Nourish Your Passion and Build a Career in Nutrition
Food fuels our bodies and minds and affects our overall health and well-being. If you'd like to make a real difference in the world, the nutrition major at West Chester University is a great place to start. You'll impact communities by promoting healthy lifestyles and disease prevention to help people live longer, happier lives.
WCU's Nutrition program will train you as an expert in food science, micro- and macronutrients, nutrition management, and more, including interdisciplinary courses in psychology and exercise physiology.
Thanks to specialized tracks in dietetics and lifestyle nutrition, with our Nutrition degree you can pursue your passion while gaining the knowledge and skills for a variety of careers in the nutrition and healthcare industries.
Tracks in the Nutrition Degree Program
Dietetics
WCU's ACEND-accredited dietetics concentration is the perfect springboard for a successful career as a Registered Dietitian (RD/RDN). Our rigorous coursework and internship requirement will prepare you for the challenges and rewards of graduate school and the RD/RDN credential.
In addition to your coursework, you'll complete a supervised internship program to gain real-world experience working with clients and developing your skills as a practitioner.
Upon graduation, you'll be eligible to take the RD/RDN exam, which will allow you to practice dietetics in a variety of settings.
Lifestyle Nutrition
The lifestyle nutrition track combines nutrition with business, management, and exercise science to prepare you for a successful career in health and wellness. You'll learn best practices for promoting healthy lifestyles to diverse individuals and groups. You may also pursue certification as a health coach or personal trainer, providing you with additional skills and qualifications to make you even more impressive in the competitive job market.
Benefits of Earning Your Nutrition Degree at West Chester University
Accreditation and Reputation for Quality
Our Nutrition degree in dietetics is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). The rigorous accreditation process means our program meets the highest standards for quality. It also means that WCU graduates are eligible to take the RD/RDN exam, are well prepared for a future career in nutrition, and will stand out in the job market.
Clubs and Organizations for Nutrition Majors
We offer plenty of ways for you to get involved and connect with students who share the same passion for nutrition, including:
- Diabetes Awareness Club
- Food & Nutrition Systems
- Lifestyle Nutrition Club
- Phi Epsilon Kappa Honor Society Fraternity for Health Science Majors
- Slow Food Club
- Sports Nutrition Club
- Student Nutrition Association
Accelerated B.S. in Nutrition Dietetics to M.S. in Community Nutrition
If your future plans include becoming a registered dietitian, you may be interested in our accelerated degree program. As of January 2024, you will need to hold a master's degree to become an RD/RDN. Through this accelerated program, you can earn both your Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Dietetics and your Master of Science in Community Nutrition in just five years, rather than six. Upon graduation, you will be eligible to sit for the registration examination for dietitians to earn your RD/RDN credentials.
What Can You Do With a Nutrition Degree?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for dieticians and nutritionists are expected to increase by 7 percent through 2032. There are many roles available within the field of nutrition, with a variety of salary ranges based on industry, education, and experience. Health education specialists, for example, earned an average of $59,990 in 2022. Nutritionists and dietitians earned an average of $66,450 in the same period.
Our Nutrition degree graduates can be found working in a variety of roles and fields, including:
- Health coach
- Nutrition educator
- Nutrition/wellness coach
- Weight loss counselor
- Health program coordinator
- Foodservice director
- Certified dietary manager
- Medical nutrition therapy
- Sports nutrition
- Corporate wellness
- Private practice
- Research
Additionally, many of our dietetics graduates have pursued other career pathways and professional schools after graduation, including medical school, nursing school, physician assistant school, and physical therapy school, to name a few.
What Will You Study as a Nutrition Major?
Regardless of your concentration, as a nutrition major you will learn how to improve the health and well-being of populations through food.
B.S. in Nutrition - Lifestyle Nutrition Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS 1 | ||
| Academic Foundations | ||
| First Year Experience requirement | 4 | |
| English Composition requirement | 6-7 | |
| Mathematics requirement | 3-4 | |
MAT 121 | Introduction to Statistics I 2 | |
| Interdisciplinary requirement | 3 | |
| Diverse Communities requirement | 3 | |
NTD 200 | Nutrition and Culture | |
| Ethics requirement | 3 | |
| Distributed Disciplinary Foundations | ||
| Science requirement | 6-8 | |
BIO 100 | Basic Biological Science | |
CHE 107 | General Chemistry for Allied Health Sciences | |
| Behavioral & Social Science requirement | 6 | |
PSY 100 | Introduction to Psychology | |
SOC 100 | Introduction to Sociology | |
or ANT 102 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | |
| Humanities requirement | 6 | |
| Arts requirement | 3 | |
| ADDITIONAL BACCALAUREATE REQUIREMENTS 1 | ||
| University Requirements | ||
| Writing Emphasis requirement | 9 | |
| Speaking Emphasis requirement | 9 | |
| Degree Requirements | ||
| Capstone requirement | 1-15 | |
| MAJOR REQUIREMENTS | ||
| Common Major NTD Required Courses 2 | ||
| NTD 205 | Principles of Food Selection and Preparation | 3 |
| NTD 303 | Introductory Principles Human Nutrition | 3 |
| NTD 309 | Nutrition Throughout the Lifecycle | 3 |
| NTD 310 | Nutrition Research | 3 |
| NTD 410 | Quantity Food Production | 3 |
| NTD 415 | Community Nutrition | 3 |
| NTD 416 | Food Service and Nutrition Systems Management | 3 |
| Common Cognate Requirements | ||
| BIO 259 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| BIO 269 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| CRL 107 | General Chemistry Lab for Allied Health Sciences | 1 |
| Students must take the required courses in their concentration to reach the 120 credits required for graduation. | ||
| Total Minimum Credits Required | 120 | |
Lifestyle Nutrition Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Lifestyle Nutrition Concentration Required Courses 2 | ||
| NTD 420 | Perspectives on Obesity | 3 |
| NTD 422 | Nutrition for Health, Fitness & Sport | 3 |
| NTD 404 | Nutrition and Disease Prevention | 3 |
| NTD 425 | Entrepreneurial Nutrition Management | 3 |
| Lifestyle Nutrition Concentration Cognate Courses | ||
| ACC 201 | Financial Accounting | 3 |
| EXS 180 | Lifetime Fitness Concepts | 3 |
| EXS 380 | Exercise Physiology | 3 |
| EXL 380 | Exercise Physiology Lab | 1 |
| MKT 250 | Principles of Marketing 2 | 3 |
| Capstone Requirement | ||
| NTD 444 | Lifestyle Nutrition Practicum 2,3 | 3 |
| Student Electives | 18 | |
- 1
Courses selected under advisement. Note that many of the general education and additional baccalaureate courses will be fulfilled by the required cognates. Students are encouraged to schedule courses that fulfill both the interdisciplinary and writing emphasis requirements simultaneously or to schedule arts and/or humanities courses that simultaneously fulfill their writing emphasis requirement.
- 2
Students must complete all required NTD courses and MAT 121 with a minimum grade of C to graduate from the B.S. in Nutrition - Lifestyle Nutrition Concentration.
- 3
This course fulfills the Capstone requirement.
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