Department Chair: Emily Heying

Faculty: Bernadette Elhard, Mark Glen, Emily Heying, Linda Shepherd

The study of Nutrition investigates the ways in which food promotes the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and the environment. Focused academic inquiry in food and nutrition is interdisciplinary and is complemented by and integrated with disciplines such as biology, chemistry, communication, economics, environmental studies, exercise science, psychology and sociology. The Nutrition Department offers a major and a minor in Nutrition. All Nutrition majors complete a set of required foundation courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and nutrition. Additional course work is selected based on the area of student interest, area of concentration, and/or prerequisite guidelines for post-graduate education. The Nutrition major prepares students for a variety of career options or graduate study. Examples of professional areas that Nutrition majors pursue post-graduation include: Dietetics, Public Health, Food Service Management (in education, health care and private industry), Public Policy, Health Education, and Wellness. Graduate education pursued by Nutrition majors includes programs such as Medicine, Physician’s Assistant, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Dentistry, Chiropractic, Health Care Administration and Law, and graduate studies in Food Science, Food Studies, Nutrition, and Public Health.

Assessment

The Nutrition Department completes an annual assessment of student learning outcomes. Assessment measures are imbedded into coursework and focus on evidence-based knowledge of nutrition and food science, the role of food and dietary patterns in the prevention of disease and promotion of health and wellness, food systems, food policy, and the reading, interpretation and communication of food and nutrition information and research. Students complete a capstone research experience in which written and verbal communication skills are assessed. Seniors in the major are surveyed every three years to assess student perception of the department’s ability to meet specific learning outcomes.

Majors

Minors

Licensure/Certification Disclosure

What is a professional licensure disclosure?

A professional licensure disclosure is a requirement by the U.S. Department of Education for all colleges and universities to communicate publicly and directly to prospective and current students about academic programs that will or will not fulfill educational requirements for specific professional licensure that is required for employment in that field; and academic programs that meet or do not meet the education requirements for licensure for each state and U.S. territory regardless of the delivery mode of the program. The regulations are published in the Code of Federal Regulations, CFR §668.43, section (a)(5)(v) and section (c).

Does This Program Meet Requirements for Licensure in My State?

Each state and territory have different professional licensure and certification requirements. Other licensure requirements may include

• professional examinations,
• background checks,
• years of work experience,
• fingerprinting requirements,
• etc.

Students who are considering an academic program that may allow them to pursue professional licensure in their state/territory are strongly encouraged to check the appropriate licensing agency to seek information and additional guidance before beginning a program outside of their state/territory.

Professional Licensure Requirements

Licensure and certification are post-graduation processes and cannot be completed without a posted degree. The Commission on Dietetic Registration has changed the requirements for becoming a dietitian, so beginning January of 2024, students must obtain a graduate degree and complete a supervised pre-professional practice experience to sit for the national examination to become a registered dietitian.

The Nutrition curriculum for Dietician at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University does not require a practice experience to complete the program. Accreditation for our Dietetics program will come to an end in June of 2026.

The states/jurisdictions where the CSB/SJU dietician curriculum does not meet state educational requirements for initial licensure as of January 1, 2024:

To assist students who now live or may one day live outside of Minnesota, CSB and SJU provide the following information resources:

• It is important that you understand the regulations for your state before enrolling in your academic program. Please check the licensing requirements for the state where you will seek employment.