The Foods and Nutrition Minor is designed to enable students with majors related to health, family and consumer science, or management and business to expand their nutrition knowledge and skill. Foods and Nutrition courses are a great way to enhance majors in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, Sport and Exercise Science, Health and Exercise Science, Nursing, Psychology, Family Studies, Economics, Business Administration, and Human Resource Management.
Courses Required for a Minor in Foods and Nutrition:
CHEM 105 or 110 (4)
NUTR 121: Food and Food Science (3) (prerequisite CHEM 105 or 110)
NUTR 222: Nutrition Theory (3) (prerequisite CHEM 105 or 110)
NUTR 322: Nutrition Through the Life Cycle (3) (prerequisite NUTR 222)
Plus 9 – 10 credits selected from the following:
NUTR 331: Advanced Food Science and Technology (3), (prerequisite NUTR 121 and 222, offered fall of alternate years)
NUTR 341: Food Service Operations (3) (prerequisite NUTR 121 and 222, offered fall of alternate years)
NUTR 342: Food and Nutrition Services Management (3) (prerequisite NUTR 341 and HRM 120, offered spring of alternate years)
NUTR 352: Community Nutrition (3) (prerequisite NUTR 322)
NUTR 425: Advanced Nutrition I (4) (prerequisites NUTR 322, STAT 269 and CHEM 204 or 309/310, offered fall of alternate years)
NUTR 426: Advanced Nutrition II (3) (prerequisite NUTR 425, offered spring of alternate years)
Recommended Courses for Various Majors:
General Foods and Nutrition Minor for Students in Health and Exercise Science, Nursing, or Family and Consumer Science (18 total NUTR credits)
CHEM110 (4)
NUTR 121 (3)
NUTR 222 (3)
NUTR 322 (3)
NUTR 331 (3)
NUTR 341 (3)
NUTR 352 (3)
Food and Nutrition Science focused minor for Students in Biology, Biochemistry and Chemistry (19 total NUTR credits):
CHEM 105, 106, 309/310 (taken as part of the major)
NUTR 121 (3)
NUTR 222 (3)
NUTR 322 (3)
NUTR 341 (3)
NUTR 425 (4)
NUTR 426 (3)
Food Service Management focused minor for Students majoring in Business Administration, Human Resource Management or Economics (18 total NUTR credits).
CHEM110 (4)
HRM 120 (taken as part of the major)
NUTR 121 (3)
NUTR 222 (3)
NUTR 322 (3)
NUTR 331 (3)
NUTR 341 (3)
NUTR 342 (3)
Important Planning Guidelines:
CHEM 105 or CHEM 110 is a required prerequisite for the foundation courses in the minor (NUTR 222 and NUTR 121). Therefore, students wanting to complete a Foods and Nutrition minor will need to complete one of these courses early - in the fall of the sophomore year at the latest for most students. Human Development and Family Science majors who wish to complete a Foods and Nutrition minor should take CHEM 105 or 110 and take NUTR 222 rather than NUTR 110.
A number of the upper level courses are only taught every other year. This requires careful course planning as we will not be able to offer directed studies to enable students to complete a minor.
Students considering the Foods and Nutrition minor should be aware that many work environments, particularly those in health care, require that an individual be credentialed as a Registered Dietitian (R.D.) to practice individual nutrition care. To earn the R.D. credential an individual must complete a three step process:
Complete a minimum of a bachelor’s degree at a U.S. regionally accredited college or university and coursework approved by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE).
Complete a CADE-accredited dietetic internship. These internships are typically offered by health care facilities, community agencies, food service corporations, or educational institutions and are 9 - 12 months in length. (Note: some colleges offer a “Coordinated Program” which combines steps 1 and 2. This type of program is called a “Coordinated Program”.)
Pass a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).
For additional information on dietetics education contact CADE at: American Dietetic Association, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, Illinois 60606-6995, Phone: 312-899-0040 Ext. 5400, or www.eatright.org.
The courses in the minor are part, but not all, of the academic coursework needed to obtain verification of the academic preparation needed to apply to a Commission on Accreditation of Dietetics Education (CADE) accredited dietetic internship. Students interested in pursuing Dietetic Registration should talk to their minor adviser about the additional courses they would need.
