Program Overview
College of Natural and Health Sciences
Contact: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
Location: Gunter 2280
Telephone: 970.351.2755
Website: www.unco.edu/nhs/nutrition-dietetics
Advising Information:
Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.
To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
The program consists of three parts:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- University-Wide Credits
Program Description:
This program is designed for the undergraduate who would like to pursue dietetic registration and/or licensure in several states. The Dietetics major offers a wide range of studies related to foods and nutrition applicable in several health care settings in the community and health care organizations as well as for food service in public, government, and private organizations. The focus of the Bachelor of Science degree is to prepare graduates for dietetic internships and entry-level practice. Physiological, biochemical, and behavioral sciences provide the foundation for study. Social, environmental, cultural and psychological factors affecting food accessibility and dietary intake related to health care are covered. Students also develop human relationship skills and expertise in addressing nutritional needs throughout the life cycle.
The undergraduate Dietetics Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606 (800-877-1600, ext 5400), as a Didactic Program in Dietetics. At the senior level, students are eligible to apply for ACEND accredited dietetic internships. With successful completion of the B.S. Dietetics degree or Didactic Dietetics Education Certificate program at UNC and completion of an accredited internship, the graduate is eligible to take the registration exam to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.
Students interested in Dietetics are accepted as Dietetics-Seeking majors if they meet the general admission requirements of the University. Students in the Dietetics-Seeking major will receive academic advisement from members of the Nutrition and Dietetics Program faculty regarding formal application to the Dietetics Program.
Program Admission Requirements:
The designation of Dietetics-Seeking as a major does not assure admission to the Dietetics Program. Students must make a separate application to the Dietetics Program, typically during the spring semester of the sophomore year or when at least 60 credit hours have been completed. Prior to acceptance into the Program, students must have completed BIO 110, BIO 245, CHEM 111 & CHEM 111L, FND 210, FND 250, PSY 120, and STAT 150 with grades of C or better (C- is not acceptable), earned a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above, and received advisement by a Nutrition and Dietetics faculty member.
The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics also offers an ACEND accredited Dietetic Internship, a Master of Science in Dietetics combined with the Dietetic Internship, and a stand-alone Master of Science in Dietetics. Application for these programs is separate from the Dietetics B.S. program.
NOTE: Beginning January 1, 2024, the degree requirement for dietitian registration eligibility will be a Master's degree.
Program Requirements:
Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above and grades of C or better (C- is not acceptable) in all degree required courses to earn a Verification Statement making them eligible to apply for the accredited dietetic internship programs as the next step toward achieving dietetic registration upon completion of their Dietetics B.S. degree.
For students who already hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution, a second degree is not required to become eligible to apply for supervised practice on a path to becoming a registered dietitian. The same requirements for being accepted into the Program as described above apply. If a student does not wish to earn a degree in Dietetics, then enrolling in the Didactic Dietetics Education Certificate Program is appropriate. Students who earn the certificate will also receive a Verification Statement. The certificate does not take the place of the Verification Statement and may not be used for employment or practice purposes. It should be noted that students enrolled in a certificate program only (i.e., not in a degree-seeking program) are not eligible for financial aid.
Students may not earn B.S. degrees in both Nutrition and Dietetics from UNC.
Students who earn a B.S. degree in Nutrition or Dietetics cannot minor in Nutrition.
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits
To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the 75 required major credits.
Any additional coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.
Written Communication — 6 credits
SCI 291 (3) is recommended to fulfill Intermediate Writing Course requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Written Communication courses
Mathematics — 3 credits
STAT 150 (3) is recommended to fulfill Mathematics requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Mathematics courses
Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits
To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.
PSY 120 (3) is recommended to fulfill Social & Behavior Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses
Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits
BIO 110 (4), CHEM 111 (4), CHEM 111L (1), and FND 250 (3) are recommended to fulfill Natural & Physical Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Natural & Physical Sciences courses
See Liberal Arts Curriculum
2. Required Major — 75 credits
Take all of the following courses:
| BAMG 350 | Management and Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| BAMK 360 | Marketing | 3 |
| BIO 110 | Biology: Atoms to CellsLAS1LASL | 4 |
| BIO 245 | Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| BIO 251 | Allied Health Microbiology | 4 |
| | or | |
| BIO 351 | Microbiology | 4 |
| CHEM 111 | Principles of Chemistry ILAS1 | 4 |
| CHEM 111L | Principles of Chemistry I LaboratoryLAS1LASL | 1 |
| CHEM 231 | Principles of Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 381 | Principles of Biochemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 381L | Principles of Biochemistry Lab | 1 |
| FND 210 | Medical Terminology | 2 |
| FND 250 | Principles of NutritionLAS1 | 3 |
| FND 252 | Nutrition in the Life Cycle | 3 |
| FND 310 | Introduction to Foods | 2 |
| FND 310L | Introduction to Foods Laboratory | 2 |
| FND 320 | Nutrition Applications in Foodservice | 2 |
| FND 320L | Nutrition Applications in Foodservice Laboratory | 1 |
| FND 370 | Nutrition Education and Application Strategies | 3 |
| FND 410 | Professional Development Seminar | 2 |
| FND 430 | Nutrition Assessment and Intervention | 2 |
| FND 430L | Nutrition Assessment and Intervention Laboratory | 1 |
| FND 431 | Medical Nutrition Intervention | 2 |
| FND 431L | Medical Nutrition Intervention Laboratory | 1 |
| FND 446 | Foodservice Systems Management | 3 |
| FND 446L | Foodservice Systems Management Laboratory | 1 |
| FND 451 | Advanced Nutrition | 3 |
| FND 452 | Community Nutrition | 3 |
| PSY 120 | Principles of PsychologyLAB3 | 3 |
| SCI 291 | Scientific WritingLAW2 | 3 |
| STAT 150 | Introduction to Statistical AnalysisLAX1 | 3 |
3. University-Wide Credits — 14 credits*
Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for any degree at UNC; for this program, that will typically be 14 credits.
*Note: Students who apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum and the major requirements will have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree. See your advisor for details.
Program Notes
In accordance with University Policies, coursework earned more than 10 years prior to the date of matriculation to UNC may not be used to satisfy any major, minor, or licensure requirements. Any exception to this policy is at the discretion of the academic program.