Mar 28, 2024  
2019-2020 University Catalog 
    
2019-2020 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Dietetics/Nutrition, Fitness and Health, BS


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About the Program

The Nutrition Science Department at Purdue has a unique and historically popular double major offering in Nutrition, Fitness and Health (NFHL) and Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (DPND). This combination allows students to fulfill the didactic requirements for becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), as well as gain a comprehensive approach to human health and fitness. This double major is 127-135 credits and can be completed in four years. For more information, please click here.

Nutrition plays a vital role in health and disease. There is growing evidence of the role of diet in the prevention, development, and treatment of major diseases. To maximize one’s health requires that professionals have a strong understanding of nutrition. The Registered Dietitian (RD)/Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) credential is the nationally recognized credential for nutritionists and is required for most employment in the healthcare industry and preferred for many other employment opportunities in foods and nutrition. To become an RD you must complete required course work, a supervised practice experience, and then pass a national registration examination for dietitians (RD exam). Scores on the national RD exam by Purdue graduates are consistently above the national average.

The Nutrition, Fitness, and Health (NFHL) major is designed for students interested in careers in nutrition, fitness or wellness programs in hospitals, colleges or industry.

With a focus on preventive health and nutrition, these majors are excellent preparation for pursuing advanced degrees for professional health careers such as for medical, dental, physician’s assistant or physical therapy schools.

Degree Requirements


125-135 Credits Required

Departmental/Program Major Course Requirements (106-114 credits)


An average GPA of 2.75/4.00 and minimum course grades are required for Departmental/Program Major Courses.

A grade of C or better is required for these courses except a “C-” or better is acceptable for NUTR 43700 and NUTR 43800, and there is no minimum grade requirement for NUTR 41100.

Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (19-21 credits)


University Core Requirements


  • Human Cultures Humanities
  • Human Cultures Behavioral/Social Science
  • Information Literacy
  • Science #1
  • Science #2
  • Science, Technology, and Society
  • Written Communication
  • Oral Communication
  • Quantitative Reasoning

For a complete listing of course selectives, visit the Provost’s Website.

Prerequisite Information:


For current pre-requisites for courses, click here.


 

Program Requirements


15-16 Credits


16-18 Credits


15-18 Credits


14-16 Credits


17 Credits


17 Credits


16 Credits


15 Credits


Notes


  • A student may elect the Pass / Not-Pass grading option for elective courses only, unless an academic unit requires that a specific departmental course/s be taken Pass / Not-Pass.  Students may elect to take University Core Curriculum courses Pass / Not-Pass; however, some major Plans of Study require courses that also fulfill UCC foundational outcomes.  In such cases, students may not elect the Pass / Not-Pass option.  A maximum of 24 credits of elective courses under the Pass / Not-pass grading option can be used toward graduation requirements. For further information, students should refer to the College of Health and Human Sciences Pass / Not-Pass Policy.
  • Students must earn a GPA of 2.75 and a “C” or better in all Departmental/Program Major courses except a “C-” or better is acceptable for NUTR 43700 and NUTR 43800, and there is no minimum grade requirement for NUTR 41100.
  • 32 credits hours of Purdue coursework at the 30000 level or above are required for graduation.

Foreign Language Courses


Foreign Language proficiency requirements vary by program. 

For acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor: American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, (ancient) Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major.  Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful.  These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program”. 

Disclaimer


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements.

The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

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