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Play a part in public health.
Influence the health and well-being of your community through nutrition.
Introduction
Good nutrition has become an increasingly important topic, making Nutrition Science a popular and important field. You’ll play a key role in raising awareness of the effect nutrition has on physical health. Influence lives through nutrition via medical nutrition therapy, public health settings, research, sports nutrition and more.
An undergraduate major in Nutrition Science coupled with an ACEND-accredited Dietetic Internship (DI) and success on the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) examination will lead to Registered Dietitian (R.D.) status.
Program Distinctions
The small size of the program allows students to receive individualized program planning, academic and career counseling from department faculty advisors.
Faculty
The goal of the faculty in this program is to advance the field of nutrition through scholarship, outreach and preparation of entry-level registered dietitians (RD). They come from a variety of backgrounds in the field of nutrition, offering expertise in teaching different topics.
The small size of the program encourages the exchange of ideas between faculty and students. Faculty encourage students with diverse talents and backgrounds to enter the Nutrition Science program.
“As we focus more of our health care efforts on prevention, Nutrition is going to be at the forefront.”
Colleen McCrief, MS, RD
Assistant Professor of Nutrition Science
Spotlights
Read more from students, faculty and alumni.
Your Future
Graduates of this program work in the field of nutrition in a variety of roles or go on to pursue a Dietetic Internship or a master’s degree.
Career Opportunities with a Bachelor’s Degree
Students who complete an undergraduate degree in Nutrition may find employment as a:
- WIC Nutritionist
- School Food Service Director
- Community Nutrition/Health Educator
- Nutrition Journalist
- Chef
- Peace Corps Worker
- Community Worker
- Pharmaceutical Sales Rep
- Consumer Advocate
- Public Health Official
- Co-op Extension Agent
- Quality Control Manager
- Food Buyer
- Food and Drug Inspector
- Food Technologist
- Teacher/Professor
- Family and Consumer Scientist
- Writer
Careers for Registered Dietitians
Students can go on to pursue Dietetic Internships after they graduate the program, which is the next step to becoming an RD.
Registered Dietitians work as part of medical teams to administer medical nutrition therapy in hospitals, private practice or other health-care facilities.
They can also be found in community- and public-health settings, academia and research.
A growing number of registered dietitian nutritionists work with food and nutrition industry and business, journalism, sports nutrition, corporate-wellness programs and other non-traditional work settings.
Graduate Programs
Pursuing a Dietetic Internship and a Registered Dietitian Credential
After completing your degree, you’ll be eligible to apply for an accredited Dietetic Internship program. Many students go on to pursue Russell Sage College’s Dietetic Internship program.
You’ll get a minimum of 1,200 hours of supervised practice, preparing you to take the next step: passing the CDR’s dietetic registration exam.
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 a.m. (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 Russell Sage College are eligible to [apply to an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program/apply to take the CDR credentialing exam to become an RDN].
In most states, graduates also must obtain licensure or certification to practice.
- Get more information about state licensure requirements.
- Get more information about educational pathways to become a RDN.
Graduates of the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 academic years had a 100% match rate to Dietetic Internships. Students have gone on to pursue Dietetic Internships at Russell Sage College, Case Western University, University of Buffalo, Bronx VA, Chicago VA, Minneapolis VA, Tulane University and State University of Denver.
