BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN DIETETICS
The Bachelor of Science in Dietetics trains health professionals competent in all activities to correctly apply food and nutrition, including educational aspects and collaboration in implementing ethical food policies.
The graduate dietitian has knowledge, skills, and interpersonal skills that enable them to perform with professional autonomy in the Administrative, Clinical, and Public Health areas.
In the administrative area, the dietitian ensures nutritional adequacy, both quantitatively and qualitatively, to individuals or groups of individuals, whether healthy or sick, in institutions or communities.
In the clinical area, the dietitian is responsible for devising, educating, monitoring, and evaluating a comprehensive clinical nutrition plan to restore optimal health.
In public health, the dietitian promotes confident food choices by individuals or groups to improve or maintain their nutritional health and minimize the risk of disease resulting from poor nutrition.
Educational Objectives and Methodology
The graduate of the degree program in Dietetics will, therefore, need to:
- possess a good basic knowledge of biological systems, particularly of humans, interpreted from molecular, cellular, and integrative perspectives in the body;
- possess the cultural and experimental basis of the multidisciplinary techniques on which the science of nutrition and applied dietetics are based;
- know the methods of experimental sciences and epidemiological and statistical investigations and be able to apply them in concrete situations with adequate knowledge of related deontological and bioethical norms and issues;
- be able to carry out well-defined technical-professional roles in the incorporation of dietary practices in the medical-health field;
- be able to use at least one language among French, German, Arabic, Russian, and Chinese, in addition to English, in the specific area of expertise and for the exchange of general information;
- possess psychological and sociological skills suitable for working in the field of education and food hygiene;
- be able to write technical and scientific reports and
- be able to work in a team, operate with defined degrees of autonomy, and fit readily into work environments;
- participate in study, research, and documentation activities for the above purposes.
The graduate in the Dietetics degree program will be able to:
- organize and coordinate specific activities related to nutrition in general and dietetics in particular;
- cooperate with the agencies responsible for the protection of the sanitary and hygienic aspects of the food service;
- study and work out the composition of food rations to meet the nutritional needs of population groups and plan the organization of nutrition services for healthy and sick communities;
- develop, formulate, and implement diets and monitor their acceptability by the patient;
- collaborate with others in the multidisciplinary treatment of eating disorders;
- Carry out didactic-educational and informational activities aimed at disseminating the principles of proper nutrition, such as enabling the recovery and maintenance of good health for individuals, communities, and population groups.
Job Opportunities
Dietetics graduates work as dependents or freelancers in healthcare facilities and public and private companies operating in the food, nutrition, and dietetics fields.
Occupational outlets for the graduate in Dietetics can be identified in:
- Dietetics and clinical nutrition and hospital pharmacy services present in public and private hospital facilities;
- food services and cafeterias of schools, communities, industries, and other establishments;
- territorial outpatient services of the health system assigned to hygiene, nutrition education, and home dietary care;
- services for planning or organizing interventions, including educational interventions in the field of nutrition;
- industries in the food sector.
Minimum Requirements for Admission
- A high-school diploma (or equivalent) or, if the certificate was not earned in the U.S., proof of completion of secondary school that allows for university enrollment in the applicant’s home country.
- Candidates whose native language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in the English language.
- Knowledge of Basic Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics is required.
Curriculum Program
Students must complete these curriculum requirements:
- THE GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS (30 CH)
Humanities and Fine Arts (9 CH)
ENG/110 – English Composition III (W)
ENG/210 – Professional English profiled for Dieticians and Nutritionists (2 + 1 CH second language)
ENG/211 – Professional English profiled toward the GERMAN language
or
ENG/212 – Professional English profiled toward the FRENCH language
or
ENG/213 – Professional English profiled toward the ITALIAN language
or
ENG/214 – Professional English profiled toward the ARABIC language
or
ENG/215 – Professional English profiled toward the RUSSIAN language
ENG/390 – Public Speaking
Social and Behavioral Sciences/Business (6 CH)
PSY/150 – General Psychology
ECO/120 – Introduction to Economics
Mathematics, Natural Science, and Computer Science (12 CH)
COM/105 – Introduction to Computer Science
BIO/100 – Biochemistry
BIO/150 – Food Chemistry
BIO/180 – Hygiene
Global Perspectives/Diversity (3 CH)
POL/200 – Global Poverty and International Responsibility (G) - CORE COURSES (66 CH)
BIO/130 – Anatomy
BIO/140 – Physiology
BIO/170 – Pathology
BIO/190 – Microbiology
BIO/250 – Endocrinology
BIO/300 – Pharmacology I
MED/235 – General Surgery
NUT/100 – Cultural Foods (1 CH)
NUT/150 – Food Science
NUT/170 – Food Production
NUT/200 – Food Safety and Sanitation
NUT/250 – Food Merceology
NUT/260 – Principles of Dietetics
NUT/270 – Nutrition Assessment
NUT/310 – Nutrition and Internal Medicine
NUT/320 – Nutrition and Pediatrics
NUT/330 – Nutrition, Gynecology, and Obstetrics
NUT/340 – Nutrition and Psychiatry
NUT/350 – Nutrition and Gastroenterology
NUT/360 – Nutrition and Medical Oncology
NUT/410 – Adult malnutrition (1 CH)
NUT/420 – Community Nutrition (1 CH)
NUT/430 – Nutrition Counseling
PSY/330 – Psychometrics - PROFESSIONALIZING INTERNSHIP (15 CH – 900 hours)
NUT/450 Internship
The internship is mandatory for qualification to the dietitian profession. The internship should be conducted in at least two different contexts:
(a) a context in which individuals and groups are healthy
(b) a context in which individuals and groups are ill - SENIOR PROJECT (3 CH)
NUT/495 – Senior Project
