Nutrition and Wellness
The baccalaureate degree in Food and Nutrition with a specialty in Nutrition and Wellness is designed to provide students with an understanding of the role of food and nutrition in overall wellness. The road to maintaining wellness includes both physical activity and nutrition. A foundation in nutrition and food is supplemented with a variety of courses in exercise, health education and behavior, and health promotion.
All food and nutrition majors are exposed to a strong grounding in both food and nutrition courses. This food and nutrition core is supplemented by several additional courses focusing on:
- Health Education
- Physical Education
- Health Promotion
- Healthy Aging
- Nutrition for Fitness and Exercise
Rounding out this required portion of the curriculum, a senior capstone course provides an in-depth analysis of current food and nutrition issues and assists in preparing students for actively entering the job market. Further supporting the transition to the working world, students may also be placed in a food and nutrition related practicum beginning in the junior year if qualifications are met. This elective affords a first-hand opportunity to learn more about career choices. Additional elective hours are available to allow the student to pursue even more specific expertise in the areas of physical activity and nutrition or expand their knowledge of other areas such as gerontology, public health, or worksite wellness.
Demand for graduates who understand how nutrition and physical activity both play a part in overall wellness is a growing field. With the epidemic growth of obesity and related illnesses and the desire to understand how to age healthy, the graduates of this specialty will have many new employment opportunities. The Food and Nutrition Program is dedicated to preparing students for these new challenges.
Graduates are prepared for a variety of bachelor鈥檚 degree required positions in the health promotion field. Work settings may include:
- Corporate Wellness Programs
- Weight Management Programs
- Community and Public Health Programs
- Fitness Industry in Fitness and Health Programs
- Fitness and Nutrition Software and Equipment Industry