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Nutrition & Dietetics
As a Nutrition and Dietetics major, you’ll dive into the science of food, health, and wellness—gaining the knowledge to help individuals and communities make healthier choices. This program provides a strong academic foundation in dietary behaviors, nutrition science, and wellness, preparing you for the next step: a graduate-level dietetic internship and the national exam to become a registered dietitian.
If you’re passionate about helping others lead healthier lives, this is your path to a rewarding career in nutrition, healthcare, and beyond!
Experiential Learning
Your learning extends to research, community-focused projects and student organizations on campus. Peoria is home to several hospitals, nonprofit organizations focused on nutrition and food insecurity, and the USDA Agriculture Lab.
- Networking and leadership opportunities through the Student Dietetic Association
- Develop skills and research in our nutrition, counseling, and food laboratories as well as in the community at local schools, after-school programs, and community organizations
- Professional development and networking opportunities through the Central Illinois Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics
- All students complete one field-related internship
Program Details
Family and Consumer Sciences Core – 15 hrs.
- FCS 100: Family Dynamics (3 hrs.)
- FCS 220: Consumer Issues in Health Care (3 hrs.)
- FCS 310: Community Program Planning (3 hrs.)
- and 311: Evaluation and Research Methods (3 hrs.)
- FCS 442: Foundations of FCS (3 hrs.)
- Required Professional Work Experience (3 hrs.)
- EHS 301: Internship in EHS (0-9 hrs.)
Additional Required FCS Courses – 38 hrs.
- FCS 102: Profession of Dietetics (1 hr.)
- FCS 103: Food Resource Management (3 hrs.)
- FCS 171: Sanitation, Health, and Safety (1 hr.)
- FCS 202: Food and Nutrition (3 hrs.)
- FCS 204: Family Programs Across the Life Span (3 hrs.)
- FCS 271: Food and World Cultures (3 hrs.)
- FCS 305: Experimental Foods (1 hr.)
- FCS 341: Human Development Through the Lifespan (3 hrs.)
- FCS 405: Food Service Systems (3 hrs.)
- FCS 408: Management in Food Service (3 hrs.)
- FCS 410: Advanced Nutrition (3 hrs.)
- FCS 411: Medical Nutrition Therapy I (3 hrs.)
- FCS 412: Medical Nutrition Therapy II (3 hrs.)
Required Supporting Courses – 33 hrs.
- BIO 111: Introduction to Cell Biology (3 hrs.)
- BIO 202: Microbiology and Immunology (4 hrs.)
- BIO 230: Human Anatomy and Physiology I (3 hrs.)
- BIO 231: Human Anatomy and Physiology Lab (1 hr.)
- BIO 232: Human Anatomy and Physiology II (3 hrs.)
- BIO 233: Human Anatomy and Physiology II Lab (1 hr.)
- CHM 100: Fundamentals of General Chemistry (3 hrs.)
- CHM 101: Fundamentals of General Chemistry Lab (1 hr.)
- CHM 162: Fundamentals of Organic and Biochemistry (4 hrs.)
- CHM 302: Medical Terminology (1 hr.)
- or NUR 391 Medical Terminology (1 hr.)
- ENS 305: Sustainability and Food (3 hrs.)
- or BIO 300: Population, Resources, and Environment (3 hrs.)
- ML 350: Managing for Results in Organizations (3 hrs.)
- or PSY 321: Industrial and Organizational Psychology (3 hrs.)
- MTH 111: Elementary Statistics (3 hrs.)
- PSY 101: Principles of Psychology (3 hrs.)
Required Certificate
- ANSI-CFP Food Protection Manager Certification is required to obtain a program Verification Statement.
Program outcomes data are available on request. The Didactic Program in Dietetics follows the requirements of the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics.
The Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) at Bradley University is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND): Address: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND); 120 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190; Chicago, IL 61606-6995; 312-899-0040; eatright.org/ACEND
Effective January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) will require a minimum of a master’s degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). In order to be approved for registration examination eligibility with a bachelor’s degree, an individual must meet all eligibility requirements and be submitted into CDR’s Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS) before 12:00 midnight Central Time, December 31, 2023. For more information about this requirement visit CDR’s website: https://www.cdrnet.org/graduatedegree. In addition, CDR requires that individuals complete coursework and supervised practice in program(s) accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). Graduates who successfully complete the ACEND-accredited DPD program at Bradley University are eligible to apply to an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program.
Career Opportunities
- Clinical dietitians work in hospitals, cancer centers, long-term care facilities, and more in specialties including diabetes, cancer, pediatrics, eating disorders, and kidney disease.
- Community dietitians promote healthy eating and work for nonprofits, government agencies, clinics, and worksite wellness programs.
- Sports dietitians work with athletes to improve and maximize performance at colleges and universities, professional sports teams, and food and beverage companies.
- Foodservice dietitians provide nutritional care through foodservice operations in school systems, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and more.
Minor
Get ready to learn about consumer issues before tailoring a program to your career interests! A complement to any major, a minor in Family and Consumer Sciences will enhance your understanding of individual, family and community wellbeing across the lifespan. Courses covering topics such as family dynamics, nutrition, child development, sustainable health, death and dying, and consumer issues provide personal life skills and equip you to support others in improving their lives.
The FCS minor is 15 hrs, with at least 6 hrs at 300-level or above.
Required Course (3 hrs)
FCS 300 Consumer Issues in America – 3 hrs
Electives (12 hrs), choose from:
FCS 100 Family Dynamics
FCS 171 Sanitation, Health, and Safety
FCS 202 Food and Nutrition
FCS 203 School Health Promotion
FCS 220 Consumer Issues in Health Care
FCS 221 Introduction to Community and Public Health
FCS 237 Sustainability in the Apparel Industry
FCS 270 Special Event Planning
FCS 271 Food and World Cultures
FCS 302 Lifecycle Nutrition
FCS 304 Sports and Exercise Nutrition
FCS 320 Public Health Intervention Strategies
FCS 321 Sustainable Health
FCS 335 Survey of Fashion Designers
FCS 337 Clothing and Human Behavior
FCS 340 Parent Education
FCS 341 Human Development across the Lifespan
FCS 342 Child Development in the Family
FCS 350 Matters of Life and Death
FCS 376 Professional Development Seminar
FCS 400 Human Metabolism
FCS 420 Public Health Policy
FCS 450 Foundations of Play