Nutrition and Foods BS and Nutrition and Dietetics MS Bridge Program

Major: Nutrition and Foods & Nutrition and Dietetics
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science (BS) and Master of Science (MS)
Calendar Type: Quarter

Minimum Required Credits: 225.0

Co-op Options: None
BS Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 30.1901
BS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 29-1031

MS Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 51.4101
MS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 29-1031

About the Program

The BS/MS Bridge Program in Nutrition Sciences is an academic track that enables high-achieving students to complete both a bachelor's degree and master's degree in five years in preparation for becoming a registered dietitian/registered dietitian nutritionist (RD/RDN). Students pursue the BS in Nutrition and Foods during their first four years of study and the MS in Nutrition and Dietetics during the final year of study. Students are eligible for the program at the end of their second year of study if they have achieved a grade of B or better in all required courses and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Transfer students or those who must retake courses to earn the minimum grade needed may require an additional year before entering the program.

The Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Foods is awarded following the completion of year four (first year of graduate study), and the Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics is awarded following year five. Experiential learning is provided during the master’s degree to fulfill the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics Future Graduate model program. Upon completion, graduates are eligible to sit for the registered dietitian nutritionist entry-level exam without completing an additional dietetic internship.

Additional Information

For more information about Nutrition Sciences, visit the College of Nursing and Health Professions Nutrition Sciences Department.

Admission Requirements

The BS/MS Bridge Program in Nutrition Sciences is available to high-achieving students in the BS Nutrition and Foods program who plan to become Registered Dietitians/Registered Dietitian Nutritionists. Current students may apply for admission to the program after they have completed the first two years of the undergraduate degree program. Transfer students may apply if they have fulfilled comparable coursework at another accredited college or university and meet all other admission criteria. Applicants must have earned a grade of B or better in all required courses in the first two years of the program. Transfer students or those who must re-take courses to earn the minimum grade needed may require an additional year to complete the program. 

Degree Requirements

Communication and English
COM 230Techniques of Speaking3.0
COM 310 [WI] Technical Communication3.0
or COM 345 Intercultural Communication
ENGL 101Composition and Rhetoric I: Inquiry and Exploratory Research3.0
or ENGL 111 English Composition I
ENGL 102Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing3.0
or ENGL 112 English Composition II
ENGL 103Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres3.0
or ENGL 113 English Composition III
Physical and Biological Sciences
BIO 122Cells and Genetics4.5
CHEM 101General Chemistry I3.5
CHEM 103General Chemistry III4.5
CHEM 108Health Chemistry I3.0
HSCI 101Anatomy and Physiology I5.0
HSCI 102Anatomy and Physiology II5.0
HSCI 103Anatomy and Physiology III5.0
Humanities and Social Sciences
SOC 101Introduction to Sociology3.0
or ANTH 101 Introduction to Cultural Diversity
PSY 101General Psychology I3.0
Management and Computing
HRM 455Hospitality Human Resources Management3.0
ORGB 300 [WI] Organizational Behavior4.0
Foods, Food Safety, and Food Production
CULA 115Culinary Fundamentals3.0
FDSC 154Science of Food and Cooking4.0
FDSC 270Microbial Food Safety and Sanitation4.0
FDSC 350Experimental Foods: Product Development3.0
HRM 120Principles of Food-Service Management3.0
HRM 215Commercial Food Production4.0
Mathematics and Statistics
HSCI 345Statistics for Health Sciences4.5
MATH 101Introduction to Analysis I4.0
Nutrition and Food Sciences
NFS 100Nutrition, Foods, and Health2.0
NFS 101Introduction to Nutrition & Food1.0
NFS 202Nutrition: Wellness and Weight Management3.0
NFS 203Nutrition II: Nutrition in the Lifecycle4.0
NFS 230Intermediate Nutrition4.0
NFS 265Professional Issues in Nutrition and Foods3.0
NFS 345Foods and Nutrition of World Cultures3.0
NFS 415Advanced Nutrition I: Macronutrition4.0
NFS 416Advanced Nutrition II: Micronutrients4.0
NFS 494Senior Project I2.0
NFS 495Senior Project II2.0
NFS 496Senior Project III2.0
Additional BS Requirements
CIVC 101Introduction to Civic Engagement1.0
UNIV NH101The Drexel Experience1.0
Free electives38.0
Shared BS/MS Coursework
FDSC 506Food Composition & Behavior3.0
NFS 510Profession of Dietetics3.0
NFS 530Macronutrient Metabolism3.0
NFS 531Micronutrient Metabolism3.0
NFS 525Nutritional Assessment Through the Life Cycle3.0
NFS 526Lifecycle Nutrition3.0
NFS 601Research Methods3.0
NFS 609Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway *3.0
NFS 690Community Nutrition3.0
MS Degree Requirements
NFS 543Medical Nutrition Therapy I3.0
NFS 544Medical Nutrition Therapy II3.0
NFS 545Nutrition in Critical Care3.0
NFS 546World Nutrition3.0
NFS 550Foodservice Systems Management3.0
NFS 609Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway *12.0
NFS 630Nutrition Counseling3.0
NFS I699Independent Study in NFS3.0
Graduate elective3.0
Total Credits225.0
*

NFS 609 is taken multiple times for a total of 15.0 credits

Writing-Intensive Course Requirements

In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.

A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.

Sample Plan of Study

No Co-Op Option

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
CHEM 1083.0CHEM 1013.5BIO 1224.5VACATION
ENGL 101 or 1113.0CIVC 1011.0CHEM 1034.5 
NFS 1002.0CULA 1153.0ENGL 103 or 1133.0 
NFS 1011.0ENGL 102 or 1123.0FDSC 1544.0 
PSY 1013.0MATH 1014.0  
UNIV NH1011.0   
 13 14.5 16 0
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
HRM 1203.0FDSC 2704.0COM 3453.0COM 2303.0
HSCI 1015.0HSCI 1025.0HSCI 1035.0HSCI 3454.5
NFS 2304.0NFS 2023.0NFS 2034.0SOC 101 or ANTH 1013.0
NFS 2653.0(UG) Free elective4.0(UG) Free electives3.0(UG) Free electives7.0
 15 16 15 17.5
Third Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
HRM 2154.0FDSC 3503.0HRM 4553.0Student converts to Graduate status
NFS 4154.0NFS 4164.0NFS 3453.0 
NFS 4942.0NFS 4952.0NFS 4962.0 
(UG) Free electives9.0ORGB 3004.0(UG) Free electives9.0 
 (UG) Free elective6.0  
 19 19 17 0
Fourth Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
FDSC 5063.0NFS 5253.0NFS 5103.0NFS 5433.0
NFS 5303.0NFS 5263.0NFS 609*3.0NFS 5503.0
NFS 5313.0NFS 6013.0NFS 6903.0NFS 609*3.0
 9 9 9 9
Fifth Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits 
NFS 5443.0NFS 5453.0NFS 5463.0 
NFS 6303.0NFS 609*3.0NFS 609*3.0 
NFS 609*3.0(GR) Graduate Elective3.0NFS I6993.0 
 9 9 9 
Total Credits 225
*

NFS 609 is taken multiple times for a total of 15.0 credits

Nutrition Sciences Faculty

Nyree Dardarian, MS, RD, LDN, CSSD, FAND (East Tennessee State University) Director, Center for Nutrition & Performance. Clinical Assistant Professor. Energy expenditure; sports nutrition
Angelo Del Parigi, MD (University of Bari, Italy) Courtesy Appointment. Visiting Research Professor.
Jonathan Deutsch, PhD (New York University). Professor. Social and cultural aspects of food, culinary education, culinary improvisation, recipe and product development; food sustainability.
RoseAnn DiMaria-Ghalili, PhD, MSN, BSN, CNSC (New York University, School of Education, Division of Nursing). Associate Professor. Nutrition and surgical recovery to improve the care of older adults undergoing surgery; nutrition assessment, inflammation, and health outcomes.
Susan Ettinger, PhD, RD, DABN, CDN (Columbia University) Courtesy Appointment. Visiting Research Professor.
Beth L. Leonberg, MS, MA, RDN, CSP, FAND, LDN (Drexel University) Director, Didactic Program in Dietetics . Associate Clinical Professor. Pediatric nutrition.
Rachelle Lessen, MS, RD, IBCLC, LDN (Arcadia University). Instructor. Human lactation
Michael Lowe, PhD (Boston College). Professor. Prevention and treatment of eating disorders and obesity; effects of appetitive responsiveness and dietary restraint on eating regulation; psychobiology of obesity-proneness; empirical foundations of unconscious processes.
Brandy-Joe Milliron, PhD (Arizona State University). Associate Professor. The development and evaluation of modifications in the natural environment to promote healthier living; farm to table school initiatives
Jennifer Nasser, PhD, RD, FTOS (Rutgers University). Associate Professor. Dopamine-mediated mechanisms of food intake regulation in humans and its impact on metabolic homeostasis, especially as it applies to obesity, eating disorders and aging. Implementation of methods to maximize nutrient density of food provided in community food services.
Jennifer Quinlan, PhD (North Carolina State University). Professor. Food microbiology; microbiological quality and safety of produce, dairy and meat products in markets in high vs. low socioeconomics areas, Bacillus and Clostridium spores in food processing.
Patricia A. Shewokis, PhD (University of Georgia). Professor. Roles of cognition and motor function during motor skill learning; role of information feedback frequency on the memory of motor skills, noninvasive neural imaging techniques of functional near infrared spectroscopy(fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG) and methodology and research design.
Deeptha Sukumar, PhD (Rutgers University). Associate Professor. Vitamin D and magnesium and bone mineral density; obesity and bone mineral density.
Stella Lucia Volpe, PhD, RD, ACSM-CEP, FACSM (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) Visiting Research Professor, courtesy appointment. Prevention of obesity and diabetes across the lifespan; mineral metabolism and exercise; energy balance; sports nutrition.

Emeritus Faculty

Donna H. Mueller, PhD (Temple University). Associate Professor Emeritus. Clinical nutrition; pediatric nutrition; nutrition in pulmonary diseases, especially cystic fibrosis; nutrition in developmental delay; dental nutrition; dietetic education and professional development.
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