Degrees, Majors, and Certificates
Dietetics
Dietetics is the science and art of applying the principles of food and nutrition to health. Dietitians have special skills in translating scientific and medical decisions related to food and health to inform the general public. They have an important role in health promotion. As described by the American Dietetic Association, dietetics is a vital, growing profession with many career possibilities. No matter whether you choose a career in clinical, community, management, food service, consulting, or business, you'll share your knowledge of food and nutrition to help people make healthful food choices. Dietitians like to work with people.
Special Opportunities
IU has a Dietetics and Nutrition Club for students. This club allows seniors to mentor sophomores and juniors and provides opportunities for planned community nutrition efforts. The Department of Applied Health Science has two laboratories dedicated to the dietetics and nutrition science program: a nutrition lab and a foods lab. Dietetics majors start to interact directly with program faculty beginning in the sophomore year. Classroom activities include labs (applying the science and art of food preparation), community projects, planning and preparing a special event meal for students in the halls of residence, designing a research project, and learning in-depth about special issues in nutrition. Research opportunities with faculty may include already existing projects or designing your own under faculty guidance. The program's location in HPER allows students and faculty to focus beyond nutrition, to the areas of fitness, health, and leisure.
Careers
Dietitians promote healthy eating habits so that people can prevent or treat illnesses. IU dietetics graduates go on to complete a supervised practice experience (internship) and are then eligible to take a national exam to become a Registered Dietitian (R.D.). R.D.'s are the recognized nutrition health care professionals.
R.D.'s may choose to work in clinical settings such as hospitals, HMOs, extended care facilities, nutrition clinics, or private practice, in order to work as part of a health care team and to work one-on-one with people in the treatment and prevention of disease. Community-based R.D.'s counsel individuals and groups on nutritional practices designed to prevent disease and promote health. Management R.D.'s often oversee large-scale meal planning and preparation in health care facilities, schools, universities, restaurant chains, or private industry. A growing number of R.D.'s work in business, journalism, marketing, sports nutrition, and corporate wellness programs. Dietitians who enjoy research may prefer the food industry in which they can work in research and development of food products, services, or educational programs, or in major medical centers where clinical research is conducted. With advanced degrees, dietitians may pursue careers in dietetics education.
Degree Program
Bachelor of Science in Applied Health Science
The dietetics program is nationally developmentally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association (ADA).
For more information, contact:
Department of Applied Health Science
School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation
Indiana University
HPER 116
1025 E. Seventh Street
Bloomington, IN 47401-7109
Phone: (812) 855-3627
E-mail:
