阿拉巴马大学

Turn Your Love of Nutrition into a Career, Become an RD Through The University of Alabama

Combine your love of science with a desire to learn and educate others on the importance of human nutrition. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Food and Nutrition field is expected to increase 21 percent from 2012-2022.

By earning your bachelor's in Food and Nutrition online from The University of Alabama, you are taking the first step toward becoming a registered dietitian. Through this program you will gain an understanding of the relationship between nutrition and human health and be able to apply that knowledge in your career.

This online degree program is one of only three distance learning programs in the United States accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), which makes it perfect for working adults.

Graduates of this program may choose from a variety of places to work including major medical centers, small hospitals, public health settings, community agencies, private consulting firms, higher education, or business and industry.

Food and nutrition students typically have an aptitude for science; a concern for people; the ability to plan and direct programs; and a strong interest in food, nutrition, and health.

The curriculum of the food and nutrition major is designed to prepare students for careers in health care facilities, community-health-nutrition programs, food-service management, and business. The major offers two routes to registration as a dietitian: a didactic program in dietetics (DPD) and a coordinated program in dietetics (CPD), both of which are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics. The DPD prepares students to apply for dietetic internships in order to be eligible to take the registration examination for dietitians. Students who complete the CPD are eligible to take the registration examination after graduation. A third option, the nutrition sciences concentration, is designed for students who plan to attend medical school or other advanced health professions program.

Students who have completed 90 hours of undergraduate work with a 3.5 GPA overall are eligible to apply to the Accelerated Master's Program (AMP.) If accepted, then up to 15 graduate credit hours of the 30 hour Master's program could be taken as cross-listed courses or would substitute for required undergraduate coursework while finishing the undergraduate degree. Any coursework taken in this manner would apply toward both the undergraduate degree and a master's degree at The University of Alabama.

Career Opportunities:

Clinical nutrition in the hospital and long-term care settings, Department of Public Health, private consulting businesses and industries, performance nutrition, the Child Nutrition Program in elementary through high school, food service management, food sales, food service equipment sales.