Advising - 2+2 Plans -Nutrition (Dietetics) :: Springfield College

Academic Advising

2+2 Plans
Nutrition (Dietetics)

Why study nutrition at Benedictine?

Reputation! Choose to study the science of nutrition at Benedictine University with faculty who are experienced registered dietitians. Benedictine University is one of only five schools in northern Illinois which has an undergraduate nutrition program (didactic program in dietetics) accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

Learn by doing! We will involve you in your educational endeavors. You will apply your nutrition knowledge and skills in every nutrition class, laboratory and supervised practical.

Faculty who care! We are concerned about you and your success and will provide help, support and career mentoring.

Success! You will have confidence in knowing that Benedictine students who have graduated with a major in nutrition have had a strong acceptance rate into internship and graduate programs and a high passing rate for the registered dietitian examination.

How does the program work?

Gain a working knowledge of:

The relationship of nutrition to optimal health and wellness in persons through the life stages
The relationship of nutrition to athletic performance
The influence of socioeconomic, cultural, psychological and other factors on people’s food consumption
Healthy and high quality food selection and evaluation principles
Healthy recipe development procedures
The interpretation of medical parameters as they relate to disease risk
The relationship of nutrition to disease risk and status
Education and counseling concepts
Technology in nutrition achievement portfolio creation
Management principles and systems
Problem solving methods in nutrition and dietetics

Benedictine University enables you to obtain the broad education for successful participation in meeting the nutrition, food and health needs of society. Courses in written and oral communications, ethics, cultural heritage and social and behavioral sciences provide a strong interdisciplinary foundation of concepts. To help you better understand nutrient effects on the body, you will enroll in courses in the biological and physical sciences. Courses in community and medical nutrition therapy, food science and service, and education and counseling will focus your interests in nutrition. Throughout your nutrition course work, you will be applying and integrating the learned principles in a practical and problem-solving manner through case studies, food demonstrations, recipe development, menu planning projects and the creation of educational materials.

2007-08
Graduate Program Affiliations
In your senior year, you may elect to begin coursework for the Master of Science in Nutrition and Wellness (M.S.N.W.), Master of Public Health (M.P.H.), or Master of Science in Clinical Exercise Physiology (M.S.C.E.P.) programs. This curriculum option allows you to study in an interrelated field as an undergraduate and then earn your master’s degree in less time. Additionally, students may apply for acceptance into the graduate level accredited Dietetic Internship program at Benedictine University, which is combined with a choice of the M.S.N.W. or M.P.H. program.

Affiliation with the Master of Science in Nutrition and Wellness
With careful planning of the undergraduate course sequence, this program offers the student the possibility of completing select cross-listed courses to meet some of the requirements of the M.S.N.W. program while an undergraduate student. Admission to the graduate program is not automatic. The student must meet graduate program admissions requirements.

Affiliation with the Master of Public Health
This program offers the student the possibility of completing select courses to meet some of the requirements of the M.P.H. degree program while an undergraduate student. In addition to fulfilling the requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition, the student may complete the following courses as an undergraduate (taken as electives): NUTR 381 Health Behavior (3), NUTR 382 U.S. Health Care System (3), and NUTR 383 Ethical and Political Issues in Public Health (3). Admission to the graduate program is not automatic. The student must meet graduate program admissions requirements.

Affiliation with the Master of Science in Clinical Exercise Physiology
This program offers the student the possibility of completing select courses to meet some of the requirements of the M.S.C.E.P. degree program while an undergraduate student. In addition to fulfilling the requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition, the following required courses may be taken as an undergraduate: BIOL 203 Human Anatomy (4), BIOL 229 Biometry (3), BIOL 268 Biomechanics (3), HLSC 321 Fitness Testing (1), HLSC 322 EKG Lab (1), HLSC 360 Advanced CV/Respiratory Physiology (3), HLSC 361 CV/Respiratory Pathophysiology and Prevention (3), HLSC 380 Current Topics (2), HLSC 390 Internship Preparation (2), HLSC 392 Exercise Biochemistry (3), and NUTR 342 Applied Nutritonal Physiology (3). BIOL 259 Human Physiology Lab (1) and MATH 111 Trigonometry (3) are strongly recommended.

Admission to the graduate program is not automatic. The student must meet graduate program admissions requirements.

What careers are available with a nutrition degree?

The field of nutrition is one of the most dynamic, diverse professions. Thus, career opportunities are quite varied. For example, a solid background in the science of nutrition helps prepare you to:

Become a registered dietitian (R.D.) after the completion of an accredited dietetic internship. The R.D. is the nutrition expert in food and nutrition, challenged to translate the interdisciplinary knowledge into practical applications. Some R.D.s work as clinical or community dietitians, providing consultation and therapeutic counseling for optimum nutrition to individuals and groups in clinics, health care facilities, medical offices, corporations, fitness centers and in private practice.
Implement educational programs to improve the nutritional status of the community.
Work in policy planning in public health agencies and health associations.
Explore a career in food service as a manager of food services, food broker or sales representative in restaurants, health care facilities, schools or industry. Other related choices include quality control
supervision and culinary education.
Develop a career as an author or editor of food and nutrition-related print media.
With further study in chemistry, work in food science research for ingredient and product development.
Further study nutrition or other health-related fields, such as biochemistry, physiology, exercise physiology and public health. Or, elect to pursue an education, marketing or management advanced degree to complement your career interests. Approximately 45 percent of registered dietitians earned master’s degrees while three percent earned doctoral degrees.
Serve to educate nutrition and allied health professionals in an academic setting, after earning an appropriate graduate-level degree.

Some of the food and nutrition career positions held by our Benedictine University graduates include: clinical dietitian, neonatal and pediatric clinical nutrition specialist, public health case management dietitian, dietitians working in gerontology, clinical services manager, enteral nutrition support sales representative, quality assurance manager, food and nutrition services director, consumer affairs specialist for a major grocery store chain, product buyer, community and university educator, food chemist, corporate health promotion and wellness specialist, manager of ADA Dietetic Practice Teams, owner of a bakery, public relations specialist for a food association, nutritionist in public health programs and on Indian reservations, weight loss counselor, exercise physiologist, author, researcher and consultant in private practice.

For more information about the nutrition programs, please visit our Web site at www.ben.edu/nutrition and feel free to contact Catherine Arnold, Ed.D., R.D., nutrition department chairperson, at carnold@ben.edu or (630) 829-6534.

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2+2 Plans
Biochemistry/Molecular Biology
Biology
Chemistry
Clinical Laboratory Science
Health Science
Nutrition (Dietetics)
w/optional Biology Minor