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Bachelor of Science in Food & Nutrition

Department of Applied Human Sciences

College of Education & Applied Human Sciences

Bachelor of Science in Food & Nutrition

Department of Applied Human Sciences

College of Education & Applied Human Sciences

On-Campus

Program

120 Credit Hours

to Graduate

Full-Time, In-State Tutition

$5,010 Per Semester

Free Books

for All Students

Follow Your Passion for Nutrition and Help Others Learn Healthy Eating Habits

Focus on the science of food, its impact on health and disease, and the management of food service operations with EKU’s bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition. Gain hands-on learning and experience in quantity food production, restaurant management, and hospitality in the student-managed Café Burrier. Students in the dietetics concentration are well prepared for graduate education needed to become a registered dietitian nutritionist.

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Career Outlook

Nutrition is a highly versatile field with a number of career paths. If your goal is to be an outreach diabetes educator, cancer dietitian, foodservice director, nutrition researcher, or fight world hunger; this program can provide a foundation to follow your dreams. You will study human nutrition and other sciences to understand how food affects overall well-being, and hands-on cooking classes teach you to prepare balanced meals for a healthy lifestyle. Our student-run Café Burrier provides experience in quantity food production, restaurant management, and hospitality.

Employment of dietitians and nutritionists is projected to grow 7 percent from 2023 to 2033.

– U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Food and nutrition degrees open the door to a variety of rewarding careers in multiple industries including:

  • Food Service Industry
  • State Parks
  • Entertainment Industry
  • School Food Service
  • Health Departments

EKU food and nutrition graduates work in a variety of settings.

Employers Include:

  • Kentucky Parks and Recreation
  • Kentucky Restaurants
  • K-12 Schools in Kentucky
  • Amusement Parks
  • YUM Brands and other Food Producers

The Office of Academic and Career Services is a one-stop shop for all your career and professional development needs.

Services Include:

  • Creating/updating your resume and cover letter
  • Interviewing tips and coaching
  • Career documents review
  • Job search

Why EKU?

  • Free textbooks through EKU BookSmart
  • No application fee
  • Reduced tuition for active-duty military members and their spouses
  • Hands-on learning: participate in community nutrition events, learn food preparation and food science in laboratory settings, practice counseling and recipe modification for maintaining a healthy lifestyle
  • Dietetics concentration is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) and of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Program Options

Choose between two program concentrations to meet your personal and professional goals:

Becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)
DPD graduates are eligible receive a Verification Statement, which verifies that the graduate possesses the knowledge and skills for application to a supervised practice program. Supervised practice programs, or Dietetic Internships (DI), must be ACEND-accredited. Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) requires a minimum of a master’s degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN ). Upon completion of the supervised practice program and graduate program, the graduate will be eligible to complete the national registration exam, administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), and become credentialed as an RDN*. In order to maintain the credential, the RDN must complete continuing professional education requirements. Many states, including Kentucky, require the RDN to obtain a license to practice as a dietitian within the state.

In most states, graduates also must obtain licensure or certification to practice. For more information about state licensure requirements click here.

For more information about educational pathways to become a RDN click here.

View the DPD Mission, Goals and Objectives.

DPD program outcomes data are available upon request from the Program Director, Dr. Abbigail Hickey at abbigail.hickey@eku.edu.

Program Costs
The costs to the student for the DPD program are those which would normally be incurred by an undergraduate at Eastern Kentucky University. Costs would include tuition and housing (see link below), health insurance (if not covered on another policy), campus parking permit ($140 per year), professional liability insurance ($21 junior year), food worker certificate ($7 junior year) and appropriate lab attire ($30). Junior DPD students are required to show proof of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics student membership. The current student rate is $58 per year (June 1-May 31).

Prepare for employment in a variety of job positions and settings within the food industry. Some of these positions include restaurant/foodservice manager, food event/program planner, nutrition coordinator, test kitchen manager, caterer, food supply specialist, and culinary & nutrition specialist. Employment settings include restaurants, schools, long term care, agritourism, local foods programs, food banks and feeding programs, hotels/resorts, cruises, amusement parks, and catered events such as weddings, banquets, and corporate meetings.

Minors & Certificates

Select from a wide range of minors, allowing you to explore interests or make use of prior credits. Suggested minors available for this program include:

  • Global Hospitality and Tourism
  • Business
  • Psychology

View the full list of minors available.

You can also choose from numerous undergraduate certificates in specialty areas that complement and enhance your major as you work toward your degree. Suggested certificates for this program include:

  • Gastronomic Tourism
  • Accounting
  • Communication Studies

View the full list of certificates available for completion as you earn your degree.

Curriculum & Enrollment

EKU’s food and nutrition bachelor’s degree program offers a dynamic and interactive program that enhances student learning. Graduates of the program are well prepared to work in public health, food service, research and development, schools, sustainability, and local food programs, or excel in graduate school.

The curriculum provides a balanced degree that blends academic and professional experience through course topics such as Essentials of Nutrition, Community Nutrition, Food Culture and Systems, and Nutrition in the Life Cycle.

A minimum of 120 credits are required to graduate.

View the degree requirements:

EKU Academic Catalog

NOTE: The ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) at EKU leads to a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Food and Nutrition, with a concentration in Dietetics. The program requires 120 credit hours, including 37 hours of General Education and University requirements, 82 hours of Major course requirements, and 1 hour of electives. The Major course requirements include 32 hours of major core courses, 24 hours of major concentration courses, and 26 hours of supporting course requirements. The program is designed to be completed in eight semesters of full-time study. For a full list of courses and requirements view the undergraduate catalog page linked above.

Please review the admissions requirements before applying for this or any program. If you have questions about the program or are planning to register for classes, please speak to the program advisor.

Students may transfer up to 90 hours of credit from accredited institutions. Please note that a minimum of 30 credit hours in this degree program must be completed at Eastern Kentucky University.

Prior learning experiences will be evaluated by the Program Coordinator and/or DPD Coordinator. Students will be asked to submit transcripts and syllabi from previous courses.

Previously earned credits must be reviewed upon admission to EKU for appropriate articulation.

TermApplication
Deadline		Classes
Begin
FallAugust 1August
SpringDecember 1January
SummerMay 1May

All students who are accepted by EKU’s Admissions Office and declare their concentration as Dietetics are admitted to the University as pre-Food and Nutrition majors. Admission to the Dietetics concentration is a separate process. To be considered for admission to the Dietetics concentration the following criteria must be met:

Requirements for admission to the full program:

  • EKU GPA of 2.5 or higher (over a minimum of 45 hours)
  • an overall combined GPA of 3.0 in ACC 200 and NFA 121, 201, 203, 317 (or equivalents), with a grade of C or better in each course
  • A program application, available from the student’s academic advisor or the DPD Program Director, Dr. Abbigail Hickey, must also be submitted.

Should there be more qualified applicants than spaces available, applicants will be ranked according to an admission scoring rubric. Applications to the Dietetics program are received each spring semester for admission the following fall. The application deadline can be obtained from the student’s academic advisor.

Graduation Requirements
In order to graduate with a BS in Food and Nutrition, Dietetics concentration, and receive the Verification Statement, the following criteria must be met: (1) an EKU GPA of 2.5 and (2) a grade of C or better in all major core and concentration courses.

In order to pass NFA 404, a senior course, students must score at least 70% on the comprehensive exit exam.

Verification Statement
In order to receive the Verification Statement, students must meet graduation requirements, and must also demonstrate competency for all KRDNs of the ACEND 2022 Accreditation Standards.

Students who have already earned a Bachelor’s degree or higher, and desire to earn the Verification Statement only, will be admitted to the program through the process and requirements described above. In order to earn the Verification Statement, these students must (1) attain a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale; (2) earn a C or better in all major core and supporting courses (other than those prerequisite courses in which a B or better is required for program admission); (3) demonstrate competency for all KRDNs of the ACEND 2022 Accreditation Standards.

Experiential learning, at sites outside of the university, is required in NFA 402/403 Medical Nutrition Therapy I/II.

Over the two semesters of NFA 402/403, students are required to shadow a clinical dietitian (RD/RDN) for 30 hours. The purpose of the clinical nutrition shadowing is to provide students the opportunity to observe registered dietitian nutritionists and other health professionals in the clinical setting and to observe classroom didactic learning being implemented in a practice setting.

The Handbook for Clinical Nutrition Shadowing, distributed to students when they enroll in NFA 402, includes detailed information about selecting sites for shadowing. Students can shadow clinical dietitians that work in inpatient, outpatient, private practice, or long-term facilities. The instructor maintains a list of approved sites. If a student wishes to complete shadowing at a facility not previously approved, they must obtain approval from the instructor prior to scheduling the shadowing hours.

Application to supervised practice programs, or dietetic internships, is made through the centralized Dietetic Internship Computerized Application System (DICAS). A listing of ACEND-accredited supervised practice programs is available from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Currently, there is a shortage of dietetic internship sites. Thus, the process of application is competitive, and acceptance is not guaranteed for any student completing the BS in General Dietetics. Graduates may, however, apply multiple times.

Most courses in the EKU DPD Program are only offered in-person at the Richmond Campus. However, students will be required to a minimum of one online course. Other courses will have an online component. Therefore, it is important that students have access to a laptop or tablet. Wifi is provided on campus at EKU. EKU also provides Microsoft Office Suite to full-time students. There may be other technology requires for courses outside of the DPD program.

The Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) is currently accredited through 6/30/2027 by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, 800-877-1600 ext. 5400. Email ACEND.

Enrolling & Advising Information

EKU’s College of Education and Applied Human Sciences is committed to delivering high-quality enrollment and academic advising for our students. We strive to create an atmosphere of mutual trust and meaningful engagement to help students reach their academic goals and have a rewarding educational experience.

Interested in enrolling? Reach out to our college enrollment counselor today.

Professional photo of Stephen Howard

Stephen Howard

College Enrollment Counselor

859-622-2710
stephen.howard@eku.edu

CEAHS Advising Information for Current Students

Additional Contact Info

Admissions: 859-622-2106
Academic Testing: 859-622-1281
Big E Central (Financial Aid & Student Account Services): 859-622-2361
Military & Veterans Affairs Office: 859-622-2345

Student Stories & Features

photo of Emma Moffett

Emma Moffett

EKU Family and Consumer Sciences Education Student
The faculty at EKU has played a large role in my experience at EKU. I have learned so much from the professors teaching my classes. The labs that EKU has on campus allowing students to sew, cook, teach preschoolers, and observe students in the classroom is a great plus to EKU. The professors are so knowledgeable about what they are teaching their students; and with the smaller class sizes building relationships within the classroom with my peers as well as professors is something I cherish.
photo of Alex Bowman

Alex Bowman

EKU Family and Consumer Sciences Education Graduate
What I found surprising about the FCS education program at EKU was the variety of course work you get to take. As a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher you are required to be knowledgeable in many topics including child development, foods and nutrition, hospitality and tourism, and fashion and interior design. I was worried that I would not have a solid understanding of each area. However, through the program at EKU I became very well rounded. Earning a bachelors degree in family and consumer sciences has allowed me to work at my dream job. I love getting to do what…
Crickett Ravizee

Crickett Ravizee

EKU Clinical Mental Health Counseling Student
Connecting with my cohort has been my favorite experience. Its nice working with people who also have a drive to help others and want to better the world.

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Contact Information

Department of Applied Human Sciences

521 Lancaster Avenue
102 Burrier
Richmond, KY 40475

859-622-3445
ahs@eku.edu

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