Oct 04, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Nutrition and Food Science, Dietetics Concentration, B.S.


Human Sciences  
615-898-5853
Liz Smith
elizabethann.smith@mtsu.edu
 

The major in Nutrition and Food Science with a Dietetics concentration is a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Dietetics and Nutrition of the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, (312) 877-1600, ext. 5400.

Students are required to go through a sequential four-step process to become a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist (RD/RDN) including

  1. completion of an ACEND accredited DPD, such as the MTSU program. 
  2. completion of an ACEND accredited dietetic internship program.
  3. completion of a graduate/master’s program (as required by the Commission on Dietetic Registration as of January 1, 2024)
  4. passing the national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration.

Note: Effective January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) requires a minimum of a master’s degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). In addition, CDR requires that individuals complete coursework and supervised practice in programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). Graduates who successfully complete the ACEND-accredited DPD at MTSU are eligible to apply to an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program. For more information about educational pathways to become an RDN please visit www.eatrightpro.org/acend/students-and-advancing-education/information-for-students.

Students with baccalaureate degrees in other areas may complete the DPD requirements at MTSU. Transfer students must meet with the DPD director to determine which courses will be accepted toward the MTSU DPD program. At a minimum all transfer students must complete NFS 1010 , NFS 4010 NFS 4020 , NFS 4275 NFS 4285 , NFS 4300 NFS 4305 , NFS 4310 , NFS 4320 , and NFS 4322  at MTSU.

Students may take some of these courses online or in the traditional classroom format. For students interested in taking any of the above courses online, please access  Distance Learning to obtain information about D2L, the online platform used and other beneficial resources to help you be a successful distance learning student. 

Academic Map


Following is a printable, suggested four-year schedule of courses:

Nutrition and Food Science, Dietetics, B.S., Academic Map   

Degree Requirements


True Blue Core (TBC) 41 hours
Major Requirements 60 hours
Support Courses 33 hours*
Electives 0-6 hours*
TOTAL 120-134 hours

*This program requires courses that can also fulfill requirements of the True Blue Core curriculum. If courses for this program are also used to fulfill True Blue Core requirements, the program of study may be completed in 120 hours.

True Blue Core (41 hours)


True Blue Core (TBC)  requirements (shown in curricular listings below) include courses in the Foundational Skills areas of Written Communication (WC), Information Literacy (Info Lit), Non-Written Communication (NWC), and Quantitative Literacy (Quant Lit). Knowledge Domains include Human Society and Social Relationships (HSSR), Scientific Literacy (Sci Lit), Creativity and Cultural Expression (CCE), and History and Civic Learning (HCL), which include Discovery and Explorations categories. Students must choose at least one course from each Discovery category.

The following courses required by the major meet True Blue Core requirements:

Support Courses (33 hours)


Electives (0-6 hours)


Curriculum: Nutrition and Food Science, Dietetics


Freshman


Subtotal: 32 Hours


Sophomore


Subtotal: 32 Hours


Subtotal: 30 Hours


Subtotal: 26 Hours