Total Semester Hours to Degree: 120 semester hours

The Nutrition & Dietetics program provides students exceptional and innovative educational programming which prepares students for multiple career pathways in both dietetics and community nutrition education. The BS Nutrition is designed to be a stand-alone BS program with a Community Nutrition focus, as well as the gateway program for the MS Nutrition & Dietetics Coordinated Program.

Admission to the Coordinated Program in Nutrition & Dietetics:

Effective January 2024, students who wish to become a Registered and/or Licensed Dietetic Nutritionist are required to complete their clinical placement within the context of an ACEND-accredited Master’s degree program. 

EIU Nutrition & Dietetics provides students with two(2) accelerated direct admit pathways to the MSND: CP:

• Accelerated Program: Students apply for admission after completing 60 credits of coursework. Students who meet admission guidelines are eligible to complete up to 12 credits of graduate coursework during their junior and senior years; these graduate credits will count toward completion of both their undergraduate and graduate degrees.
   
• 3+2 program: Applications are accepted each spring for admission to the Fall cohort. Students are encouraged to apply in spring of their junior year to maximize the financial and time savings benefit of the 3+2 program. Students who meet admission guidelines will complete their remaining undergraduate coursework along with 18 credits of graduate coursework during their senior year; the 18 credits of graduate work will count toward completion of both their undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Upon completion of all coursework, students will be issued a verification statement which permits them to enroll in their mandatory 1000 clock hour clinical placement.

For more information about the graduate level components of MS Nutrition & Dietetics Coordinated Program, please see the current EIU Graduate Catalog.

Students who do not wish to participate in either of the accelerated direct admit programs will complete the remaining requirements for the BS Nutrition during their 4th year. These students are eligible to apply to the MSND:CP graduate program through the normal Graduate School application process.