BS in Nutrition and Dietetics Coordinated Program (CP)
Program description
The Nutrition and Dietetics Coordinated Program (CP) is a four-year program with an Interprofessional Education (IPE) emphasis. It has been granted the candidacy for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). CP combines three years of didactic education and a minimum of 1386 hours of supervised practice in the field of dietetics. Upon successful completion of the CP requirements, you are awarded a BS in CP. You will also be able to sit for the colloquium exam at the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) and become licensed dietitians (LDs) in Lebanon.
The fourth year of the CP consists of 27 credit hours, 24 credits of practicum and 3 credits of didactic courses (these are included in the total of 123 credits). The practicum component is comprised of three rotations: Medical Nutrition Therapy (22 weeks), Food Service Management (8 weeks) and Community Nutrition (8 weeks). The practicum experience typically begins in the last week of August and ends beginning of June; thus, ensuring a minimum of 1350 hours of supervised practice experience.
Program graduates will not be eligible to sit for the US registration exam to practice in the United States unless graduates meet the additional requirements for all US competencies. If they wish to become credentialed in the US, program graduates will be eligible to enter the computer matching for US-based ACEND®-accredited dietetic internships.
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: https://www.cdrnet.org/graduatedegree.
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 FDE CP program at the Lebanese American University (LAU) are eligible to apply to an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program.
Additional Costs
Prior to starting your supervised practice, if you are a CP student in your third year, you are required to complete the Enrollment Health form and submit it with your vaccination record to the university Health Services Office. Accordingly, and based on the assessment of the Health Services Office nurse, you will receive a series of additional vaccines, with a maximum estimated extra charges of 270 USD, paid by the student.
Additional costs may not always be required and are estimated as follows:
- Housing (if needed): 5552USD for a single room, and 3605USD for a shared room per semester at the LAU Beirut Campus dormitory (https://www.lau.edu.lb/fees/2019-2020/housing.php). Housing during the long-term care rotation is provided to students on site without additional cost.
- Course Textbooks: Textbooks are detailed in the syllabus of each didactic course; their purchase may be optional or mandatory depending the instructor’s guidance. On average textbook cost varies between 100USD-150USD per course.
- Other Books: Most books are available at LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital Dietary Department and/or LAU libraries, however additional optional materials (such as meal planning tools, pocket guides or other resources deemed useful) are estimated at a maximum of 100USD
- Parking: During the didactic years you may opt to park at LAU campus or surrounding private parking lots. Costs are estimated 177USD to 400USD per semester depending on the campus. Further details are available on the following link: https://www.lau.edu.lb/fees/2019-2020/other-student-fees.php. During the practicum year a cost of 33USD/month is estimated for parking.
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) Student Membership: 58 USD
- Transportation: There is a shuttle available between Byblos campus and Beirut campus on a daily basis (subject to a fee https://www.lau.edu.lb/fees/2019-2020/other-student-fees.php); transportation for Nutrition Focused Physical Exam (NFPE) and IPE modules is provided through LAU shuttles for free. Additional transportation is estimated at an average of 5USD per working day (transportation cost may vary depending on the students’ residency)
For further details on costs please refer to the LAU website on the following link: https://www.lau.edu.lb/fees/2019-2020/
Admission and progression requirements
The admission requirements are as follows:
- Candidates for admission may apply to any of the two campuses (Beirut or Byblos) by sending an application to the campus they choose to join.
- A SAT score of 1050 is required for newly admitted students. Subsequently, you need to maintain a cumulative GPA (CGPA) & major GPA (MGPA) of 3.0 as a progression criterion. Prior to starting the supervised practice, if the CGPA or MGPA falls below 3.0 for two consecutive semesters, you should change your major.
- Every semester, CP students should meet with the program coordinator, Dr. Maya Bassil, for advising.
- Applicants may apply as regular (sophomore), or transfer for the fall semester, spring semester, or summer term. For more information, please contact the Admissions Office.
- Current LAU students in their junior or senior year with a CGPA & MGPA of 3.0 wishing to join the CP program are requested to submit a Change of Major petition to the Registrar’s Office.
- The maximum enrollment for the program is 15 students per academic year.
Curriculum (as of Fall 2018)
Students must complete a total number of 123 credits, distributed as follows:
- Major courses: 71 credits
- Other major requirements: 24 credits (including 19 credits that are also counted as electives in the Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS) Curriculum A – Natural Sciences and Mathematics)
- LAS Core: 6 credits
- LAS Electives: 21 credits (Arts and Humanities: 12 credits; Social Sciences: 6 credits, including PSY 201 OR PSY 202; Free LAS: 3 credits)
- Computer Skills: 1 credit
See suggested four-year study plan (Fall 2018).
Major courses (71 credits)
| Number | Course | Cr |
| NUT201 | Fundamentals of Human Nutrition | 3 |
| NUT301 | Community Nutrition | 3 |
| NUT312 | Food Chemistry | 3 |
| NUT313 | Food Analysis Lab | 1 |
| NUT335 | Foodservice and Safety Management | 3 |
| NUT346 | Quantity Food Production | 2 |
| NUT356 | Nutrition Status Assessment | 2 |
| NUT357 | Meal Planning | 1 |
| NUT367 | Food Processing | 2 |
| NUT368 | Food Processing Lab | 1 |
| NUT379 | Food Microbiology Lab | 1 |
| NUT401 | Advanced Human Nutrition | 3 |
| NUT422 | Medical Nutrition Therapy I | 3 |
| NUT423 | Medical Nutrition Therapy I Lab | 1 |
| NUT424 | Medical Nutrition Therapy II | 3 |
| NUT425 | Medical Nutrition Therapy II Lab | 2 |
| NUT430* | Nutrition in Life Cycle | 3 |
| NUT445 | Counseling Communication Skills | 2 |
| NUT468 | Management Systems in Dietetics | 2 |
| NUT499 | Senior Study in Nutrition | 3 |
| NUT570* | Ethics for Dietetic Practice | 1 |
| NUT580 | Dietetic Practice Seminar I | 1 |
| NUT585 | Dietetic Practice Seminar II | 1 |
| NUT597* | Dietetic Practicum I | 12 |
| NUT598* | Dietetic Practicum II | 12 |
*Successful completion of 5 IPE modules incorporated in these courses is a graduation requirement for all CP students.
Other major requirements (5/24 credits)
| Number | Course | Cr |
| CHM200 | Essentials of Chemistry** | 3 |
| BIO201 | General Biology I** | 4 |
| BIO260 | Human Anatomy and Physiology** | 3 |
| BIO261 | Human Anatomy and Physiology Lab | 1 |
| CHM310 | Basic Organic Chemistry** | 3 |
| CHM313 | Organic Chemistry Lab I | 1 |
| NUT222 | Microbiology in Nutrition** | 3 |
| BCH300 | Essentials of Biochemistry | 3 |
| STA205 | Biostatistics** | 3 |
** These are also counted as part of the Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS) Curriculum A requirements.
Computer Skills (1 credit)
| Number | Course | Cr |
| CSC201 | Computer Applications | 1 |
Curriculum (students enrolled before Fall 2018 only)
Students must complete a total number of 121 credits, which are distributed as follows:
- Major courses: 69 credits
- Other major requirements: 24 credits (including 6 credits that are also counted as electives in the Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS) Curriculum B - Sciences)
- LAS Core: 13 credits
- LAS Electives: 15 credits (Arts: 3 credits; Social Sciences: 3 credits, including PSY 201 OR PSY 202; Humanities: 3 credits; Literature: 3 credits; Free LAS: 3 credits)
See the suggested four-year study plan
Major courses (69 credits)
| Number | Course | Cr |
| NUT201 | Fundamentals of Human Nutrition | 3 |
| NUT301 | Community Nutrition | 3 |
| NUT312 | Food Chemistry | 3 |
| NUT323 | Food Analysis | 2 |
| NUT356 | Nutrition Status Assessment | 2 |
| NUT367 | Food Processing | 2 |
| NUT345 | Industrial Food Production | 2 |
| NUT335 | Foodservice and Safety Management | 3 |
| NUT379 | Food Microbiology Lab | 1 |
| NUT430* | Nutrition in Life Cycle | 3 |
| NUT401 | Advanced Human Nutrition | 3 |
| NUT422 | Medical Nutrition Therapy I | 3 |
| NUT424 | Medical Nutrition Therapy II | 3 |
| NUT425 | Medical Nutrition Therapy II Lab | 2 |
| NUT445 | Counseling Communication Skills | 2 |
| NUT468 | Management Systems in Dietetics | 2 |
| NUT499 | Senior Study in Nutrition | 3 |
| NUT597* | Dietetic Practicum I | 12 |
| NUT598* | Dietetic Practicum II | 12 |
| NUT570* | Ethics for Dietetic Practice | 1 |
| NUT580 | Dietetic Practice Seminar I | 1 |
| NUT585 | Dietetic Practice Seminar II | 1 |
*Successful completion of 5 IPE modules incorporated in these courses is a graduation requirement for all CP students.
Other major requirements (18/24 credits)
| Number | Course | Cr |
| BIO201 | General Biology I | 4 |
| NUT222 | Microbiology in Nutrition | 3 |
| BIO260 | Human Anatomy and Physiology | 3 |
| BIO261 | Human Anatomy and Physiology Lab | 1 |
| BCH300 | Essentials of Biochemistry | 3 |
| CHM200 | Essentials of Chemistry** | 3 |
| CHM310 | Basic Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHM313 | Organic Chemistry I Lab | 1 |
| STA205 | Biostatistics** | 3 |
** These are also counted as part of the Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS) Curriculum B requirements.
Duration
This program requires 123 credits, and 121 credits (for students enrolled before fall 2018). Credits can be completed in four years by those entering as sophomores.
Location
This program is offered in Beirut and Byblos.
