BS in Nutrition and Dietetics (Pre-Med Program)

There is increasing evidence that what we eat affects our health and quality of life. Nutrition is the science that examines dietary factors and their relationship with public health. Dietetics involves understanding and meeting people’s nutritional needs in health and disease through proper nutrition assessment, counseling and nutrition support at the individual and community level.

What Will I Learn?

Upon successful completion of the program, you should be able to:

• Integrate evidence-based guidelines and research findings in nutrition practice and care.
• Conduct research projects using the appropriate indicators, measures and methodologies.
• Demonstrate counseling and communication skills sufficient for entry in pre-professional practice.
• Demonstrate professional and inter-professional teamwork skills.
• Comply with the principles supported by the governance of dietetics practice.
• Develop professional attributes and a portfolio that are adapted to serve in diverse professional and community organizations.
• Perform the nutrition care process and use standardized nutrition language.
• Apply health education and behavioral changes theories and techniques.
• Demonstrate successful management of available resources and integrate the promotion of nutritional well-being with cultural needs.
• Implement quality management and business theories in the provision of services.
• Successfully manage food service establishments and apply principles of food safety.
• Perform activities related to public policy and health care systems.

Through the BS in Nutrition and Dietetics (Pre-Med Program), you will gain a strong foundation in the biological, chemical, and physical sciences while developing expertise in human nutrition and its role in health and disease. If you are a pre-med student, the curriculum prepares you for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

Your Career

Graduates of this program can pursue careers/specializations in the following areas:

• Healthcare facilities
• Beauty and sports centers
• Nongovernmental organization (NGOs)
• Ministries of Health, Education, Economy or Agriculture
• International organizations (FAO, WHO, …)
• Food industries
• Catering companies
• Graduate studies (human nutrition, food technology, public health, …)

* Nutrition graduates may also wish to become credentialed dietetic professionals after completion of NUT500, passing the Dietetics Colloquium exam by Ministry of Education and Higher Education and obtaining the Lebanese Dietetic Licensure from Ministry of Public Health.

Curriculum

You must complete a total number of 111 credits*, which can be completed in three years by those entering as sophomores.

• Major courses: 44 credits
• Other major requirements: 39 credits (including 6 credits that are also counted as Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) Curriculum Z Electives from the Natural Sciences and Mathematics category)
• LAS Curriculum Z Required Core Courses: 6 credits
• LAS Curriculum Z electives: 21 credits (Digital Cultures: 3 credits; Change Makers: 6 credits, except LAS202: Sustainable Food Systems; Social Sciences: 3 credits, including PSY 201 OR PSY 202; Any LAS course with a minimum of 3 credits in Arts and Humanities: 9 credits)
• Computer skills: 1 credit

*Students seeking admission to the LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine are advised to take the following courses over and above the requirements of the BS in Nutrition and Dietetics: BIO321: Genetics, CHM201: Chemistry Principals (substituting CHM200: Essentials of Chemistry), CHM311: Organic Chemistry I (substituting CHM310: Basic Organic Chemistry), CHM312: Organic Chemistry I, CHM314: Organic Chemistry II Lab, PHY301: Classical Physics for Life Science, PHY302: Classical Physics for Life Science Lab, PHY305: Modern Physics for Life Science, and PHY306: Modern Physics Life Sciences Lab.

Major Courses (44 credits)

* Nutrition and nursing students should take the restricted section of Nut 201 and not the elective section. 

Other Major Requirements (39 credits)

Computer Skills (1 credit)

* These are also counted as part of the Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) Curriculum Requirements.

Licensure for Dietetics Practice

In order to be eligible to pass the National Colloquium Examination at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) and obtain the Lebanese licensure for Dietetics practice (LD), BS in Nutrition and Dietetics graduates need to conduct a dietetic supervised practice at the dietetics department of a Lebanese healthcare facility that is approved by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). Accordingly, Nutrition graduates can enroll in the LAU Dietetic Internship Program (DIP) upon meeting certain progression criteria.

Please note that the BS in Nutrition and Dietetics and DIP do not lead to New York State certification. Dietitians licensed in Lebanon do not have the authority to independently engage in the ordering of medical nutrition therapy in New York or other states in the USA.