COLLEGE OF APPLIED & NATURAL SCIENCES
Undergraduate Degree Program in Nutrition and Dietetics
The undergraduate program at Louisiana Tech University is a generalist program with two concentrations. The Registered Dietitian (RD) concentration prepares students for clinical dietetics, community dietetics, and food service management. After successfully completing the undergraduate RD concentration, a dietetic internship and the Registration Examination for Dietitians, graduates are prepared to assume professional positions in health care facilities such as hospitals; community positions in health centers like public health departments and wellness centers; and management positions in food service.
The non-RD concentration is for students who do not wish to pursue the RD credential and allows students to select an approved minor in an area that supports their career interests such as human development and family science, gerontology, kinesiology, business, entrepreneurship, journalism, and psychology. Career options in the non-RD concentration include working in the food industry, food systems management, pharmaceutical sales, food journalism, and community and extension nutrition programs.
The BS program in Nutrition and Dietetics RD concentration is an ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD). The program is designed to allow students to meet the Core Knowledge Requirements established by ACEND (Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics). The Core Knowledge Requirements are provide under the ACEND-Required Core Knowledge for Didactic Programs in Dietetics (2022) tab. In addition to meeting the ACEND Core Knowledge Requirements, the BS degree is designed to provide a broad general education, with required courses in Fine Arts, English Composition, Humanities, Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences. The BS program in Nutrition and Dietetics at Louisiana Tech University is a 120-hour curriculum, usually completed in four years. While a minor is not required for the RD concentration, students may obtain a minor by completing 18-21 hours in a specified field of study. Some of the more commonly chosen minors are Spanish, Psychology, Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, Human Development and Family Science, and Health Education/Kinesiology. Requirements for minors are described in the University Catalog. A minor is a requirement for the BS program non-RD concentration.
In order to receive a BS degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Louisiana Tech University, students must receive a grade of “C” or better in each course that is required in the curriculum. To receive the ACEND verification statement of DPD completion, graduates must complete the RD concentration coursework and earn a grade of “C” or better in each course that is required in the curriculum, and they also must have an overall curriculum GPA of 2.85 or better. The curriculum GPA is not necessarily the same as the cumulative GPA that is posted on students’ transcripts. The curriculum GPA includes only those courses listed on the Nutrition and Dietetics Curriculum Sheet (refer to Curriculum Worksheet tab). Students will be allowed to repeat curriculum classes to earn higher grades; however, both grades will be counted in the calculation of the curriculum GPA. The curriculum GPA is determined by dividing the total quality points earned in curriculum courses by the total number of hours of curriculum courses attempted. The curriculum GPA is calculated at the end of each quarter and is posted in the students’ academic folders. Students can check their curriculum GPA at any time by contacting their Academic Advisor. Verification statements are available at no extra charge to students on or after the date of graduation. They can be picked up in the HEC office (in CTLH 251) or mailed to graduates (provide mailing address to HEC administrative support staff).
Students who complete the non-RD concentration do not receive the ACEND verification statement. The non-RD concentration requires students to complete a minor in an area that supports their career goals. Students may need to confer with the minor department for requirements and to see if substitutions are possible to complete the minor in the event of conflicts. If there is no way for the student to complete the official minor, a substitute course from the same area at the same level will be considered by the DPD Director and Associate Dean. When students choose to pursue a minor that includes more than 18 hours, they will be expected to complete 18 hours toward the minor, with at least 9 hours at the 300 and 400 level; in this situation, students will not be required to complete the minor in order to satisfy graduation requirements. Students who are not awarded the ACEND verification statement are not eligible to apply for dietetic internships or ISPPs, and thus, will not be able to take the examination to become a registered dietitian. If Louisiana Tech Nutrition and Dietetics graduates in the non-RD concentration desire to obtain the ACEND verification statement at a later date, the following items are required:
- Minimum curriculum GPA of 2.85,
- MNT coursework series completed (FNU 414, 423, 443, 463), and
- All Upper Division coursework completed within the last 5 years.