The Pre-Health Nutrition concentration provides a strong background in natural and biomedical sciences and nutrition, making it an appropriate preparation for graduate study, medical school, or a career in nutritional research, biomedical research, or college teaching. This concentration is an excellent pre-health professions curriculum.
By addition of several elective courses, students can meet the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) didactic course requirements if they meet requirements for FSHN 392.
Please note: To become a registered dietitian, one must: 1) complete the required coursework and obtain the B.S. degree in Nutrition and Food Science (and the additional elective required by ACEND); 2) complete an 8-12 month accredited dietetic internship AFTER finishing the B.S. degree; and 3) earn a master’s degree (effective January 2024). Internships are facilitated separately from obtaining the B.S. degree, and all internships require a vigorous application process. Earning the B.S. degree in Nutrition and Food Science at CSU is one step toward becoming a registered dietitian, but it is insufficient without then completing the internship and earning a master’s degree. After completion of an internship and master's degree, one is then eligible to take the registration exam, the final step toward becoming a registered dietitian. The registered dietitian credential is awarded after successfully passing the registration exam and is facilitated by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND).
Effective Fall 2023
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| AUCC | Credits | ||
| Select one group from the following: | 5 | ||
| Group A: | |||
| Fundamentals of Chemistry (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||
| Fundamentals of Chemistry Laboratory (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||
| Group B: | |||
| General Chemistry I (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||
| General Chemistry Lab I (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | 1A | 3 |
| FSHN 150 | Survey of Human Nutrition | 3 | |
| LIFE 102 | Attributes of Living Systems (GT-SC1) | 3A | 4 |
| LIFE 103 | Biology of Organisms-Animals and Plants (GT-SC1) | 3A | 4 |
| MATH 117 | College Algebra in Context I (GT-MA1) | 1B | 1 |
| MATH 118 | College Algebra in Context II (GT-MA1) | 1B | 1 |
| MATH 124 | Logarithmic and Exponential Functions (GT-MA1) | 1B | 1 |
| MATH 125 | Numerical Trigonometry (GT-MA1) | 1B | 1 |
| PSY 100 | General Psychology (GT-SS3) | 3C | 3 |
| Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 1C | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 29 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| BMS 300 | Principles of Human Physiology | 4 | |
| CHEM 113 | General Chemistry II | 3 | |
| CHEM 114 | General Chemistry Lab II | 1 | |
| CHEM 341 | Modern Organic Chemistry I | 3 | |
| FSHN 340 | Food as Preventive Medicine | 3 | |
| MATH 155 | Calculus for Biological Scientists I (GT-MA1) | 1B | 4 |
| Arts and Humanities | 3B | 6 | |
| Historical Perspectives | 3D | 3 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3C | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | ||
| Junior | |||
| BC 351 | Principles of Biochemistry | 4 | |
| CHEM 343 | Modern Organic Chemistry II | 3 | |
| CHEM 344 | Modern Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 2 | |
| FSHN 350 | Human Nutrition | 3 | |
| FSHN 428 | Nutrition Teaching and Counseling Techniques | 3 | |
| PH 121 | General Physics I (GT-SC1) | 3A | 5 |
| STAT 301 | Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods | 3 | |
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||
| Writing Arguments (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Social Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Strategic Writing and Communication (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Elective | 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 29 | ||
| Senior | |||
| BZ 310 or LIFE 210 | Cell Biology Introductory Eukaryotic Cell Biology | 3-4 | |
| FSHN 450 | Medical Nutrition Therapy | 4B | 5 |
| FSHN 459 | Nutrition in the Life Cycle | 4A | 3 |
| FSHN 470 | Integrative Nutrition and Metabolism | 3 | |
| FSHN 492 | Seminar in Dietetics and Nutrition | 4C | 2 |
| MIP 300 | General Microbiology | 3 | |
| MIP 302 | General Microbiology Laboratory | 2 | |
| Electives1 | 10-11 | ||
| Total Credits | 32 | ||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||
- 1
Select enough elective credits to bring program total to a minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 42 must be upper-division (300- to 400-level).
| Freshman | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | X | 1A | 3 | |
| FSHN 150 | Survey of Human Nutrition | X | 3 | ||
| LIFE 102 | Attributes of Living Systems (GT-SC1) | X | 3A | 4 | |
| MATH 117 | College Algebra in Context I (GT-MA1) | X | 1B | 1 | |
| MATH 118 | College Algebra in Context II (GT-MA1) | X | 1B | 1 | |
| PSY 100 | General Psychology (GT-SS3) | X | 3C | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Semester 2 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| Select one group from the following: | X | 5 | |||
| Group A: | |||||
| Fundamentals of Chemistry (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||||
| Fundamentals of Chemistry Laboratory (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||||
| Group B: | |||||
| General Chemistry I (GT-SC2) | 3A | ||||
| General Chemistry Lab I (GT-SC1) | 3A | ||||
| LIFE 103 | Biology of Organisms-Animals and Plants (GT-SC1) | X | 3A | 4 | |
| MATH 124 | Logarithmic and Exponential Functions (GT-MA1) | X | 1B | 1 | |
| MATH 125 | Numerical Trigonometry (GT-MA1) | X | 1B | 1 | |
| Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | X | 1C | 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 14 | ||||
| Sophomore | |||||
| Semester 3 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| CHEM 113 | General Chemistry II | X | 3 | ||
| CHEM 114 | General Chemistry Lab II | X | 1 | ||
| MATH 155 | Calculus for Biological Scientists I (GT-MA1) | X | 1B | 4 | |
| Arts and Humanities | 3B | 3 | |||
| Historical Perspectives | X | 3D | 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 14 | ||||
| Semester 4 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| BMS 300 | Principles of Human Physiology | X | 4 | ||
| CHEM 341 | Modern Organic Chemistry I | X | 3 | ||
| FSHN 340 | Food as Preventive Medicine | X | 3 | ||
| Arts and Humanities | X | 3B | 3 | ||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | X | 3 | |||
| Total Credits | 16 | ||||
| Junior | |||||
| Semester 5 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| CHEM 343 | Modern Organic Chemistry II | X | 3 | ||
| CHEM 344 | Modern Organic Chemistry Laboratory | X | 2 | ||
| FSHN 350 | Human Nutrition | X | 3 | ||
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| Writing Arguments (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Social Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Strategic Writing and Communication (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Elective | X | 3 | |||
| Total Credits | 14 | ||||
| Semester 6 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| BC 351 | Principles of Biochemistry | X | 4 | ||
| FSHN 428 | Nutrition Teaching and Counseling Techniques | X | 3 | ||
| PH 121 | General Physics I (GT-SC1) | X | 3A | 5 | |
| STAT 301 | Introduction to Applied Statistical Methods | X | 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Senior | |||||
| Semester 7 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| BZ 310 or LIFE 210 | Cell Biology Introductory Eukaryotic Cell Biology | X | 3-4 | ||
| FSHN 450 | Medical Nutrition Therapy | X | 4B | 5 | |
| FSHN 459 | Nutrition in the Life Cycle | X | 4A | 3 | |
| Electives | X | 4-5 | |||
| Total Credits | 16 | ||||
| Semester 8 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| FSHN 470 | Integrative Nutrition and Metabolism | X | 3 | ||
| FSHN 492 (Final semester only) | Seminar in Dietetics and Nutrition | X | 4C | 2 | |
| MIP 300 | General Microbiology | X | 3 | ||
| MIP 302 | General Microbiology Laboratory | X | 2 | ||
| Electives | X | 6 | |||
| The benchmark courses for the 8th semester are the remaining courses in the entire program of study. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 16 | ||||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||||