have 1 food provision, 1 population health promotion, and 4 nutrition care placements.

Most placements will be onsite and in–person, but some students may have 1 or 2 virtual placements.

25–30% of graduates get a job in an organization where they completed a placement.

Those accepted to the MScFN program will be asked to identify their top research interests and which faculty member they prefer to be matched with based on faculty research focus. This information will be considered as students are matched with faculty, along with other factors such as students’ academic strengths and experience, and the number of students each  faculty member can supervise each year. Learn about Brescia’s faculty here.

Examples of student research can be found on the MScFN website here.

Most practice-based projects that DDEPT students complete are in the workplace at a placement organization. Preceptors submit requests for students to complete projects needed by the organization. Examples include program evaluations, quality improvement projects, environmental scans, and literature reviews.MScFN students work with a Brescia Faculty Research Supervisor (or supervisors) on an academic research project that is extensive and often published. Students begin working with their Research Supervisor (or supervisors) during year 1 of the program and their work in research often continues during the practicum–based year.