New baccalaureate degree program
 in food and nutrition this fall

A new baccalaureate degree program in food and nutrition will prepare graduates for careers in dietetics, nutrition and wellness, and food-service management. The Indiana Commission on Higher Education approved the program at its April 8 meeting.

Dr. Julie McCullough, assistant professor of nutrition, said that 20 USI students are enrolled for fall in an introductory course for the new degree program.

The program responds to requests from students and prospective students for a major in food and nutrition and to a survey of area employers that indicated a need for graduates with expertise in these areas. In addition, the USI President's Task Force on Workforce Development reported in 2000 an increasing demand by regional employers for individuals prepared for jobs as food-service managers.

USI faculty in the School of Nursing and Health Professions developed the food and nutrition program in consultation with an advisory committee that included dietitians, wellness consultants, and food-service managers representing area food and pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation, the Vanderburgh County Health Department, and other companies and organizations involved in the food and nutrition fields.

The program will offer three specialty tracks: dietetics, nutrition and wellness, and food-service management. Students will complete 50 hours of the University Core Curriculum, 29 hours of core food and nutrition courses, 35 to 38 hours of courses specific to the specialty area, and eight to 15 hours of electives.

In the dietetics specialty, students will examine nutrition and its relation to disease prevention, treatment, and health promotion.

To become a registered dietitian a student must complete a minimum of a bachelor's degree with course work approved/accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association, a supervised practice program, and pass a national exam. McCullough said that USI has begun the initial steps toward earning approval and/or accreditation by the accrediting agency.

After completing requirements of the approved/accredited baccalaureate program in dietetics, students may apply for a CADE-approved/accredited practice program in the United States. The internship generally takes six to 12 months. Students who complete the practice program are then eligible to take the national registration exam to become a registered dietitian.

Registered dietitians work in hospitals, health maintenance organizations, private practice, and other health-care facilities. They also can be employed in community and public health settings, universities, and in research organizations.

The specialty in nutrition and wellness focuses on sports nutrition, physical education, healthy aging, health education, health promotion, and nutrition education and counseling. McCullough said that the demand for graduates who understand how nutrition and physical activity contribute to overall wellness is growing.

Graduates in the nutrition and wellness specialty will be prepared for jobs in cardiac rehabilitation programs, corporate wellness programs, weight management programs, private practice with athletic teams, community and public health programs, fitness programs, and the fitness and nutrition software and equipment industry.

The specialty in food-service management will offer courses in accounting and finance, consumer behavior and marketing, and operations and human-resource management in addition to the core classes in food and nutrition. Students in this specialty will have practical experience working with Sodexho, which provides food service and catering on the USI campus.

"We want to provide employers with graduates who know more about safe and efficient food-service management from the time they walk in the door," McCullough said.

Graduates of the food-service management specialty will be prepared to work for hotels, restaurants, food companies, catering services, clubs and resorts, correctional facilities, airlines and cruise ships, contract food companies, organizations that offer institutional food service, and food and equipment manufacturers and distributors.

Articulation agreements with area community colleges have been developed to facilitate the matriculation of associate degree graduates into the baccalaureate program.

 

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