Higher Diploma Programmes
Higher Diploma in Nutrition and Food Management
Programme Code:
- Certificate in General Studies Programme
- Foundation Programme
- Year 1
We are what we eat! Public awareness of the importance of nutrition and health is increasing. People are now concerned about the quality of their diets and are looking for the “right” foods. With the awareness of the need for quality, nutritious and healthy food products, the demand for graduates who are specialised in food and nutrition has increased.
Programme Aims and Features
This programme is designed for students who are interested in pursuing careers in nutrition, food and catering industries. It provides students with knowledge of a broad range of scientific disciplines with a special focus on food and nutrition, and their applications to human health. The nutritional requirements of individuals at various life stages, the science and technology of food and food safety management will be covered. Students will also develop basic cooking skills so that they may apply the knowledge of nutrition into food preparation. Some specialism courses and laboratory classes in the programme will be taught by academic staff from the Faculty of Science of The University of Hong Kong (HKU). Graduates of the programme could join the food and nutrition industries or pursue further studies in related fields.
Opportunities for Further Studies
Graduates of this Higher Diploma programme are eligible to apply for admission to various degree programmes:
- 2-year part-time, Bachelor of Science (Hons) Food and Nutrition, HKU SPACE in collaboration with the University of Ulster (UK)#;
- Final year, Bachelor of Science (Hons) Human Nutrition, University of Ulster (UK);
- Final year, Bachelor of Science (Hons) Food and Nutrition, University of Ulster (UK);
- Final year, Bachelor of Science (Hons) Food and Nutrition, Sheffield Hallam University (UK);
- Bachelor of Science (Hons) Nutrition, King's College London, London (UK);
- Second year of Bachelor of Science degree in Food & Nutritional Science, Nursing, Biochemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, Food Safety and Health Sciences at local as well as overseas universities.
# This is an exempted course under the Non-Local Higher and Professional Education (Regulation) Ordinance. It is a matter of discretion for individual employers to recognise any qualification to which this course may lead.
Career Prospects
Graduates will have a range of career opportunities in the food, nutrition and catering industries such as food manufacturing, food trading, hotels, restaurants, airline caterers or institutional food service companies, school meal caterers, health and nutrition-related commercial companies, elderly homes, sport and health institutions and hospitals.
2-year Higher Diploma Programme (Direct Entry to Year 1)
HKDSE
- Level 2 or above in 5 subjects# (including Chinese Language and English Language), and have obtained Level 2 or above in one of the following HKDSE subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Combined Science or Integrated Science, or equivalent;
Applicants whose HKDSE results do not meet the entry requirements of the 2-year Higher Diploma Programme should apply for admission to the Certificate in General Studies Programme.
OR
HKALE
- Pass in one AL subject or two AS subjects in the HKALE, and have taken AL / AS Biology and Chemistry; and three passes in HKCEE* PLUS Level 2 / Grade E or above in Chinese Language and English Language, or equivalent;
Applicants whose HKALE results do not meet the entry requirements of the 2-year Higher Diploma Programme should apply for admission to the Foundation Programme.
OR
- Hold a recognised Pre-Associate Degree / Foundation Programme qualification, with science subjects, and have taken HKCEE Biology and Chemistry, or equivalent; OR
- Hold a recognised post-secondary certificate or diploma, and have taken HKCEE Biology and Chemistry, or equivalent.
#Applicants are allowed to use not more than two Applied Learning (ApL) subjects in the application.
The recognition of the ApL subjects is as follows:
“Attained with distinction” is deemed equivalent to Level 3; and
“Attained” is deemed equivalent to Level 2.
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Students who have successfully completed a quality-assured Applied Learning Course will be recognised as comparable to a HKCEE subject pass (up to a maximum of 2 subjects), other than Chinese Language and English Language. |
Certificate in General Studies Programme^ / Foundation Programme
Certificate in General Studies Programme^:
HKDSE
- Level 2 or above in English Language and any three other subjects# (which may include Chinese Language), and have taken one of the following HKDSE subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Combined Science or Integrated Science, or equivalent; in any event Chinese Language must be at Level 1 or above;
OR
- Level 2 or above in English Language and any two other subjects# (which may include Chinese Language), and have taken one of the following HKDSE subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Combined Science or Integrated Science, or equivalent; in any event Chinese Language must be at Level 1 or above; and at least 8 points@ in the best three subjects.
Foundation Programme:
HKCEE
- Three passes in the HKCEE* PLUS Level 2 / Grade E or above in Chinese Language and English Language in the HKCEE, and have taken HKCEE Biology and Chemistry, or equivalent;
OR
- Completed Project Yi Jin with satisfactory results, and have taken HKCEE Biology and Chemistry, or equivalent.
^ Subject to EDB approval.
# Applicants are allowed to use not more than two Applied Learning (ApL) subjects in the application.
The recognition of the ApL subjects is as follows:
"Attained with distinction" is deemed equivalent to Level 3; and
"Attained" is deemed equivalent to Level 2.
@ Level 5** = 7 points; Level 5* = 6 points; Level 5 = 5 points; Level 4 = 4 points; Level 3 = 3 points; Level 2 = 2 points; Level 1 = 1 point.
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Students who have successfully completed a quality-assured Applied Learning Course will be recognised as comparable to a HKCEE subject pass (up to a maximum of 2 subjects), other than Chinese Language and English Language. |
Applicants who do not possess the above academic qualifications but are aged 21 or above and have relevant working experience will be considered by the College.
Foundation Year*
- General English I & II
- Foundations of Chinese Language
- Mathematics and Statistics for Daily Life Applications
- Computer Studies
- The Process of Design
- Popular Culture: Identities and Institutions
- Ethics and Society
- Foundations of Biology
- Foundations of Chemistry
- Multiple Intelligences and Competencies
Higher Diploma Year 1
- General English III
- English for Academic and Professional Purposes Part I
- Putonghua
- Introduction to Multimedia / Introduction to Information Technology
- Human Physiology
- Introduction to Food and Nutrition
- Basic Chemistry for Biological Sciences
- The Science and Technology of Food
- Food Marketing
- Fundamentals in Biology
- Food Service Practice
Higher Diploma Year 2
- English for Academic and Professional Purposes Part II
- Business Communication in English
- Practical Chinese
- Intra- and Interpersonal Competencies
- Dietary Assessment of Food Habits
- Lifecycle Nutrition
- Food Safety and Management
- Nutrition and Metabolism **
- Food Chemistry **
- Introduction to Biochemistry **
- Project Work
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The choice of the Generic Skills and General Education courses in the Foundation Programme may be replaced by another course under the same category depending on availability in a particular semester. |
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Courses will be taught by academic staff from the Faculty of Science of The University of Hong Kong (HKU). |
鄺健華 Ken Kong
- Higher Diploma in Nutrition and Food Management
- Two degree offers received, including:
- Bachelor of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong
- BSc (Hons) in Food Safety and Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
“The programme covers fundamental knowledge in food and nutritional science, biochemistry, chemistry, marketing, and food safety. Besides, the programme curriculum also covers generic skills such as Chinese, English, Putonghua and Understanding Social Problems in Hong Kong, which help to strengthen my abilities in language, critical thinking and communication. With the knowledge, I was able to develop a solid foundation in food and nutritional science with essential skills for work.
‘What to learn’ is crucial, but ‘How to learn’ is important too. All the lecturers are professional. Some courses are taught by professors of the University of Hong Kong; therefore, the teaching quality is assured. With the interactive lectures and the challenging assignments, I easily understood and applied what I learnt during the lectures. Furthermore, visits to food business like Cathy Pacific Catering Services (H.K.) Limited allowed me to apply the theoretical knowledge learned from the lectures. This teaching mode is much more effective and interesting than the one in secondary education; it aroused my interest in studying a lot.”
甘珈齊 Cathy Kam
- Year 1, Higher Diploma in Nutrition and Food Management
- Bachelor of Science, The University of Hong Kong
“Acquiring a university degree was long my academic goal and dream, but I woke up from that dream when I received the A-level certificate with unsatisfactory results. However, the door to the university finally re-opened to me after I studied at HPCC.
Unarguably working hard is the key leading to good academic results; nevertheless, at HPCC, I come to realise that the professional lecturers, quality lectures, campus facilities and counselling services all play a crucial role to make my dream of studying at the university come true. The lecturers are enthusiastic in teaching; they are patient and keen to students when explaining the abstract principles in great details, not to mention their lectures are both challenging and interesting as well.”
鍾顯民 Herman Chung
- Higher Diploma in Nutrition and Food Management, Year 1
- Bachelor of Science, The University of Hong Kong
“Having finished my A-level in UK, I decided to continue my study in Hong Kong. However, I didn’t receive any offers from any local Universities last year. I didn’t give up and I had joined HPCC. After a year of study here, it was definitely not a regrettable decision joining here because I have learnt a lot throughout this year. The Higher Diploma in Nutrition and Food Management Programme in HPCC equipped me with indispensable knowledge in Biology, Nutrition and Food Chemistry. Besides, other courses such as Multimedia and Sociology provided me extra knowledge apart from sciences. Moreover, laboratory practices and some interesting field trips like visiting the Yakult Factory had further enriched my knowledge and interest in Food and Nutrition. I greatly enjoyed studying in HPCC this year and I sincerely appreciate all the professors and lecturers with their patient and kindness toward my study."
唐梓峯 Alex Tong
- Higher Diploma in Nutrition and Food Management, Year 1
- Bachelor of Science, The University of Hong Kong
Keep striving for it! If you are certainly interested in food and nutrition, I am sure choosing this programme would be an important step for you to further pursue either a higher education or a career related to the field.
In the past one year, I enjoyed an enriched school life in HPCC. A few of interesting projects allowed me to acquire knowledge about regulations on food label, catering service, calculation of nutrition value, etc.. One of these projects allowed us to design, prepare and serve a healthy meal all the way on our own. We needed to involve in every step from procurement to serving. On top of that, numbers of field studies and seminars allowed me to be more familiar with the catering service, food and nutrition industries.
