Undergraduate Degree

The undergraduate program in dietetics has been approved by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) as a Didactic Program that meets the minimum academic requirements for professionally qualified dietitians.

The undergraduate program in dietetics is designed so that supporting disciplines provide a knowledge base prerequisite to the professional courses. Course offerings are sequenced to build upon previous knowledge and provide increasingly complex experiences. The student is expected to acquire approximately equal expertise in nutritional assessment and care and in foodservice management systems.

Verification of successful completion of the ACEND-approved minimum academic requirements is the responsibility of the Dietetics Program Director in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition.

Persons who wish to receive a final Verification Statement for the fulfillment of ACEND-approved minimum academic requirements from Michigan State University, but who have not completed a Bachelor of Science degree with a Dietetics major at Michigan State University, must complete a minimum of 10 credits in 300—400 level courses in dietetics at Michigan State University with a minimum grade of 2.0 or better in each course.

Eligibility for the Registration Examination for Dietitians is determined by verification of successful completion of an ACEND-approved Didactic Program in Dietetics and one of the following supervised practice experiences:  ACEND-approved Dietetic Internship, or ACEND-approved Accredited Coordinated Program. Beginning January 1, 2024, a master’s degree will be required to be eligible for the Registration Examination. Dietetic registration, as administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration, is a requirement of most positions for professional dietitians. Licensure may be an additional requirement for dietitians practicing in some states.

Admission as a Junior

Enrollment in the dietetics major is limited. The Bachelor of Science Degree in Dietetics is a professional degree, which requires acceptance into a competitive internship in order to complete the requirements for eligibility to take the registered dietitian examination. A minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.5 is necessary to be considered for admission.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Dietetics

1. The University requirements for bachelor's degrees as described in the Undergraduate Education section of this catalog.
   
   The University's Tier II writing requirement for the Dietetics major is met by completing Human Nutrition and Foods 411.  That course is referenced in item 3. a. below.
   
   Students who are enrolled in the Dietetics major leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition may complete an alternative track to Integrative Studies in Biological and Physical Sciences that consists of the following courses:  Biochemistry 200 or Physiology 250; Chemistry 141, 143, and 161. The completion of Chemistry 143 and 161 satisfies the laboratory requirement.
2. The requirements of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources for Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees.
   1. The following requirements for the major:

      a.	All of the following courses in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (45 credits):
      	HNF	150	Introduction to Human Nutrition				3
      	HNF	300	Experimental Approaches to Foods				4
      	HNF	320	Professional Practice of Dietetics and Nutrition				3
      	HNF	350	Advanced Human Nutrition and Metabolism				4
      	HNF	377	Applied Community Nutrition				3
      	HNF	378	Applied Nutrition Assessment Laboratory				1
      	HNF	406	Global Foods and Culture				3
      	HNF	411	Research Methods in Dietetics				3
      	HNF	440	Foodservice Operations				3
      	HNF	444	The Business of Nutrition Services				3
      	HNF	445	Foodservice Management Practicum				2
      	HNF	446	Applied Culinary Nutrition				2
      	HNF	453	Nutrition and Human Development				3
      	HNF	471	Medical Nutrition Therapy I				4
      	HNF	472	Medical Nutrition Therapy II (W)				4
      b.	The following courses outside the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (36 to 39 credits):
      	(1)	All of the following courses (30 credits):
      		ANTR	350	Human Gross Anatomy for Pre-Health Professionals			3
      		BMB	200	Introduction to Biochemistry			4
      		CEM	141	General Chemistry			4
      		CEM	143	Survey of Organic Chemistry			4
      		CEM	161	Chemistry Laboratory I			1
      		FSC	342	Food Safety and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Program			3
      		MGT	325	Management Skills and Processes			3
      		PSL	250	Introductory Physiology			4
      		PSY	101	Introductory Psychology			4
      	(2)	One of the following courses (3 or 5 credits):
      		MTH	103	College Algebra			3
      		MTH	116	College Algebra and Trigonometry			5
      	(3)	One of the following courses (3 or 4 credits):
      		STT	200	Statistical Methods			3
      		STT	201	Statistical Methods			4