Dietetics B.S.
College of Natural and Health Sciences
Contact: Alena M. Clark, Ph.D., R.D., Program Coordinator
Location: Gunter 2280
Telephone: 970.351.2755
Website: www.unco.edu/nhs/dietetics
Advising Information:
Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.
Assigned advisor is available through the Ursa login; ursa.unco.edu; under Student tab Academic Profile channel and is term specific. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
The program consists of three parts:
- Liberal Arts Core (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 2000, Chicago, IL 60606 (331-899-0040, 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 at UNC and completion of an accredited internship, the graduate is eligible to take the registration exam to become a Registered Dietitian.
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 245, 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.
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 B.S. Dietetics degree. Students meeting these requirements will earn a Verification Statement making them eligible to apply for the accredited dietetic internship programs as the next step toward achieving dietetic registration.
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 Certificate of Didactic Dietetics Education 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.
NOTE: The School of Human Sciences also offers an ACEND accredited dietetic internship. Application is separate from the undergraduate program. The dietetic internship is a non-degree granting program and thereby students are not eligible for financial aid administered by the Office of Financial Aid.
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
Degree Requirements
1. Required Specified LAC — 18 credits
LAC area 1b. — Intermediate Composition
LAC area 2 — Mathematics
| STAT 150 | Introduction to Statistical Analysis | 3 |
LAC area 5 — Social and Behavioral Sciences
LAC area 6 — Physical and Life Sciences
Remaining LAC — 22 credits
See “Liberal Arts Core”.
NOTE: Students need to select a course from Area 8 that also counts for Areas 3 or 4.
2. Required Major — 57 credits
Take all of the following courses:
| FND 210 | Medical Terminology | 2 |
| FND 245 | Introduction to Nutrition | 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 |
| BAMG 350 | Management and Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| BAMK 260 | Introduction to Marketing | 3 |
| BIO 245 | Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| BIO 351 | Microbiology | 4 |
| CHEM 231 | Principles of Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 381 | Principles of Biochemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 381L | Principles of Biochemistry Lab | 1 |
3. University-Wide Credits — 23 credits
Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for this degree at UNC; for this degree, that will typically be 23 credits.
NOTES:
1) FND 250 or an approved transfer course can be substituted for FND 245. FND 250 or the approved transfer course can only be substituted for FND 245 if the grade was an A or B (B- is not acceptable). Please note that FND 245 is the preferred course for the Dietetics Major.
2) 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.
3) Students can not double major in both Dietetics and Nutrition. Dietetics majors can not minor in Nutrition.