Help Make Our World a Healthier Place: Pursue SC State’s Nutrition and Food Management Program
Are you interested in helping rid the world of chronic diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and cancer? Could your experience as a nutritionist major transform your love of cooking into a medical field career?
Through South Carolina State University’s Bachelor of Science in nutrition and food management degree, you’ll gain a deep understanding of the microbiology, processing, and chemistry of food. Your hands-on experiences—plus your classes on nutrition and food management topics—will prepare you to become a professional in careers as a dietitian, nutritionist, food scientist, public health nutritionist, sports nutritionist, and many more.
Our food and nutrition classes provide an appreciation for lifelong learning, developing effective problem-solving skills, and preparing for service to the community. You’ll learn to help people appreciate and develop a healthier diet, reducing the chronic health issues millions of people deal with every day.
Choose your track, choose your career
SC State’s food and nutritionist major offers two tracks. No matter which one you choose, our classes on nutrition feature experiential learning opportunities in community settings such as childcare centers, school and hospital food service kitchens, public health settings, and research and development organizations:
- Nutrition track — Our nutrition degree is offered through the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) and prepares you to become a registered dietitian (RD) or registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). Once completing an ACEND-approved dietetic internship/master's degree, you'll become eligible to take the registration examination for dietitians with the Commission on Dietetic Registration to become an RD or RDN. RDs and RDNs hold careers in healthcare, research and development, higher education, wellness and school food programs.
- Food management track — Food management involves a wide range of areas, from food harvesting and selection to the preparation and presentation of meals in food service settings. Although it is similar to the nutrition degree options and requires some of the same classes on nutrition, it does not satisfy the required courses necessary to become an RD or RDN. Food management program graduates hold job titles such as food scientist, health inspector, public health nutritionist, sports nutritionist, and many more.
More about the Nutrition Track
This information is from the Accreditation Council of Education in Nutrition and Dietetics
(ACEND).
Effective Jan. 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) will require
a minimum of a master’s degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become
a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). To be approved for registration examination
eligibility with a bachelor’s degree, an individual must meet all eligibility requirements
and be submitted into CDR’s Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS). For
more information about this requirement visit the CDR’s website. In addition, CDR requires that individuals complete coursework and supervised practice
in program(s) accredited by ACEND.
- In most states, graduates also must obtain licensure or certification to practice. For more information about state licensure requirements visit https://www.cdrnet.org/LicensureMap.
- Licensure information for South Carolina can be found here: https://llr.sc.gov/diet
- For more information about becoming an RDN, visit https://www.eatrightpro.org/acend/students-and-advancing-education/information-for-students
Method of Instruction
- Face-to-face
Nutrition and Food Management Program Highlights
Whether you’re interested in becoming a nutritionist major or preparing for a professional food management career, earning your degree from South Carolina State offers you many advantages, including the ability to:
Earn a uniquely respected, accredited degree
South Carolina State is the only historically black college or university (HBCU) in the state offering a nutrition program nationally accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). ACEND is the accrediting agency for programs that prepare students to become registered dietitians, nutritionists, and dietetic technicians.
Learn from faculty who are seasoned professionals
All faculty who teach classes on nutrition and food management are registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs), which means you’ll learn from registered professionals who are experts in their field and serve as student collaborators and mentors. You’ll gain tremendous insights from your classes on nutrition and food management.
Gain real-world skills and experience in the field
In addition to your food and nutrition classes, you’ll benefit from the skills and hands-on learning you’ll gain through field experiences. Some of your skills will be developed in our laboratories, while many will be developed at health care and food service facilities in the community.
