Learn how to help people use exercise and nutrition to promote health and well-being.
Explore how the human body and mind works and prepare for a multitude of careers in
health-related professions.
NUTRITION. FITNESS. WELLNESS. LEADERSHIP.
Learn how to help people use exercise and nutrition to promote health and well-being.
Explore how the human body and mind works and prepare for a multitude of careers in
health-related professions.
Exercise and nutrition are vital to human health and well-being. Our department offers
you the unique opportunity to study the sciences of exercise and nutrition while immersing
yourself in the practical application of fitness and wellness.
Experienced Faculty & Preparation for Health-Related Professions
Our programs are designed to support the diverse needs of our students as future practitioners
and academics. Full-time faculty from FWL and nutrition serve as your advisors and
mentors. Whether face-to-face to remote, advisors are available to walk you through
individualized academic plans, but will also provide recommendations for future plans
upon graduation. Combine our majors and minors with pre-health professions programs such as pre-medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapist, physician assistant
or pre-pharmacy program, or for entry into post-baccalaureate accelerated nursing
programs. Employment opportunities in nutrition, fitness and healthcare are much higher
than average for all jobs.
Facilities include a personal training teaching laboratory and a spacious food laboratory.
You may also elect to participate in our successful student research program, become
a teaching assistant, work in the fitness center and the school garden, or with our
athletic trainers and campus dietitian.
Located in a small, vibrant city surrounded by Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains,
there are numerous interesting locations for field internships and experiential learning.
Conduct Research & Experiment
Use state-of-the-art tools and facilities to practice your skills.
TheHandbook for Nutrition Studentsis designed to help students in the nutrition program at SUNY Plattsburgh find answers
to the most commonly asked questions about the program such as:
What do dietitians actually do?
What is a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD Program)?
What is the SUNY Plattsburgh nutrition program’s curriculum and requirements?
How do I become a registered dietitian?
How do I become a registered dietetic technician?
What is a dietetic internship; what do I need to do to get into a dietetic internship?
What are other options after graduating with a nutrition degree?
Work-study positions as building supervisors, equipment room assistants, office workers
Supervisors, aerobic and group exercise instructors, personal trainers in the Fitness
Center
Intramural officials
CPR/first aid instructors
Recreational sports staff
Intramural coordinator
Sports information
Sports equipment
Special events ticket takers/security
Please visitRec Sportsfor job descriptions and application forms.
Nutrition Program Accreditation
The SUNY Plattsburgh Nutrition Program is fully accredited through 2022.
The SUNY Plattsburgh Nutrition Program is a Didactic Program in Dietetics that is
accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
ACEND can be contacted by Email:[email protected]; Phone: 800-877-1600, ext 5400; Mail: 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995.
Note to Prospective Students
Effective January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), will require a minimum of a master’s degree to be eligible to take the credentialing
exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). In order to be approved
for registration examination eligibility with a bachelor’s degree, an individual must
meet all eligibility requirements and be submitted into CDR's Registration Eligibility
Processing System (REPS) before 12:00 midnight Central Time, December 31, 2023. For
more information about this requirement visit CDR's website. In addition, CDR requires that individuals complete coursework and supervised practice
in program(s) accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and
Dietetics (ACEND). Graduates who successfully complete the ACEND-accredited DPD program
(such as at SUNY Plattsburgh) are eligible to apply to an ACEND-accredited supervised
practice program. In most states, graduates also must obtain licensure or certification
to practice. Get more information about state licensure requirements.
The nutrition program’s mission is to prepare skilled and competent students for supervised
practice leading to eligibility for the Commission on Dietetic Registration credentialing
exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist, graduate studies, or employment
in the field of food and nutrition.
Program Goal 1 — Upon completing the DPD Nutrition Program, graduates will have the requisite knowledge,
skills and experience to successfully obtain and complete an accredited supervised
practice program (dietetic internship or individualized supervised practice pathway)
and pass the national examination to become registered dietitians.
Program Goal 2 — The DPD Nutrition Program will provide all students who do not pursue a dietetic
internship or individualized supervised practice pathway, with the necessary knowledge,
skills and career information to obtain a nutrition-related job, advanced training
or a graduate degree program.
The nutrition program is committed to quality assurance and tracks several outcome
measures, including dietetic internship acceptance rates, employment, and student
satisfaction surveys and competencies, which are available upon request from the program
director. The Nutrition Handbook is another resource for program policies, procedures,
goals and outcome measure.
Objectives/Target Outcome Measures for Goal # 1
Graduate performance of RD exam: The program’s one-year pass rate (graduates who pass
the registration exam within one year of first attempt) on the CDR credentialing exam
for dietitian nutritionists is at least 80%. (ACEND requires minimum 80%)
Program completion: At least 90% of program students (enrolled at junior level as
defined by sample DPD Course Plan) complete program/degree requirements within three
years (150% of program length) (ACEND Required).
Graduate application and acceptance into supervised practice: At least 50% of program
graduates apply for admission to a supervised practice program prior to or within
12 months of graduation. (ACEND Required)
Over a three year period, at least 75% of those applying for a dietetic internship
or supervised-practice will be accepted within 1 year of graduation.
Over a three year period, at least 90% of graduates completing the DPD Nutrition Program
will rate themselves as “adequately” or “more than adequately” prepared in dietetic
related education.
Over a three year period, at least 90% of graduates completing a dietetic internship
will rate themselves as “adequately” prepared for a dietetic internship.
At least 40% of program graduates are admitted to a supervised practice program within
12 months of graduation. (ACEND Required as of 2018)
Supervised practice program director satisfaction: Over a three year period, at least
90% of Internship Directors will rate graduates’ preparation for supervised practice
as satisfactory or well prepared for their internship programs. (ACEND Required)
Objectives/Target Outcome Measures for Goal # 2
Within one year of graduation, at least 60% of program graduates not pursuing a dietetic
internship will be employed in a food and nutrition related field.
At least 90% of program graduates who apply to graduate school will be accepted within
one year of graduation.
At least 90% of graduates not pursuing a dietetic internship will rate themselves
as at least “adequately” prepared for graduate school or employment.