Food & Nutritional Sciences
A Family & Consumer Sciences major
at Seattle Pacific University
The Food & Nutritional Sciences program has a three-fold mission:
To educate in human nutrition and food science for personal nutrition and careers in: business and industry, dietetics, public health, food technology, nutrition education, and sports and exercise.
To serve the Christian and general community, to provide leadership for Seattle Pacific University in nutrition and wellness, and to create global well-being.
To conduct research, both basic and applied, to increase the knowledge base and/or clarify the food and nutritional sciences area.
The discipline of Food and Nutritional Science is the study of foods for human use and how they are digested, absorbed, transported, metabolized, stored and excreted by the human body. It is the study of food science and how food is grown, harvested, processed, packaged, distributed, procured, prepared and served to feed peoples of the world. It is based on a knowledge of chemical and physical properties of food, metabolism, human anatomy and physiology, and microbiology, and includes the examination of relationships among human behavior, the environment, cultures, food and nutrition.
Three areas of emphasis are available within the Food & Nutritional Sciences major at SPU:
See catalog for Family & Consumer Science core requirements for all majors.
Food & Nutritional Sciences core courses and science courses include:
FCS 2365 Food Science
FCS 3320 Maternal & Child Nutrition
FCS 3340 Human Nutrition
FCS 3365 Food Management & Economics
FCS 3366 Advanced Food Science
FCS 3385 Food & Culture
FCS 4330 Advanced Nutrition
FCS 4364 Food Preservation Safety & Technology
BIO 2129 Anatomy & Physiology
BIO 2130 Anatomy & Physiology
BIO 3351 General Microbiology
CHEM 1211 General Chemistry
CHEM 1330 General Org/Biochemistry
OR CHEM 1211 General Chemistry AND 2371/72 Organic Chemistry 4361/62 Biochemistry
See the catalog for course descriptions.
The Bachelor of Science degree in Food & Nutritional Sciences prepares individuals for professional careers in a variety of fields, such as:
Consumer Specialist Food Manufacturing
Food Production Food Production Management
Food Researcher Food Technology
Food Testing Specialist Graduate Study
Home Economist Nutrition Education Specialist
Personal Trainer Quality Control
Sports and Exercise Dietetics (see career example below)
Specialized Emphases
Dietetics:
The Food & Nutritional Sciences major, Dietetics Specialization, is approved by the American Dietetic Association Council on Education, Division of Education Accreditation/Approval. This is a specialized body recognized by the Council on Post-secondary Accreditation and the United States Department of Education.
Dietetics emphasis includes:
This emphasis includes the Food & Nutritional Sciences core courses, the science courses and
ACCT 2361 Financial Accounting
BUS 3614 Organizational Behavior
OR
BUS 3657 Human Resource Management
FCS 2375 Food Production & Management
FCS 4340 Medical Nutrition Therapy
FCS 4350 Community Nutrition & Education
HSC 4044 Biomedical Tests
OR
MAT 1360 Intro to Statistics
OR
SOC/PSY 2360 Intro to Statistics in Social & Behavioral Sciences
SOS 4308 The Helping Relationship
OR
HSC 4477 Developing Effective Interpersonal Dynamics
Successful completion of this emphasis qualifies graduates to apply for a dietetic internship or pre-professional practice program (AP4) approved by the American Dietetic Association. A Directory of Dietetics Programs can be found at the ADA website: http://www.eatright.org.
Dietetics specialization, when followed by a Dietetic Internship or AP4 and successful completion of the Registered Examination for Dietitians, qualifies the graduate for a variety of jobs:
Management: dietitians working in health care institutions, schools, cafeterias, restaurants and catering.
Clinical: dietitians as part of the medical team in hospitals, nursing homes, health maintenance organizations and other health care facilities.
Education: dietitians working in colleges, universities, community or technical schools; teaching future doctors, nurses, dietitians and technicians the science of food and nutrition.
Research: dietitians in government agencies, food and pharmaceutical companies, major universities and medical centers.
Consulting: dietitians under contract with a health care facility or in their own private practice performing nutrition screening, assessment and counseling.
Business: dietitians in food and nutrition-related industries in product development, sales, marketing, advertising, public relations, purchasing and more.
Entrepreneurial: dietitians can create their own niche limited only by imagination.
Sports and Exercise emphasis includes:
The Food & Nutritional Sciences core courses, the science courses and
FCS 4340 Medical Nutrition Therapy
FCS 4350 Community Nutrition & Education
FCS 4310 Nutrition in Sports & Exercise
MAT 1360 Intro to Statistics
PE 3570 Biomechanics/Kinesiology
PE 3580 Exercise Physiology
PE 3590 Sport Injury Management
PE 4585 Exercise Science Lab/Seminar
An emphasis in Sports and Exercise includes courses in kinesiology, exercise physiology, sports nutrition , chemistry and biology. This prepares graduates for careers in such areas as health and fitness, consultants to coaches, and personal training. (SPU offers a Master's degree in Exercise Science.)
Regular emphasis includes:
The Food & Nutritional Sciences core courses, the science courses and
FCS 2375 Food Production and Management
FCS 3564 Presentation Skills
FCS 4350 Community Nutrition & Education
The Regular emphasis incorporates courses from each of the three specializations. Students are required to take courses in chemistry, biology, presentation skills and experimental food. This is the general food and nutrition program. It prepares graduates for food and nutrition jobs that do not require the RD.
Curriculum
Food & Nutritional Sciences courses are described in the Seattle Pacific University Catalog. The courses listed in this document are taken from the 1998-99 catalog. See SPU homepage: http://www.spu.edu.
Transfer Students
A student planning to transfer to the Food & Nutritional Sciences program from a two-year program should have made appropriate academic progress before transferring. For a smooth transition, it helps to coordinate your community college work with a SPU nutrition professor. For example, it saves time to complete the Chemistry and Anatomy & Physiology courses first, but make sure they are the right ones. Obtain a dietetics check sheet from SPU to determine appropriate prerequisites. The registration office has a course equivalency guide.
Suggested High School Courses
Courses particularly recommended for high school students interested in a Food & Nutritional Sciences major include health, chemistry, mathematics, biology, psychology and writing.
Career Options
The office of career planning assists interested students through a four-year systematic approach to career planning. It also provides individual counseling and classroom instruction to guide students in defining and planning their career objectives.
Complementary Majors
Majors that are particularly complementary to food and nutritional science include:exercise science, health sciences, biology, biochemistry, social services, business, communication and psychology.
Minor in Food & Nutritional Sciences
A minor may also be obtained in Food & Nutritional Sciences. A minimum of 30 credits in food and nutritional sciences courses including 15 upper division credits are required. See catalog for details.
Second Bachelor, Student Designed Majors and Graduate Degrees
Individuals may seek a second bachelor degree. A student can design a major which will better suit their individual career goals. Details are outlined in the catalog. Special forms must be completed for approval of all student-designed majors. When doing graduate study in other departments you may wish to take Food & Nutritional Sciences courses.
STATE CERTIFICATION:
Jobs in the State of Washington may require State certification. "Certified Dietitian" requires R.D. "Certified Nutritionist" requires a Master's degree in food, nutrition, dietetics or related field.
NUTRITION FACULTY
Dr. Gaile Moe (gmoe@spu.edu) or email the FCS department directly (fcs@spu.edu)