Department of Nutrition and Dietetics

Policies and Procedures Guidelines

Table of Contents

Course Scheduling Guidelines

Department Policies

• Class Attendance and Assignments
• Food Tasting Policy
• Foods Lab Use

Department Honors

Graduation Requirements

Letters of Recommendation

Observation Assignments for NUTR 342 and NUTR 411

• Guidelines for Food & Nutrition Management Observation (NUTR 342)
• Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy II Observation (NUTR 412)

Off Campus Activities Related to Nutrition and Dietetics

• Background checks
• Transportation
• Liability and Health Insurance
• Dress
• Injury or Illness
• Field Experiences and Disability

Repeating Coursework

Sexual Harassment

Study Abroad

Transferring Courses/Assessment of Prior Learning

Verification Statements

Course Scheduling Guidelines

The Nutrition and Dietetics Major is a very full major.  In addition, a number of the junior – senior level courses are offered every other year (See the table below).

Careful attention to course planning is necessary to ensure that all required courses can be completed on time.  Messiah College students considering this major should meet with a dietetics faculty member as soon as possible to make sure that required prerequisites are completed on time.  Links to generic course planning forms are found below.

Planning form for graduation in May 2008

Planning form for graduation in May 2009

Planning form for graduation in May 2010

Planning form for graduation in May 2010 (studying abroad for a semester)

Planning form for graduation in May 2011

Planning form for graduation in May 2011 (studying abroad for a semester)

Department Policies

Class Attendance and Assignments Policy (Approved Feb. 2005)

The Messiah College Student Handbook states that punctual and regular attendance at classes is expected except when a student is prevented from doing so by illness, death in the family, or a similar emergency.  The specific policy for class attendance and completion of assignments for courses in the Nutrition and Dietetics Major is as follows: 

Attendance Policy

• Attendance at lectures is the responsibility of the student.  Students are expected to make every effort to attend class (weather and health permitting).  When you miss a class, it will be up to you to make arrangements to get copies of notes, handouts, assignments, instructions or any other material covered on that day.  Unannounced quizzes or other in-class activities for which points are given cannot be made up.

• If you know in advance that you are going to miss a class because of a personal commitment (such as a wedding) on a day when an exam is scheduled or an assignment is due, you must inform the instructor two weeks prior to you absence.  Assignments are expected to be handed in in advance. Make-up exams and labs will be considered by the instructor on an individual basis.

• If you must miss a lab because of illness*, personal emergency or to participate in a scheduled athletic event, notify your instructor in advance if possible.  Arrangements will be made either for a make-up lab or an outside assignment.  Except in extraordinary circumstances, a maximum or two make-up labs will be allowed.  If you miss more than two labs, no points will be given for make-up work but you will be responsible for the information.

• Athletes who must miss classes for participation in events are required to furnish their instructor at the beginning of the semester with a copy of the schedule of games or meets and the name of their coach.  The instructor will work with athletes individually to make up work missed.

*It is up to you to decide when you are too ill to attend a class or lab.  You are expected to use good judgment about this; we do not want you to be in class when it would be better for you (and your classmates) if you stay in bed.  On the other hand, it isn’t honorable to state you were ill when you weren’t really sick.

Assignment Policy

Assignments are due at the start of class.  Assignments turned in after the start of class but on their due date will lose 5% of the grade.  Late assignments will  receive a penalty of 10% of the grade for each day late.   If you are unexpectedly absent from class, e-mailed assignments (when appropriate) will be accepted without penalty if they are sent before the start of class.

Food Tasting Policy

To be effective, foods and nutrition professionals need to be involved in the taste testing of a wide variety of foods.  Accordingly, individuals studying to be foods and nutrition professionals need to taste small amounts of many foods as they learn the knowledge and skills they will need to serve others.  Students in Messiah College classes that are part of the Nutrition and Dietetics major or the Foods and Nutrition minor are encouraged to set aside their personal preferences and taste small amounts of foods to be evaluated for class assignments.  Students with medical (for example lactose intolerance or food allergy) or religious (for example avoidance of meat on Friday) food restrictions or with strong personal food preferences (for example vegetarianism) should discuss their food restrictions with their instructor during the first week of the semester.

Foods Lab Use Policy

The Foods lab in Jordan 063 is reserved for use by Messiah College Nutrition and Dietetics Courses.  The Department policy for use of this room can be accessed using the following link:  Use of the Messiah College Foods Lab

Department Honors

Honors in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics:  The purpose of the Honors program is to encourage scholarly initiative and in-depth investigation within a limited area of nutrition and dietetics. Honors work provides the student with opportunities to plan and carry out scientific research under the direction of a faculty member. Skills are developed in literature review, research methods, analysis of results, and written and oral presentation of a research project.  To qualify for the Department Honors Program, the student must have completed five semesters in the major and must have a GPA of 3.50 or above.  Application for the Honors Program is made during the Fall semester of the Junior year with assistance from the student's academic advisor.

To graduate with Honors, the student must complete six credits of Honors work and must earn a grade of 'A' for all six credits.  Honors work is defined as completion of NUTR 393 Research Methods followed by five credits of NUTR 497, 498.   Click on the following link for more information about the Honors in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Graduation Requirements

Graduation requirements are found in the Messiah College Catalog.  These requirements may change slightly from year to year.  Use the catalog for the year in which you entered Messiah to determine your graduation requirements.  In addition, you can use Degree Works (available through MC Square) to determine which requirements you have completed. 

Letters of Recommendation

Help faculty and supervisors write you strong letters of recommendation for jobs, graduate school, or dietetic internships by following the guidelines in these documents found at the links below:

Requesting Letters of Recommendation for Dietetic Internships and Graduate School

              Requesting Letters of Recommendation for Jobs

Requesting Letters of Recommendation for Study Abroad, Cross Cultural Trips and Scholarships

Observation Assignments for NUTR 342 and NUTR 341

Students are required to complete an observation of a professional in food service management prior to the beginning of NUTR 342 (Food and Nutrition Management), and an observation of a professional working in clinical nutrition prior to the beginning of NUTR 412 (Medical Nutrition Therapy II).  Guidelines and forms for these observations may be found using the following links.

Food Service Observation Guideline

Medical Nutrition Therapy Observation Guideline

Off Campus Activities Related to Nutrition and Dietetics

Nutrition and dietetics majors participate in both required and volunteer off-campus activities related to nutrition and dietetics.  The following guidelines clarify the roles of faculty and students in these valuable experiences.

Background checks:  Many health agencies require criminal background checks for students.  If an agency requires a background check, the student will be responsible for making requests to the appropriate agencies or authorities, transmitting the results of the background check to the agency, and for any costs associated with these requests.   Students are advised to plan ahead so that adequate time for the processing of these requests is provided for.

Transportation:  Students are expected to provide their own transportation to off campus activities.  When a student does not have their own transportation, faculty will facilitate car-pooling or try to find a substitute experience on campus.  Messiah College and the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics are not responsible to provide transportation to off-campus activities and are not liable for any personal injury, accident, or financial loss suffered by the student while traveling.  Students will not be reimbursed by the college or department for traveling expenses related to course or volunteer activities. 

Liability and Health Insurance:  The College maintains liability insurance for off campus activities required for Messiah College courses.  Students need to provide their own health insurance and are responsible for any and all medical costs incurred as a result of off campus activities. 

Dress:  Standards for professional dress vary widely in nutrition and dietetics practice.  In general, students should dress neatly and modestly, and should inquire about appropriate dress for the agency or institution they will be visiting.

Injury or illness:  If a student is injured or becomes ill during an off campus experience they should promptly notify their off-campus supervisor as well as their Messiah College faculty supervisor or academic adviser.

Field Experiences and Disability:  For more information go to http://www.messiah.edu/offices/disability/faculty_handbook/field_experiences.html

Repeating Coursework

Students may repeat Messiah College courses for which a grade of a D- or less is earned.  Courses must be repeated at Messiah College.  If a course is repeated, both grades will remain on the transcript, but only the later grade will count for calculating the cumulative GPA. 

Sexual Harassment

The Messiah College student handbook contains a description of sexual harassment as well as guidelines for reporting sexual harassment or assault.  Students are encouraged to report sexual harassment to the Vice Provost/Dean of Students as soon as possible.  Students who are unsure if a particular incident or behavior is harassment should discuss the incident with their supervising faculty member or academic adviser.

Study Abroad

We highly recommend gaining a more international perspective while you are a student at Messiah College.  There are several ways to do this.  Some students study abroad for a semester, and others take a January or May term cross cultural study course.  Because upper level nutrition and dietetics courses are typically not offered in semester long study abroad programs, the January or May term opportunities are easier to for nutrition and dietetics majors to participate in.  If you wish to spend a semester abroad, the best time for nutrition and dietetics majors to travel is generally the sophomore year.  Students who wish to spend a semester abroad should plan ahead and discuss course scheduling options with their adviser during the fall of their freshman year.

Transferring Courses/Assessment of Prior Learning

Many courses taken at other accredited colleges will transfer to Messiah College.  A list of pre-approved transfer courses can be found in the “Transfer Course Equivalencies Database” accessible through the Messiah College Web site.  Transfer equivalencies for courses which are not listed on this web site are assigned on an individual basis through the Messiah College registrar’s office. Students should save their course syllabi to facilitate this process.  Nutrition is a rapidly changing field; therefore, foods and nutrition courses taken more than 5 years prior to entering the Messiah College Nutrition and Dietetics Major generally will not transfer. 

In rare cases substantial work experience in nutrition and dietetics may substitute for part of the requirements for a Nutrition and Dietetics course.  These exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis after review by the Chair of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics. 

Students transferring from other institutions to Messiah College should plan to meet with the Chair of the Dept. of Nutrition and Dietetics after they are accepted to review how their prior coursework has transferred and to plan a class schedule.

Messiah College students who wish to take courses elsewhere should obtain an off - campus study form from the registrar’s office and be sure that the course is approved before it is taken.  To obtain a degree from Messiah College, students must take their last 30 credits, and last 12 credits in the major, at Messiah College. 

Verification Statements

Students who successfully complete the requirements for graduation from Messiah College with Nutrition and Dietetics Major and students who complete the Academic Verification in Dietetics (Non-Graduation) Program will receive 6 copies of the Verification Statement Form indicating completion of the Didactic Program in Dietetics requirements.  These forms will be mailed within 6 weeks after completion of all course requirements is verified by the college registrar.  The Verification Statement you receive from Messiah College is your proof that the academic requirements for ADA membership and application to dietetic internships have been met.  At various times in preparing for professional membership or dietetic registration, you will be asked to supply one of these forms.  Therefore, it is your responsibility to safeguard these forms until the time they are to be used in various application processes.