About
Do you think that what you eat affects your health? Would you enjoy a career in educating others on the importance of healthy and wholesome eating habits?
Students who choose to major in nutrition and dietetics will complete an undergraduate didactic program in dietetics (DPD) while studying at East Carolina. This program is primarily completed on campus in face-to-face classes and can provide numerous career opportunities for you upon graduation. Our courses are very interactive, requiring students to interact to complete case studies, projects, undergraduate research and service learning.
All students hoping to become a registered dietitian must complete an internship before they are eligible. Career opportunities in nutrition and dietetics include working in hospitals, physicians' offices, school food service, nursing homes and wellness facilities. Nutrition science is also a great pre-professional degree if you are interested in going into medicine or dentistry.
ECU Advantage
The Department of Nutrition Science at ECU is focused on helping you achieve your goals of becoming a registered dietitian. Our program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics. More than 85 percent of all registered dietitians in eastern North Carolina have been trained at ECU.
As an ECU student, you can research your future career in Steppingblocks. Explore real-world stats about your major, your interests, and your dream job title with data-powered career exploration tools designed for doers like you.
What You Will Study
(For information about courses that carry general education credit view the General Education Program section.)
- ANTH 1050 - Global Understanding OR
- ANTH 2200 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
- CHEM 1150 - General Chemistry I
- CHEM 1151 - General Chemistry Laboratory I
- CHEM 1160 - General Chemistry II
- COMM 2020 - Fundamentals of Speech Communication OR
- COMM 2410 - Public Speaking
- MATH 1065 - College Algebra
- PSYC 1000 - Introductory Psychology
- SOCI 2110 - Introduction to Sociology
- NUTR 1010 - Cultural Foods
- NUTR 1300 - Orientation to Nutrition and Dietetics Profession
- NUTR 1330 - Food Safety and Sanitation
- NUTR 2105 - Nutrition Science
- NUTR 2330 - Food Science
- NUTR 2400 - Nutrition Assessment
- BIOL 1100 - Principles of Biology I
- BIOL 1101 - Principles of Biology Laboratory I AND
- BIOL 1200 - Principles of Biology II
- BIOL 1201 - Principles of Biology Laboratory II OR
- BIOL 1150 - Principles of Biology: A Human Approach
- BIOL 1151 - Principles of Biology: A Human Approach Discussion
- BIOL 2110 - Fundamentals of Microbiology
- BIOL 2111 - Fundamentals of Microbiology Laboratory
- BIOL 2130 - Survey of Human Physiology and Anatomy
- BIOL 2131 - Survey of Human Physiology and Anatomy Laboratory
- BIOS 1500 - Introduction to Biostatistics OR
- MATH 2228 - Elementary Statistical Methods I OR
- MATH 2283 - Statistics for Business OR
- PSYC 2101 - Psychological Statistics
- CHEM 1161 - General Chemistry Laboratory II
- CHEM 2750 - Organic Chemistry I
- CHEM 2753 - Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
- NUTR 2331 - Food Science Laboratory
- NUTR 3104 - Advanced Vitamins and Minerals
- NUTR 3105 - Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism
- NUTR 3311 - Life Cycle Nutrition
- NUTR 3330 - Financial Management in Dietetics
- NUTR 3535 - Nutrition Education and Behavior Change
- NUTR 3700 - Nutrition and Disease
- NUTR 4300 - Professional Preparation in Dietetics
- NUTR 4312 - Medical Nutrition Therapy I
- NUTR 4313 - Medical Nutrition Therapy II
- NUTR 4315 - Nutrition Counseling
- NUTR 4330 - Food Production Principles of Dietetics
- NUTR 4331 - Food Production in Dietetics Lab
- NUTR 4500 - Community Nutrition
- NUTR 4600 - Senior Seminar
- HLTH 3010 - Health Problems OR
- HLTH 3050 - Public Health Systems and Policy
- NUTR 3104 - Advanced Vitamins and Minerals
- NUTR 3105 - Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism
- NUTR 3311 - Life Cycle Nutrition
- NUTR 3700 - Nutrition and Disease
- NUTR 4901 - Topics in Nutrition (Must be taken twice.)
- BIOL 2300 - Principles of Genetics
- BIOL 3260 - Cell and Developmental Biology
- BIOL 3310 - Cellular Physiology
- BIOL 3311 - Cellular Physiology Discussion
- BIOL 4880 - Principles of Biochemistry I
- CHEM 2760 - Organic Chemistry II
- CHEM 2763 - Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
- HIMA 3000 - Medical Terminology for Health Professionals
- KINE 3805 - Physiology of Exercise
- NUTR 3995 - Field Experience in Nutrition and Dietetics
- PHYS 1250 - General Physics I
- PHYS 1251 - General Physics Laboratory I
- PHYS 1260 - General Physics II
- PHYS 1261 - General Physics Laboratory II
The dietetics program (DP) in dietetics is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). Admission requires a minimum cumulative 3.0 grade point average (GPA) and a submitted application after all prerequisites have been completed. The application can be found on the Department of Nutrition Science website. Students in the DP must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Graduates of the DP will be eligible to apply for a supervised practice/dietetic internship. Completion of the DP does not guarantee admission into a supervised practice/dietetic internship. Students who complete this concentration and a supervised practice/dietetic internship can take the National Registration Examination for Dietitians and become a registered dietitian.
This concentration allows flexibility to support a variety of professional goals and is well suited for pre-professional programs in occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, physical therapy, dentistry, medicine, optometry, pharmacy and veterinary medicine. Students should consider minors in areas that complement their career goals. Suggested minors include public health, business, psychology, exercise science, or health promotion. A minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA is required for admission to the prehealth professions concentration. A student earning less than a 2.5 cumulative GPA must petition the Department of Nutrition Science for probationary continuation.