Brigham Young University Homepage

Undergraduate Catalog

2012 - 2013

BS in Dietetics
(80 hours*)

Show All Course Descriptions
Hide All Course Descriptions


This is a limited-enrollment program requiring departmental admissions approval. Please see below for information regarding requirements for admission to this major.

Following prerequisite courses, the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) consists primarily of dietetics course work at the junior and senior level. Brigham Young University's Didactic Program in Dietetics is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, (312) 899-0040 ext. 5400. http://www.eatright.org/ACEND. Following graduation, students must gain acceptance into and complete a dietetic internship (DI) to qualify for the national examination required for Registered Dietitian (RD) status.

Program Acceptance Requirements

  1. Students must apply by February 15 for admission into the professional sequence in the fall. Formal acceptance is required to continue with the professional sequence.

  2. Enrollment is limited to 40 students.

  3. Four of the following eight courses must be completed at the time of application: Acc 200, Chem 285, MMBio 221, NDFS 100, 200, 290; PDBio 220, 305.

  4. Major GPA and performance in nutrition, dietetics, and food science courses will be considered. Successful applicants typically have a major and cumulative GPA greater than 3.0 and nutrition, dietetics, and food science course grades greater than B–.

  5. Applicants need at least 300 hours of dietetics-related work and/or volunteer experience.

Program Requirements    |    View MAP

  1. Complete the following courses (to be completed before professional sequence):

    1. Complete the following:
        ACC 200 : Principles of Accounting. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        ACC 200 : Principles of Accounting. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        OFFERED: Independent Study also.
        DESCRIPTION: Financial and managerial accounting principles. Basic accounting statements, processes, and management applications. Open to all students.

        Course Outcomes


        **CHEM 101 : Introductory General Chemistry. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        **CHEM 101 : Introductory General Chemistry. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring; Summer
        PREREQUISITE: Math 97 or equivalent.
        DESCRIPTION: Atomic and molecular structure, periodic relationships, states of matter, chemical reactions and stoichiometry, acids and bases.
        NOTE: Primarily for nonscience majors who require a broad introduction to general chemistry.

        Course Outcomes


        ***CHEM 285 : Introductory Bio-organic Chemistry. (4:4:1)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        ***CHEM 285 : Introductory Bio-organic Chemistry. (4:4:1)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring
        PREREQUISITE: Chem 101 or equivalent.
        DESCRIPTION: Principles of organic chemistry and biochemistry relating to biomolecule structure and function.

        Course Outcomes


        MMBIO 221 : General Microbiology. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        MMBIO 221 : General Microbiology. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        OFFERED: Honors also.
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring; Summer
        PREREQUISITE: Any chemistry course and any biology course.
        DESCRIPTION: Microbial world, emphasizing communicable diseases, their causes and control.
        NOTE: Recommended for students seeking a liberal education in microbiology who do not have the prerequisites to take the more advanced courses.

        Course Outcomes


        NDFS 100 : Essentials of Human Nutrition. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        NDFS 100 : Essentials of Human Nutrition. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Summer
        DESCRIPTION: Food-oriented study of nutritional facts and principles as a basis for dietary choices; consequences of choices; scientifically examining controversial topics.

        Course Outcomes


        NDFS 200 : Nutrient Metabolism. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        NDFS 200 : Nutrient Metabolism. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Spring
        PREREQUISITE: NDFS 100; Organic chemistry or concurrent enrollment.
        DESCRIPTION: Chemical structures of nutrients, their food sources, requirements, digestion, absorption, transport, metabolism, functions, storage and excretion; metabolic consequences of nutrient deficiencies, interactions, imbalances, and toxicities.

        Course Outcomes


        NDFS 250 : Essentials of Food Science. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        NDFS 250 : Essentials of Food Science. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring
        PREREQUISITE: Organic chemistry (Chem 285 or 351) or concurrent enrollment; concurrent enrollment in NDFS 251.
        DESCRIPTION: Overview of food science, including chemical, physical and microbiological principles related to food processing, storage, and utilization. Current issues in food science.

        Course Outcomes


        NDFS 251 : Essentials of Food Science Laboratory. (1:0:3)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        NDFS 251 : Essentials of Food Science Laboratory. (1:0:3)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring
        PREREQUISITE: Concurrent enrollment in NDFS 250.
        DESCRIPTION: Laboratory experience in the chemistry of changes occurring during food processing, storage, and utilization.

        Course Outcomes


        NDFS 290 : Introduction to Dietetics. (1:1:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        NDFS 290 : Introduction to Dietetics. (1:1:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall
        DESCRIPTION: The profession of dietetics; exposure to specialty areas through guest lectures.

        Course Outcomes


        PDBIO 220 : Human Anatomy (with lab). (3:2:2)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        PDBIO 220 : Human Anatomy (with lab). (3:2:2)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring; Summer
        DESCRIPTION: Structure and function of the human body. Lab included.

        Course Outcomes


        PDBIO 305 : Human Physiology (with lab). (4:4:2)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        PDBIO 305 : Human Physiology (with lab). (4:4:2)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring
        PREREQUISITE: Chem 101 or equivalent.
        RECOMMENDED: A general biology course.
        DESCRIPTION: Function of body organ systems.
        NOTE: Not acceptable for physiology and developmental biology, biophysics, or neuroscience majors. Designed for students with basic chemistry / no molecular biology. Students with chemistry/molecular biology should take PDBio 362.

        Course Outcomes


        PSYCH 111 : Introduction to Psychological Science. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        PSYCH 111 : Introduction to Psychological Science. (3:3:0)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        OFFERED: Honors also.
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring; Summer
        DESCRIPTION: Basic course in modern scientific psychology.
        NOTE: This course is part of a GE Mosaic. See ge.byu.edu/mosaic-list for more information.

        Course Outcomes


        STAT 121 : Principles of Statistics. (3:3:1)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        STAT 121 : Principles of Statistics. (3:3:1)(Credit Hours:Lecture Hours:Lab Hours)
        OFFERED: Independent Study also; Honors also.
        WHEN TAUGHT:Fall; Winter; Spring; Summer
        RECOMMENDED: MATH 110 or equivalent.
        DESCRIPTION:  Stemplots, boxplots, histograms, scatterplots; central tendency, variability; confidence intervals and hypothesis testing involving one and two means and proportions; contingency tables, simple linear regression.

                  : Honors Principles of Statistics.

        Course Outcomes



        **Note: Or an equivalent general chemistry course from high school or junior college.
        ***Note: Chem 105, 106, 107, 351, 352, 481 sequence is recommended for students interested in medical or dental school or graduate programs in nutrition.

    2. Complete one course from the following:

  2. Complete the following professional sequence courses (after being admitted into the program):

Recommended Courses

Recommended Minors

The following minors are very complementary to a dietetics major, but any area of interest could be considered:

    Business
    Gerontology (See School of Family Life).
    International Development
    Spanish

*Hours include courses that may fulfill university core requirements.



Show all Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science (NDFS) Courses