Nutrition and Dietetics
The nutrition and dietetics major is your first step to becoming a registered dietitian. It gives you the academic foundation you need to pursue a graduate-level dietetic internship and take the national exam to become a registered dietitian.
Preparing You For Success
The nationally accredited nutrition and dietetics major strengthens your understanding of health, clinical nutrition and wellness. Your learning doesn't end with classroom readings and lectures, as it extends to research, community-focused projects and student organizations on campus.
Nutrition and dietetics students are well-prepared for admission to dietetic internships (DI), our graduates have been matched to DI programs across the nation.
By the time you graduate, your experiences include:
- A work experience in clinical, community or food service sites such as cancer centers, hospitals, sports nutrition programs and diabetes summer camps
- Class projects in the community with local schools, after-school programs and community organizations
- Opportunities to work with NutritionWorks, Bradley's nutrition counseling center
- Research and presentations with faculty
- Networking and professional development through the Dietetic Student Association and Kappa Omicron Nu honor society
Making Your Mark
Dietitians are in growing demand as health care expands to new clinical, community and business settings. You can work in health clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, corporate wellness, sports nutrition, public relations and private practice. Recent Bradley grads are working in pediatrics, businesses, sports dietetics, with older adults, school programs and hospitals.
To become an RD, you continue to a DI program — with or without a Master's degree. Graduates are eligible to apply to our graduate program in Nutrition and Dietetics. Others have attended Yale New Haven Hospital, Cleveland Clinics, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and Oklahoma State Medical Center.
Didactic Program in Dietetics Admission Requirements
Freshmen students may declare Family and Consumer Sciences – Nutrition and Dietetics as a major upon admission. More information on Bradley University’s admission requirements.
Transfer students, in addition to Bradley University’s admission requirements, must meet the following requirements:
- Minimum of a 3.0/4.0 GPA
- Transcripts of evaluated by Admissions and reviewed by the DPD director
Please refer to the Bradley University Didactic Program in Dietetics Student Handbook for the following information:
- Program mission, goals, and objectives
- Steps to become a Registered Dietitian (RD)
- Admission, program completion, and graduation requirements
- Costs associated with the program
- Financial aid and scholarships
- Information regarding experiential learning and practicums
Program outcomes data are available on request. The Didactic Program in Dietetics follows the requirements of the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics.
Accreditation Status
The Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) at Bradley University is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND): Address: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND); 120 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190; Chicago, IL 61606-6995; 312-899-0040; eatright.org/ACEND
Effective January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) will require a minimum of a master’s degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). In order to be approved for registration examination eligibility with a bachelor’s degree, an individual must meet all eligibility requirements and be submitted into CDR's Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS) before 12:00 midnight Central Time, December 31, 2023. For more information about this requirement visit CDR's website: https://www.cdrnet.org/graduatedegree. In addition, CDR requires that individuals complete coursework and supervised practice in program(s) accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). Graduates who successfully complete the ACEND-accredited DPD program at Bradley University are eligible to apply to an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program.
Major Requirements
Family and Consumer Sciences Core – 15 hrs.
- FCS 100: Family Dynamics – 3 hrs.
- FCS 220: Consumer Issues in Health Care – 3 hrs.
- FCS 310: Community Program Planning – 3 hrs.
and 311: Evaluation and Research Methods – 3 hrs. - FCS 442: Foundations of FCS – 3 hrs.
Required Professional Work Experience – 3 hrs.
- EHS 301: Internship in EHS – 0-9 hrs. (min. 160 work hours required)
Additional Required FCS Courses – 38 hrs.
- FCS 102: Profession of Dietetics – 1 hrs.
- FCS 103: Food Resource Management – 3 hrs.
- FCS 171: Sanitation, Health, and Safety – 1 hrs.
- FCS 202: Food and Nutrition – 3 hrs.
- FCS 204: Family Programs Across the Life Span – 3 hrs.
- FCS 271: Food and World Cultures – 3 hrs.
- FCS 305: Experimental Foods – 1 hrs.
- FCS 341: Human Development Through the Lifespan – 3 hrs.
- FCS 405: Food Service Systems – 3 hrs.
- FCS 408: Management in Food Service – 3 hrs.
- FCS 410: Advanced Nutrition – 3 hrs.
- FCS 411: Medical Nutrition Therapy I – 3 hrs.
- FCS 412: Medical Nutrition Therapy II – 3 hrs.
Required Supporting Courses - 33 hrs.
- BIO 111: Introduction to Cell Biology – 3 hrs.
- BIO 202: Microbiology and Immunology – 4 hrs.
- BIO 230: Human Anatomy and Physiology I – 3 hrs.
- BIO 231: Human Anatomy and Physiology Lab – 1 hr.
- BIO 232: Human Anatomy and Physiology II – 3 hrs.
- BIO 233: Human Anatomy and Physiology II Lab – 1 hr.
- CHM 100: Fundamentals of General Chemistry – 3 hrs.
- CHM 101: Fundamentals of General Chemistry Lab – 1 hr.
- CHM 162: Fundamentals of Organic and Biochemistry – 4 hrs.
- CHM 302: Medical Terminology – 1 hr.
or NUR 391 Medical Terminology – 1 hr. - ENS 305: Sustainability and Food – 3 hrs.
or BIO 300: Population, Resources, and Environment - 3 hrs. - M L 350: Managing for Results in Organizations – 3 hrs.
or PSY 321: Industrial and Organizational Psychology – 3 hrs. - MTH 111: Elementary Statistics – 3 hrs.
- PSY 101: Principles of Psychology – 3 hrs.
Required Certificate
- ANSI-CFP Food Protection Manager Certification is required to obtain a program Verification Statement.
Contact Information
