Welcome,
My name is Leanne Scott, and I am the Program Director for the Nutritional Therapy Association - Australia and New Zealand. Thank you for your enquiry, and forgive me for the length of this email but I wanted to ensure I provided you with all the 2025 resources necessary to assist you in your exploration of our Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner Diploma program and what makes it unique.
Today, more than anything, I would like to extend an invitation to assist you in your exploration process. Our Functional Nutritional Therapy Diploma program is a practitioner level program that is nationally recognised for Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA) Exemption Status as a Health Professional qualification and accredited by the Australian Committee of Natural Therapies and the International Institute of Complementary Therapies. Our training is solely focused on training from a functional perspective, which means our Diploma qualification in Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner is significantly different in content and training from other nutrition certifications.
NTA AU/NZ’s training programs are based on 3 ways of knowing: an Ancestral foundational approach to nutrition, clinical experience and applying the most up-to-date nutritional research to our curriculum.
In addition, our programs emphasise the perspectives of some of the greatest pioneers in nutrition, including the teachings of Dr. Weston A. Price and Dr. Francis M. Pottenger, two of the greatest scientific minds ever to research nutrition, food, and its effects on modern society. Their work is the basis for NTA AU/NZ’s core belief in a properly prepared, nutrient-dense dense whole foods diet to include the foundations of health and cornerstones of our physiology: Digestion, Blood Sugar Regulation, Essential Fatty Acid Balance, Mineral Balance, and Hydration.
The Nutritional Therapy Association has a fundamental belief in bio-individuality and how our genetic and geographical makeup can determine our unique nutritional needs. Through the Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner Diploma program, our students learn to recognise and respect our client’s bio-individuality and the innate intelligence of their bodies through the Functional Clinical Assessment techniques and Lingual Neuro testing.
COURSE DURATION
The Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner program is very well suited to anyone in the Health and Wellness field or has a passion for nutrition, and can elevate any organisation to the next level. Our Diploma program is a 2 year program that has been condensed into a 1 academic year (12 months) online hybrid program with 3 workshop components (with optional virtual attendance)
TUITION, PAYMENT PLANS & SCHOLARSHIPS
2025 Diploma tuition is just a fraction of the cost of government-funded Nutritional programs at $14,444.00 AUD*, which does not include textbook purchase (approx. $300-500.00 AUD depending on shipping/supplier/format), functional assessment tools for the clinical practical/workshop sessions or travel/accommodation costs should you decide to attend an in-person workshop. Please use a currency converter for New Zealand and international students to calculate tuition relevant to your country.
Learn more about Functional Assessment Tools —
Please be advised, tuition has increased from our 2024 to 2025 class cycles. You can learn more about the changes here
*Functional Assessment Tools cost may vary over time, according to the country sourced and shipping.
We also offer tuition payment plans as well as partial scholarships for our FNTP Programs!
You can also make tuition more affordable by spreading out payments for tuition and fees over time. Our tuition payment plan breaks down your tuition balance into affordable monthly payments prior to course commencement and during the length of the program for either 6 or 12 instalments. You can also enrol early and increase the number of instalments as well.
The Nutritional Therapy Association (NTA) offers a partial scholarship opportunity through the Jennifer Pecot Scholarship Fund, awarded to students interested in enrolling in the Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner course.
Learn more here —
Our next application window will be for the February 2026 class cycle scholarships which will open starting on October 8, 2025. Application window will close October 29 with notification of approvals being granted by October 31. We grant one scholarship per class. Please note scholarships are not available for re-entry or upgrade students.
ACCREDITATION
We are the only nationally recognised independently funded Functional and Ancestral based Nutritional Therapy Practitioner program in Australia and New Zealand.
Our Diploma program is recognised both nationally and internationally by The International Institute of Complementary Natural Therapists, Complementary Medicine Association- UK, National Association of Nutrition Professionals, Canadian Association for Integrative Nutrition and The Australian Committee of Natural Therapies. Once you have become qualified, you will be eligible to register with any of organisations which will provide you with the ability to acquire Professional Indemnity Insurance and your right to practice as a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner.
This is IMPORTANT because many online programs are not and do not provide you the Scope of Practice relevant to make you an effective practitioner OR provide you a pathway for TGA Schedule One Exemption Approval as a practitioner in Australia. A TGA Schedule One Exemption certificate allows our graduates to be nationally recognised as well as allows them to open accounts with various professional practitioner-only therapeutic supplement lines throughout Australia. In other countries such as New Zealand, a Diploma qualification is now considered the minimum standard for national recognition and to gain access to Practitioner only supplement lines.
DIPLOMA OVERVIEW
Our Diploma program is split into two main components across four terms.
The first half of our program is focused on the Foundations of Health. It is these foundations: a nutrient-dense diet, culinary wellness, stress, sleep, movement, digestion, blood sugar handling, minerals, fatty acids, and hydration, that are key to supporting normal function in the body and knowing where to start with any client that you are working with. The foundations always need to be addressed first because it’s the dysfunction that can occur within these foundational aspects of physiology that contribute to dysfunction of our complex organ systems - the immune, endocrine, cardiovascular, and neurological systems. Understanding how to restore normal function to the foundational systems and understanding how dysfunction occurs helps get to the root cause of the issues and focuses on balancing the body rather than going after a specific symptom.
In the second half of the program, we focus on what we call "The Consequences"- the dysfunction that occurs in those complex organ systems when the foundations are out of balance. This is where we educate you on Autoimmune, Endocrine disorders, cardiovascular disease, metabolic conditions (such as T2 diabetes) and mental health issues -understanding how dysfunction occurs here and the pathway to restore normal function. We also look at other factors that contribute to stress in our stress bucket - environmental factors and barriers/beliefs that impact our emotional wellness.
And what is so incredibly powerful about all of this is that we teach you to understand it in a way that is completely applicable and completely translatable to a client's understanding. Because at the end of the day, we are not just practitioners, we are educators, reconnecting our clients back to their bodies. So being able to communicate this to others in an easy-to-understand way is critical.
CLINICAL HOURS & PRACTICAL COMPONENT
The Functional Clinical Assessment is a physical clinical assessment technique that our all our FNTP practitioners learn. This amazing skill set uses various tests, as well as reflex and neurolymphatic points, to allow the body to communicate with the practitioner what organs and systems need the most support. It evaluates organ status (adrenals, kidneys, liver, gallbladder, stomach, pancreas, etc.), mineral status, hydration status, and fatty acid status. Utilising this tool you will learn to work with the innate intelligence of the body and how it prioritises healing. You will then be able to test different nutrients or supplements through a process called lingo-neural testing to establish which nutrient, supplement (or foods) will best work for restoring function for that client. It really allows you to personalise client recommendations and truly create bio-individualised protocols.
I’ve attached a few articles here that will also assist in explaining our skillset and what makes it unique from other programs —
PROGRAM OVERVIEW AND WORKSHOPS
Here is a brief overview and links to our current program information.
We offer 3 Class Cycle Intakes per Year:
February : main venues - Brisbane /Perth*
May: main venues - Sydney, Melbourne, South Australia*
September: main venue - Wellington, NZ*
Learn more about our 2025 dates here. Please note registration will close for each cohort 10 days prior to program commencement date.
*Our Program includes 3 mandatory workshop weekends as follows:
Workshops are now held in a hybrid format with in-person, virtual or regional options. Virtual attendance, in-person or regional attendance of workshops include localised instructor team support - no student visa or travel required.
For international students wishing to attend our in-person weekend workshops a only a travel visa is needed; a student visa is not required.
Tuition does not include travel or accommodation costs should you choose to attend workshops in person. For more on Tuition see here.
Learn more about hybrid workshops, attendance preferences and venues on page 5 of our Student Handbook
Feel free to organise a time to speak to our Program Advisor by contacting us at info@ntaaustralia.com.au for further information
CONTACT HOURS
As we offer rolling registration, you can register anytime within the academic year prior to course commencement and get an early jumpstart on reading materials, payment plans and assignments.
The course is mostly online and is done on your own time, but there are 3 (in-person or virtual) workshop sessions as well as practice sessions that you are required to complete (for your clinical practical hours) which will take place either at selected main venue hubs, regionally or virtually.
The course requirement is 20-25 hours of work per week. This time is spent watching video lectures, listening to audio lectures, reading, submitting homework online, practising the clinical skillset and participating in live conference calls every week. These live calls are recorded, so you can listen to them later if you can’t make it live.
Class call times by cycle —
February: Monday at 7:30 pm AEST
May: Tuesday at 6:30 pm AEST
September: Thursday at 7:30 pm NZT
Most students manage the course and full time jobs very well particularly if they get a jump on the Reading by purchasing their textbooks and registering as early as possible. Once you register you are provided with your full reading assignment outline which allows you to get started even before the program begins.
We now offer rolling registration throughout each academic year which allows you to register early for our other class venues throughout Australia and New Zealand. This is a great way to secure your spot for your preferred venue, get a jumpstart on your reading assignments and/or extend out your payment plan even further.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES, ONGOING SUPPORT & ADVANCED TRAINING:
We have trained over 10,000 Nutritional and Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioners world wide and have numerous graduates currently working in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe and the U.K. Many of our FNTP's go on to practice independently or form group practices, expand services of an already existing practice, others have become famous authors or educators, professional sport team nutritionists or work commercially for supplement companies.
We have also trained numerous Health Professionals such as Doctors, Nurses, Physiotherapists, Naturopaths, Dietician's/Holistic Nutritionists, Chiropractors, Osteopaths as well as Health Coaches, Yoga teachers and Personal trainers wishing to deepen their knowledge, provide effective health strategies for their clients and diversify their services.
We are a strong supportive organisation that really operates more like a family! Each FNTP tends to be very close and supportive with their colleagues, and we provide online group support through closed Facebook groups, ongoing education, mentoring and annual conferences. Graduates are encouraged to take part in future NTA classes by returning as graduate Mentors - this provides FNTP's the opportunity to retake the program without the pressures of deadlines and assignments while fine-tuning their clinical skills - it also provides the pathway to becoming an instructor if they so choose.
We also offer Post Graduate Functional Lab training as well as other Advanced Training programs as an option, which you can bundle into your tuition/payment plans at the time of your enrollment.
RESOURCES
It is my hope that you will have an opportunity to fully explore NTA Australia’s website and our Diploma Prospectus where you will find a full and detailed overview of our program. I have also Cc'd our Admissions Advisor Team, who can add you to our mailing list and keep you up to date with program developments.
Check out our most recent Info Webinar
Here is a link to our free course Nutritional Therapy 101 - try us on for size!
START TODAY
Rolling Registration Available for All Classes- get access to reading assignments, start early and give yourself some breathing space before the next program starts!
Please read our Student Handbook for further details about our program requirements —
Should you wish to discuss our program further, please feel free to contact me on 0412 965 688 , or I’m happy to give you a ring/Zoom at a time that best suits you.
Warmest Regards,
Leanne Scott
NTA AU/NZ Program Director