Most U.S. states require licensure or statutory certification for dietitians and nutritionists.
Dietitians perform a wide variety of food- and nutrition-related activities, including planning nutrition programs for clients, creating specialized dietary plans for patients, overseeing cafeteria services and managing food service systems. Dietitians often find job placements at fitness clinics and gyms, rehabilitation centers and weight management clinics. There are several colleges that offer traditional and online distance education degrees for students aspiring to become dietitians.
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University, located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, offers an online coordinated program in dietetics. Students attend online courses full-time for 20 months to complete 1,200 hours of educational courses and earn a bachelor of science degree in dietetics. Students who complete the degree may be eligible to enroll in a master's degree program to further their education and specialize in a field of health science, or to satisfy the state certification or licensure requirements.
University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut's Department of Nutritional Sciences, based in Storrs, Connecticut, offers a bachelor of science degree. Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education, this degree is for students interested in the fields of dietetics, health and human services, medical science and nutrition research and education. The program provides students with didactic coursework and requires that students fulfill a minimum of 1,200 hours in supervised laboratory courses.
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin's School of Human Ecology offers a bachelor of science degree in nutritional sciences. The program provides two options to students interested in becoming dietitians: a coordinated program in dietetics and a didactic program in dietetics. The coordinated program prepares students to take the dietetic registration examination to become a certified dietetic, and the didactic program prepares students to enroll in the American Dietetic Association and take the examinations required to become a registered dietitian.
University of Northern Colorado
The University of Northern Colorado offers a bachelor of science degree in dietetics that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetic Education. It is suited for students who wish to become dietitians. The university requires that students complete the bachelor's degree program with a minimum grade point average of 2.8 or greater to graduate and proceed to enrolling in the didactic program in dietetics.
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