Program: Dietetics/Nutrition, Fitness and Health, BS - Purdue University (2024)

About the Program

The Nutrition Science Department at Purdue has a unique and popular double major offering in Nutrition, Fitness, and Health (NFHL) and the Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (DPND). This combination allows students to fulfill the requirements for obtaining the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) credential together with the first step in becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), as well as gain a comprehensive approach to human health and fitness. This double major can be completed in four years.

The Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (DPND) part of the double major provides a foundation for students to pursue a required advanced degree (master’s degree), complete a supervised practice (commonly referred to as “internship”), and become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) by passing the National Registration Exam for Dietitians (RD exam). In addition to our undergraduate program, Purdue offers a professional master’s degree in Dietetics which incorporates the necessary supervised practice hours. The undergraduate and graduate programs are fully ACEND accredited, and the Purdue Nutrition Science Department offers all of the required steps to be eligible to sit for the RDN exam. Scores on the national RDN exam by Purdue graduates are consistently well above the national average.

The Nutrition, Fitness, and Health (NFHL) part is designed for students interested in careers in nutrition, fitness, or wellness programs in hospitals, colleges, or industry. The Purdue NFHL major has formal recognition from the National Strength and Conditioning Association for its excellence in undergraduate strength and conditioning education and one is eligible to sit for the credentialing exam upon graduation to earn the CSCS credential.

Department of Nutrition Science

Nutrition, Fitness, and Health Major Change (CODO) Requirements

Degree Requirements

121-131 Credits Required

Departmental/Program Major Course Requirements (99-107) credits)

• BCHM 30700 - Biochemistry Credits: 3.00 ♦
• BIOL 11000 - Fundamentals Of Biology I Credits: 4.00 ♦
• BIOL 11100 - Fundamentals Of Biology II Credits: 4.00 ♦
• BIOL 20300 - Human Anatomy And Physiology Credits: 4.00 ♦
• BIOL 20400 - Human Anatomy And Physiology Credits: 4.00 ♦
• BIOL 22100 - Introduction To Microbiology Credits: 4.00
• HTM 31100 - Procurement Management For Foodservice Credits: 3.00 ♦
• NUTR 10500 - Nutrition In The 21st Century Credits: 1.00
• NUTR 10600 - Introduction To The Profession Of Dietetics Credits: 1.00
• NUTR 12500 - Food Safety Certification And Career Development Credits: 1.00
• NUTR 20500 - Food Science I Credits: 3.00
• NUTR 31500 - Fundamentals Of Nutrition Credits: 3.00
• NUTR 33000 - Diet Selection And Planning Credits: 3.00
• NUTR 33200 - Nutrition Counseling Credits: 3.00
• NUTR 36500 - Physiology And Nutrition During The Life Cycle Credits: 3.00
• NUTR 41100 - Dietetics Career Planning Credits: 1.00
• NUTR 42400 - Communication Techniques In Foods And Nutrition Credits: 3.00
• NUTR 43000 - Public Health Nutrition Credits: 2.00
• NUTR 43600 - Nutritional Assessment Credits: 2.00
• NUTR 43700 - Macronutrient Metabolism In Human Health And Disease Credits: 3.00
• NUTR 43800 - Micronutrient And Phytochemical Metabolism In Human Health And Disease Credits: 3.00
• NUTR 44200 - Foodservice Systems Management Credits: 3.00
• NUTR 45400 - Food Chemistry Laboratory Credits: 2.00
• NUTR 48000 - Medical Nutrition Therapy I Credits: 4.00
• PSY 12000 - Elementary Psychology Credits: 3.00 (satisfies Human Cultures: Behavioral & Social Sciences for core)
• PSY 27200 - Introduction To Industrial-Organizational Psychology Credits: 3.00
• STAT 30100 - Elementary Statistical Methods Credits: 3.00 (satisfies Information Literacy for core)
• CHM 11100 - General Chemistry Credits: 3.00 ♦ (satisfies Science for core) or
• CHM 11500 - General Chemistry Credits: 4.00 ♦ (satisfies Science for core)
• CHM 11200 - General Chemistry Credits: 3.00 ♦ (satisfies Science for core) or
• CHM 11600 - General Chemistry Credits: 4.00 ♦ (satisfies Science for core)
• CHM 25700 - Organic Chemistry Credits: 4.00 ♦

• OR

• CHM 25500 - Organic Chemistry For The Life Sciences I Credits: 3.00 ♦ and
• CHM 25600 - Organic Chemistry For The Life Sciences II Credits: 3.00 ♦
• ECON 21000 - Principles Of Economics Credits: 3.00 or
• AGEC 21700 - Economics Credits: 3.00
• ENGL 10600 - First Year Composition With Conferences Credits: 4.00 ♦ (satisfies Written Communication for core) or
• ENGL 10800 - First Year Composition Credits: 3.00 ♦ (satisfies Written Communication for core)
• NUTR 35000 - Dietetics Practicum In Quantity Food Production Credits: 1.00 to 3.00 Credit Hours: 1.00 or
• HTM 29101 - The John Purdue Room Restaurant Experience Credits: 2.00
• Oral Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Oral Communication for core)
• NUTR Math Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00-5.00 (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core)

Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (22-24 credits)

• HK 36800 - Exercise Physiology I Credits: 3.00 ♦
• HK 42100 - Health Screening And Fitness Evaluation And Design Credits: 3.00 ♦
• HK 42200 - Basic Concepts In Exercise Program Design Credits: 3.00 ♦
• HK 46800 - Advanced Exercise Physiology II Credits: 3.00 ♦
• HK 46900 - Exercise Testing And Prescription In Special Populations Credits: 3.00 ♦
• Human Cultures: Humanities - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Humanities for core)
• Science, Technology & Society - Credit Hours: 1.00 - 3.00 (satisfies Science, Technology and Society for core)
• NUTR 48800 - Topics In Nutrition, Fitness, And Health Credits: 3.00

Electives (0 credit)

Supplemental List

Nutrition Science Majors Supplemental Information

Grade Requirements

• A grade of C or better is required for majorcoursesexcepta “C-” or better is acceptable for NUTR 43700 and NUTR 43800, and there is no minimum grade requirement for NUTR 41100.

GPA Requirements

• An average GPA of 2.75/4.00 and minimum course grades are required for Departmental/Program Major Courses.

Pass/No Pass Policy

• A student may elect the Pass / Not-Pass grading option for elective courses only, unless an academic unit requires that a specific departmental course/s be taken Pass / Not-Pass. Students may elect to take University Core Curriculum courses Pass / Not-Pass; however, some major Plans of Study require courses that also fulfill UCC foundational outcomes. In such cases, students may not elect the Pass / Not-Pass option. A maximum of 24 credits of elective courses under the Pass / Not-pass grading option can be used toward graduation requirements. For further information, students should refer to the College of Health and Human Sciences Pass / Not-Pass Policy.

University Requirements

Sample 4-Year Plan

Pre-Requisite Information

For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu andclick here.

World Language Courses

World Language proficiency requirements vary byprogram. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japanese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS=Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish)

Critical Course

The ♦course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful.These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.”

Disclaimer

The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

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