Nutrition and Dietetics (BS)

Summary

The Professional Program in Dietetics is a comprehensive Future Educational Model (FEM) program. Students apply to the professional program after completing pre-requisite foundational courses in chemistry, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, nutrition, sociology, ethnic studies, and other related fields. The three-year professional program is an accelerated combined degree program where students begin graduate courses during the final year of their undergraduate program.

Upon completing the requirements for the Nutrition BS and the Dietetics MS, including all Supervised Experiential Learning hours, a student graduates with a Dietetics MS, receives a Verification Statement, and is eligible to sit for the national registration exam for dietitians.  Starting in 2024, a master’s degree and a Dietetics Verification Statement are required to take the exam. Successful completion of the exam allows the student to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).

Catalog Year

2024-2025

Degree

Bachelor of Science

Major Credits

70

Total Credits

120

Career Cluster

Health Science

Program Requirements

Required General Education

An introduction to the general principles and methods to control the growth and transmission of pathogenic microbes and the development of antibiotic resistance in healthcare, food preparation/service, and industrial settings. Lab included.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-03

This course is an introduction to organic chemistry and biological chemistry. The laboratory will reinforce lecture.

Prerequisites: CHEM 106 or high school chemistry

Goal Areas: GE-02, GE-03

In this course, students will learn about health disparities and the social determinants of health in the United States. We will analyze how gender, race, class, ability, and sexuality impact access to health resources (including the environment, food, and medical care) as well as health outcomes. In addition to individual barriers to health, we will analyze how institutions and structural factors impact health in America. Topics may include health disparities by race and ethnicity, barriers to LGBT health care, weight discrimination, reproductive justice, and environmental effects on health.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-09

Diverse Cultures: Purple

Prerequisites to the Major

This course is designed for nursing and allied health sciences majors and will prepare them for advanced coursework in their majors. The course will focus on human anatomy and physiology with emphasis on the structure and function of the systems of the body. Special emphasis will be placed on cell structure and function, tissues, metabolism and major organ systems including the integumentary system, the skeletal system, joints, muscle and muscular system, and nervous system, and special senses. Lab included with dissection.

Prerequisites: none

This course is designed for nursing and allied health sciences majors and will prepare them for advanced coursework in their majors. This course will focus on human anatomy and physiology with emphasis on the structure and function of the systems of the body. Special emphasis will be placed on cells, tissues, structure and function of major organ systems including endocrine, cardiovascular, lymphatic, immune, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems, and development. Lab included with dissection.

Prerequisites: none

Introduces students to basic food science, food preparation and culinary techniques. The course is taught from the lens of different global cultures and the roles of individuals and nations in a global context using food habits as a model. Foods from around the world are prepared by students to develop culinary skills.

Prerequisites: none

The science of six nutrient classes, including digestion through metabolism and excretion, sources, functions, deficiencies and excess symptoms. The course covers the foundational knowledge and application of nutrition knowledge to clinical care, including weight control and common chronic conditions requiring nutrition therapy.

Prerequisites: Select One Course: CHEM 106 or CHEM 111

For health care personnel, emphasis on spelling, pronunciation and meaning.

Prerequisites: none

Major Common Core

This course uses health humanities storytelling to prepare students with a sincere concern for human values within the capture, management, and evaluation of health information. Students will explore the synergy between health related data, healthcare informatics, and outcome measures. Students will gain fundamental information technology skills to understand and critique data, identify relationships between visual arts and written works regarding health, and explore cultural aspects of healthcare experiences and risk adjustment of quality outcome measures.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-06, GE-07

Diverse Cultures: Purple

This class will explore the complex modern food system from a systems lens, including the development, establishment, and execution of policies regarding the production and availability of food and food/nutrition practices as well as the environmental impact of those practices. Policies that are explicit (set by law) and implicit (not the result of legislation) and the programs that derive from them will be explored. Agricultural systems and policies at the personal, local, national and global level will be considered.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-10

This class will explore why, how, and when physical and chemical phenomena occur during the preparation of food. Includes discussion and laboratory experience demonstrating how preparation methods affect food quality, composition, and nutritive value. Includes National Restaurant Association ServSafe Certification.

Prerequisites: FCS 150

This class will explore the foundational principles of foodservice management, including the specific management principles, the procurement of food, leadership, human resource management, cost accounting, marketing and accountability.

Prerequisites: none

This class is a laboratory and experiential learning course. The class will explore the foundational principles of foodservice management including menu planning, inventory control, food production, recipe standardization and costing. Students will plan, market, implement, deliver and assess a quantity meal during the semester.

Prerequisites: FCS 340, FCS 375

This class is an in-depth study and practice of nutrition assessment techniques through experiential learning. The class will cover concepts and skills related to nutrition focused patient assessment, including the nutrition care process, nutrition screening, dietary histories, anthropometric measurements and laboratory interpretations in various age groups and conditions.

Prerequisites: FCS 242

This class is an advanced course in human metabolism, emphasizing the function and interaction of nutrients in metabolic and physiological processes.

Prerequisites: CHEM 111, FCS 242

This class is the first in a series of two courses which explore the role of Medical Nutrition Therapy in the healthcare system. Utilizing a case-study and experiential learning approach, the course will cover pathophysiology and use of the Nutrition Care Process in normal and malnourished states.

Prerequisites: HLTH 321, FCS 380, FCS 440

This class is the second in a series of two courses which explore the role of Medical Nutrition Therapy in the healthcare system. Utilizing a case-study and experiential learning approach, the course will cover pathophysiology and use of the Nutrition Care Process in normal and more complex malnourished states.

Prerequisites: FCS 460 or FCS 560

This course will explore the current literature and understandings of advanced metabolism, cellular physiology and genetics, including concepts of epigenetics and nutrigenomics. The course will explore theories of personalized nutrition.

Prerequisites: FCS 460 or FCS 560

This class explores nutrition needs across the lifecycle from preconception through pregnancy and lactation and from infancy to end of life. Utilizing a case-study and experiential learning approach, the course will cover nutrient requirements, nutritional risk and health over the lifespan.

Prerequisites: FCS 242

This class is a laboratory and experiential learning course. The class will explore application of the principles of food science to food experiments and food product development. Students will plan and executive development of an original food product and conduct sensory evaluation testing with their recipe, developing skills in technical writing. ServSafe Certified.

Prerequisites: FCS 340, ServSafe Certified

Study of the philosophy, objectives, and implementation of adult and technical education for family consumer science professionals. Emphasis is placed on the knowledge and skills which are necessary for the process and preparation of delivering effective leader-led individual and group learning with concentration on methods, tools, and techniques employed in facilitating adult learning.

Prerequisites: none

An in-depth review of significant current health concerns and controversies in health science using the elements of reasoning as the framework for critiquing the issues.

Prerequisites: none

Behavior Change Foundations and Strategies (3 semester credits) is a course that focuses upon the complexity of health behavior change and the skills necessary for a health promotion professional to assess, plan, and evaluate behavior change interventions for individuals and communities. Health behavior change theories and strategies will be discussed. Topics covered in class will include: behavior modification, goal setting, self-management, coping skills, and social support. Emphasis will also be given to the impact of policy and environmental influences on behavior.

Prerequisites: none

Policies

Admission Policies

Students in the major intending to apply to the Professional Program in Dietetics, a transitional master’s program which leads to the MS in Dietetics and eligibility to sit for the national Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) exam, should meet with the Dietetics Program for careful academic planning. 

Progression Policies

A C or better (no C-) grade is required in all courses required by the major.