March is National Nutrition Month, making it the perfect time to spotlight a new degree program coming to NSU. Starting in fall 2019, NSU will offer a bachelor of science in human nutrition to undergraduate students.
Additionally, a minor will also be offered for students looking to enhance their resumes and accentuate their other degrees.
The undergraduate major follows after the graduate program which became accredited in Dec. of 2018 under the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND).
Through the program, students will gain a solid foundation in applied nutrition, nutrition education, public policy, advocacy, nutrition therapy, leadership and management and food production.
Stephanie Petrosky, an assistant professor and the nutrition director for the College of Osteopathic Medicine at NSU, said, “We knew right away when we started the graduate program that we were missing an opportunity to serve undergraduate students as well. We were seeing a lot of students that kept coming to us unprepared for the graduate program because they were missing some of the basics.”
According to Petrosky, “That program is designed as a small undergraduate version of [the] graduate program. [It looks] at plant-based nutrition, has a global emphasis and uses research to inform practice. It also has a track for students who want to be a registered technician.”
Additionally, the nutrition undergraduate major is an option for the dual admission program under the College of Osteopathic Medicine and provides a unique opportunity for incoming students. Starting in the fall, NSU students can also choose nutrition as a minor as a way to supplement their existing studies. Petrosky explained that this is an advantageous option for students who are too far along to change their major but still have an interest in nutrition.
The field of nutrition is multifaceted with a wide array of degree outcomes and opportunities for students to customize how they apply their degree to a career.
Petrosky said, “Everybody has food in common. We all have to eat, so [nutritionists] are the professionals in that area. We love to see people with nutrition degrees go on to further their education.”
Students with nutrition degrees have a plethora of options when it comes to choosing a career. At the undergraduate level, students can earn a dietetic technician bachelor’s degree. The program also appeals to students interested in careers in health education, long term global health, research, restaurant and food marketing and management and even sustainability and agriculture. At the graduate level, the professional outcome is a registered dietician nutritionist (RDN).
From personal experience, Petrosky explained that many people enter the field because of personal interests. “People get involved from a more personal approach and then they start looking into how they can transform that into a better way of living for others,” she said, “It’s a constantly growing and changing field. Anyone who is interested in being on the edge of what is new and available, this is really that kind of field.”
Students interested in nutrition as a major or a minor can find more information at nova.edu or by talking to their academic advisors.
