Concentration in Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics
The Nutrition and Dietetics (ND) concentration is designed for students who wish to enter the profession of dietetics with the goal of becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). Students who successfully meet degree and ND concentration requirements receive a Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (DPD) verification statement. Qualified students in the ND concentration are eligible to apply to either the SEU combined degree program BS/MS, apply pre-select to the SEU combined MS/DI program, or apply to other ACEND supervised practice programs or to a Future Education Model Graduate Degree program.
The ND concentration provides the core educational knowledge of the RDN. The curriculum design follows the standards established by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Application to the FN major takes place between the second and third year. Students must apply directly to the FN program and complete a required acceptance form in addition to completing SEU’s major application process. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.8 to be accepted in the ND concentration. Beginning fall 2018, students must have completed a minimum of 50 hours in dietetics-related work or volunteer experience as part of the acceptance criteria.
Students wishing to transfer to the ND concentration from another institution may require six semesters to complete all program requirements based on course offerings and individualized transfer needs. Please review our current course sequence below.
RDN Professional Requirements: The issuing of a DPD statement establishes student eligibility to apply to an accredited supervised practice/dietetic internship program of the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Upon successful completion of the supervised practice, students are eligible to sit for the national credentialing examination to become RDN. Acceptance to supervised practice programs is highly competitive with the approximate national placement about fifty percent yearly.
Please note that beginning 2024, the professional educational standard will require that new RDNs hold a master's degree. Therefore, students entering nutrition and dietetics programs after 2017 will need to plan accordingly. Visit the Academy's website to learn about the profession of nutrition and dietetics education at http://www.eatrightpro.org/resources/career/become-an-rdn-or-dtr.
Mission and Goals
The mission of the Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics is to prepare students for supervised practice leading to eligibility for the credentialing exam to become registered dietitian nutritionist through a student-focused approach rooted in the Catholic liberal arts tradition.
- The program will prepare graduates for supervised practice through a program that meets ACEND Core Knowledge Requirements for the RDN.
- The program will prepare qualified, well-informed and diverse graduates with values in personal and professional ethics, social responsibility and leadership essential for nutrition and dietetics practice.
Program objectives and outcomes are available upon request from the DPD Director.
Required Courses (89 credits)
Core Requirements (53 credits)
| FN100 | Professional Preparation | 1 |
| FN200 | Introduction to Food Science with Lab | 4 |
| FN210 | Basic Human Nutrition | 3 |
| FN213 | Principles of Nutritional Assessment | 1 |
| FN235 | Methods of Nutrition Education | 4 |
| FN300 | Food Production Systems with Lab | 4 |
| FN320 | Nutritional Biochemistry I | 4 |
| FN323 | Nutrition in the Life Cycle | 4 |
| FN325 | Nutritional Biochemistry II | 4 |
| FN400 | Professional Practice in Dietetics, Foods & Nutrition | 1 |
| FN405 | Food Science & Experimental Foods with Lab | 4 |
| FN435 | Management in Dietetics Practice | 4 |
| FN463 | Nutrition Research Communication Seminar | 2 |
| FN490 | Capstone in Food and Nutrition | 1 |
| FN500 | Community Nutrition | 3 |
| FN501 | Medical Nutrition Therapy I | 3 |
| FN502 | Medical Nutrition Practice I | 1 |
| FN503 | Medical Nutrition Therapy II | 3 |
| FN504 | Medical Nutrition Practice II | 1 |
| FN507 | Service Learning/Field Experience in Community Nutrition | 1 |
Related Requirements (36 credits)
| BIO121 | Human Anatomy & Physiology I | 4 |
| BIO123 | Human Anatomy & Physiology II | 4 |
| BIO209 | Microbiology | 4 |
| CHEM121 | Introduction to Chemistry | 4 |
| CHEM123 | Introduction to Organic Chemistry | 4 |
| BUS245 | Accounting for Health Care Professionals | 4 |
| MATH119 | Elementary Statistics | 4 |
| SOC | Sociology Elective | 4 |
| PSY | Psychology Elective | 4 |
A grade of "C" or better is required in all major core courses and in the sciences and related requirements.
BUS245: or substitute course.
BIO111 is prerequisite for BIO209.
FN320 may be taught through the Chemistry program.
Students may complete the higher level chemistries: CHEM151, CHEM153 and CHEM211, CHEM213 as substitution for CHEM121 and CHEM123. Students planning to make modifications to either the chemistry or biology requirements must meet with the DPD Director to carefully plan their course sequencing.
Recommended Course Sequence
Total credits 120-129 (120 credits are required for graduation). Application to the major takes place between the second and third year. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.8 to be accepted in the ND concentration. Students completing the ND concentration are highly encouraged to meet with the DPD advisor on a regular basis.
First Year
Fall Semester (First Semester) (16 Credits)
| PSY100 | Introduction to Psychology | 4 |
| BIO111 | Fundamentals of Biology I | 4 |
| SEU100 | Foundations in Literacy | 4 |
| SEU100CL | Foundations in Literacy Context Lab | 2 |
| MATH119 | Elementary Statistics | 4 |
Spring Semester (Second Semester) (16 Credits)
| SOC101 | Introduction to Sociology | 4 |
| SEU110 | Literacy I | 4 |
| SEU110CL | Integated Literacy I Context Lab | 2 |
| Electives | 6 |
Second Year
Fall Semester (First Semester) (16-18 Credits)
| FN200 | Introduction to Food Science with Lab | 4 |
| BIO121 | Human Anatomy & Physiology I | 4 |
| | |
| SEU120 | Integrated Literacy II | 4 |
| SEU120CL | Integrated Literacy II ContextLab | 2 |
| or | |
| SEU210 | Global Perspectives | 4 |
| | |
| CHEM121 | Introduction to Chemistry | 4 |
Spring Semester (Second Semester) (18 Credits)
| FN210 | Basic Human Nutrition | 3 |
| FN100 | Professional Preparation | 1 |
| SEU220 | Ways of Knowing | 4 |
| CHEM123 | Introduction to Organic Chemistry | 4 |
| BIO123 | Human Anatomy & Physiology II | 4 |
| FN213 | Principles of Nutritional Assessment | 1 |
Third Year
Note: Application to Foods and Nutrition DPD major required. Please review all acceptance criteria.
Fall Semester (First Semester) (16 Credits)
| FN235 | Methods of Nutrition Education | 4 |
| FN300 | Food Production Systems with Lab | 4 |
| FN320 | Nutritional Biochemistry I | 4 |
| BIO209 | Microbiology | 4 |
FN320: Sequence courses for the sciences and MNT. Note: Complete BIO209 Microbiology if not already taken.
Spring Semester (Second Semester) (16 Credits)
| FN323 | Nutrition in the Life Cycle | 4 |
| FN325 | Nutritional Biochemistry II | 4 |
| BUS245 | Accounting for Health Care Professionals | 4 |
| SEU230 | Healthy Living | 4 |
| or | |
| SEU300 | Faith, Spirituality & Ethics I | 4 |
FN325: Sequence courses for the sciences and MNT.
BUS245: Or course substitution.
Fourth Year
Note: Application to the SEU BS/MS program is early fall. Application for the pre-select acceptance to the SEU Combined MS/DI also early fall.
Fall Semester (First Semester) (15 Credits)
| FN400 | Professional Practice in Dietetics, Foods & Nutrition | 1 |
| FN463 | Nutrition Research Communication Seminar | 2 |
| FN500 | Community Nutrition | 3 |
| FN501 | Medical Nutrition Therapy I | 3 |
| FN502 | Medical Nutrition Practice I | 1 |
| FN507 | Service Learning/Field Experience in Community Nutrition | 1 |
| SEU400 | Essentials Capstone | 4 |
FN501, FN502: Sequence courses for the sciences and MNT.
Spring Semester (Second Semester) (16-17 Credits)
| FN405 | Food Science & Experimental Foods with Lab | 4 |
| FN435 | Management in Dietetics Practice | 4 |
| FN490 | Capstone in Food and Nutrition | 1 |
| FN503 | Medical Nutrition Therapy II | 3 |
| FN504 | Medical Nutrition Practice II | 1 |
| Elective (3-4) | 3-4 |
FN503, FN504: Sequence courses for the sciences and MNT.
Course offerings may be subject to revision based on course changes offered by other disciplines.