Nutrition and Hospitality Management

The Nutrition and Hospitality Management Program at AAMU is designed for students who possess a strong interest in the sociological, psychological, and economical aspects of food as it relates to nutritional status and world hunger.  The program provides a broad education in the science of nutrition and preparation of food as related to an individual’s lifestyle, culture, and health.

The two concentrations within the Nutrition and Hospitality Management program are Hospitality Management and General Dietetics or the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD).

The Didactic Program in Dietetics

The Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) at AAMU is offered in the undergraduate program in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences and the Area of Nutrition and Hospitality Management as the General Dietetics option. Upon completion of the program, the student is qualified to apply for admission to an accredited dietetic internship. Upon successful completion of the dietetic internship, the student is eligible to write the registration examination to become a registered dietitian. The Alabama A&M University DPD was granted initial accreditation status in March 2004 (probationary accreditation status since 3/14/14) by The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606 (Telephone 1-800-877-1600/(312) 899-0040 ). Questions regarding dietetics education may be emailed to education@eatright.org. Information also is available on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) website.

The dietetics concentration is appropriate for students who would like to become recognized nutritionists or registered dietitians. There are 3 steps to becoming a registered dietitian (R.D.) including:

• Completion of a ACEND accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD)
• Successfully obtaining and  completing an accredited supervised work experience (dietetic internship)
• Taking and passing a national registration examination
      

The DPD Mission

The mission of the DPD program at AAMU University is to prepare students to become registered dietitians or nutritionist by providing quality dietetics courses and didactic course learning experiences for students to complete the DPD, which prepares and enables students to enter into, and successfully complete, an accredited dietetic internship and/or obtain employment in the health-care industry.

DPD Program Goals

Goal 1: The program will prepare graduates to be competent for entry into supervised    
practice or other post-graduate programs through high-quality educational offerings.

Objective 1.1  Over a 5-year period, ≥50% of graduates will apply to dietetic internships or other post-graduate programs within 12 months of graduation.
Objective 1.2  Over a 5-year period, ≥50% of graduates who apply to dietetic internships or other post-graduate programs will be accepted.
Objective 1.3 Over a 5-year period, the pass rate for the DPD graduates taking the registration examination for the first time will be at least 80%.
Objective 1.4 Within two years after completion of the dietetics program, at least 50% of graduates not applying for internships will be employed in a nutrition-related career field.
Objective 1.5 At least 70% of dietetic graduates agree that the program prepared them well for a dietetic internship.
Objective 1.6 Over a 5-year period at least 75% of DP students will complete the program within 6 years, or 150% of the time planned for completion.

Goal 2: The program will attract and retain well-qualified candidates with an appreciation for community service.

Objective 2.1 Over a 5-year period, ≥ 60% of students will participate in community service.
The outcome date measuring achieving of program objectives, except for certain years, is available for ACEND reviews and is available to students, prospective students, and the public upon request.

Learning Assessment

The Dietetics Program utilizes several formative assessments to determine student learning outcomes.  These venues include, but are not limited to: tests, written papers, case studies, projects, lab participation, etc. These criteria provide the faculty adequate opportunity to assess student learning outcomes.  Students who complete each course are given a grade, which measures their mastery of content. Grades are administered for each course and recorded on the student’s transcript which is available on Banner. Students discuss their progress and goals with their advisor at advising sessions required each semester.

General Program Requirements

Students are referred to the University Bulletin for specific requirements for admission and graduation for all students.  Additional departmental program and DPD requirements include:

• Completion of all NHM and FCS courses with a minimum grade of C.
• Students are also required to maintain an overall and DPD GPA of at least 2.75 and 3.0, respectively, to maintain their DPD student status. 
• Completion of required semester hours as listed by program areas. Students seeking verification of DPD completion must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 in DPD completion courses (see advisor). In addition these students must achieve a grade of B or better in the following DPD courses: NHM 302L, NHM 407 and NHM 408L. Students are also strongly recommended to acquire work experience in patient care and food service. (Applied to incoming DPD students, starting the fall 2013 semester.)  
• University Disciplinary and Termination Policies: The Dietetics program abides by the university policies regarding disciplinary action and termination procedures. 
    

Advisement

It is the responsibility of each student to meet with his/her advisor during the regular advisement period prior to registration each semester.  Using the program of study guide, students should develop a tentative schedule prior to advisement.  This allows the time spent with the advisor to be more effective and productive for the student.

Additionally, new Dietetics students should contact the DPD Director to set up an appointment for an initial counseling and information session. The director compiles an academic file on each DPD student to include current student transcripts and checklists. This student file will be used to advise students each semester and updated accordingly so that the student and the advisor will be aware of academic status.

Students will be assessed at the initial counseling session for their probability of success in the program and the dietetics profession. Students who have not attained the required academic benchmarks (Overall GPA of 2.75 or greater out of 4.0 and the grade of “C” on all science-based courses) will be advised by the DPD Director to improve their GPA and/or retake science-based courses; or continue in the Dietetics Program (with no expectation of receipt of a verification statement) and explore related career options that do not require dietetic registration; or else choose another career field to study or academic concentration to pursue.

Student performance is continuously monitored. All DPD students must contact their advisors each semester for academic counseling before they can be cleared for registration. If academic difficulties are observed, DPD students will be provided with information regarding grade replacement and/or tutoring options.

Additional information regarding institutional policies and procedures relating to academic regulations may be found in the online AAMU Catalog at www.aamu.edu.