Nutrition, Health and Human Performance

Professor Campbell; Associate Professors Little, McMillen, and Robinson; Assistant Professors Findley, Hagedorn-Hatfield, Hale, Malley, and Sanderson; Instructor Davis; Staff Bowen, Ostrowski, and Smith.

Department Overview

The Department of Nutrition, Health and Human Performance prepares students for careers and post-baccalaureate training in food and nutrition, health and wellness, exercise performance, and physical education. Using applied and evidence-based learning, students acquire the knowledge and skills to build a foundation for intellectual growth and professional advancement in their discipline.

Values

The Department of Nutrition, Health and Human Performance (NHHP) and its programs are dedicated to a set of core values that reflect standards of knowledge and practice in the field, and a belief in the role of diet and physical activity to enhance health and enrich lives. These values serve as the guiding curricular and co-curricular elements of NHHP programs:

Academic excellence: promoting scholarship, curiosity, intellectual rigor and integrity;
Ethical practice: embracing professional codes of ethics and standards of practice;
Professional development: advancing opportunities and participation in the fields of food and nutrition, health and wellness, exercise performance, and physical education, and establishing a basis for life-long involvement in their profession;
Advocacy: inspiring optimal wellness of individuals and groups across the lifespan; and
Leadership: incorporating opportunities to demonstrate integrity, trustworthiness, and critical thinking skills to motivate and inspire others.

Policies Related to the Health and Physical Education Learning Component

In meeting their general education requirements, a student may choose from any of the activities offered. Some activity classes are taken automatically pass/fail and some are taken automatically for a letter grade. A student may elect to change how a course is graded for them according to the following policy. Grade change requests of this nature must be received in the Office of the Registrar according to pass/fail election policies.

All PED activity classes and DAN activity classes at the 100 level are taken pass/fail. Students who have fulfilled the Health and Physical Learning component of the General Education may elect to take them for a letter grade. Students who have fulfilled the Health and Physical Learning component of General Education and who need these courses to fulfill major requirements must take them for a grade.

The PED/DAN for a grade option must be checked on the Drop/Add form, signed, and submitted to the Registrar's Office.

DAN activity courses at the 200, 300, and 400 level are taken for a grade. Students may take these courses as pass/fail to fulfill the Health and Physical Learning Component of General Education.

No more than eight credits may be counted in the 124 hours required for graduation except for students majoring/minoring in dance or health, exercise, and sports science.

Students may receive a maximum of two credits for Intercollegiate Athletics (PED-470) or performance groups (DAN-456) toward their health and physical learning requirement. An additional two hours of physical education/dance activity credits remain to fulfill their requirements for General Education. The courses related to sports team participation (PED-470) are eligible for Pass/Fail grading only.

Pre-approved permission granted by the department head is required for students to repeat a physical education course for credit.

Health, Exercise and Sports Science majors/minors are required to take all activity courses (note PED prefix) which fulfill the requirements for the Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences major for a grade. Dance majors/minors are required to take all dance activity courses which fulfill the requirements for the Dance major for a grade. All dance and physical education activity courses taken to fulfill requirements for the Dance and Health, Exercise, and Sports Science majors may count toward graduation.

Food and Nutrition Major Mission Statement

The mission of food and nutrition is to provide the foundational knowledge and understanding to prepare and inspire graduates to utilize their critical thinking and problem-solving skills with diverse individuals, various life stages, and a changing environment so they are prepared for a didactic program in dietetics, graduate school, or becoming leaders in their community.

Student Learning Outcomes of the Food and Nutrition Undergraduate Program

Upon completion of the program students will be able to:

Graduates will progress to a didactic program in dietetics, graduate school, or a nutrition-related profession;
Program curriculum will provide opportunities for students to develop awareness about the determinants of health and the resulting disparities; and
Program curriculum will provide opportunities for students to engage with diverse populations in community food systems.

The Food and Nutrition major is designed for students with interests in community nutrition, food security, or for those that wish to progress into an ACEND accredited didactic program in dietetics to become a registered dietitian nutritionist.

The Meredith College Dietetic Internship Program builds on the academic preparation of Didactic Program in Dietetics by providing supervised practice experiences in clinical nutrition, public health nutrition, and food service management. The program cultivates entry-level registered dietitian nutritionists who are eligible for the Commission on Dietetic Registration credentialing exam. Using evidence- based learning and application, Dietetic Interns will strive for professional competence, leadership roles, and service to the community.

The department also offers a Master of Science degree in Nutrition. Details of the Master of Science Degree in Nutrition Program are published in a separate graduate catalogue. Information is available from the Department of Nutrition, Health and Human Performance, John E. Weems Graduate School, and the college website. The program is designed for students with a baccalaureate degree in foods, nutrition and related fields and those from unrelated fields meeting prerequisite coursework who are seeking advanced study in human nutrition. The program has three tracks, Dietetics (36 credit hours), Accelerated Community Track (30 credit hours), and Accelerated Dietitian Nutritionist Track (47 credit hours).

Health, Exercise, and Sports Science Major Mission Statement

The Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences major prepares individuals for careers in health and wellness, movement and performance training, education or management within the field of kinesiology. Individuals in our program gain knowledge and skills through evidence-based learning, serving diverse populations, researching relevant topics and engaging in leadership while maintaining high ethical standards.

Student Learning Outcomes of the Health, Exercise, and Sports Science Major

Upon completion of the Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences major, students will be able to:

Demonstrate understanding of foundational knowledge, theoretical perspectives and empirical findings;
Apply conceptual knowledge that reflects best practice in a variety of settings;
Apply leadership skills (reflection, management, critical thinking, ethics & collaboration) to career preparation in practical settings;
Utilize technology effectively;
Exhibit professional dispositions as future leaders in the field of health, exercise, and sport science;
Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research;
Acquire the broad base of knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to pursue lifelong learning.

The Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences major is designed for students who wish to pursue careers in the health and kinesiological sciences, or who wish to seek further specialization through graduate school. Students are provided with opportunities to integrate, reﬂect, and apply disciplinary concepts and principles in the ﬁeld of health, exercise, and sport sciences. Graduates may seek entry-level positions in college, community, or corporate wellness centers, health informatics, medical technology, community recreation programs, strength and conditioning performance centers, hospitals and rehabilitation centers or schools. With additional education students may seek careers in cardiac rehabilitation, exercise physiology, exercise or sports psychology, occupational therapy, physician assistant, physical therapy, sports medicine or health and physical education teacher education, as well as many other areas of specialization.

The Health and Wellness Concentration program of study is designed for students who wish to promote quality of life through prescribing and promoting healthy lifestyles and pursue careers in areas of clinical based rehabilitation, fitness and wellness, health and medical research or who wish to seek further specialization through graduate study. In addition to the Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences core curriculum of 38 credit hours, the student will complete 27-36 credit hours including clinical laboratory and professional practicum experience.

The Health and Physical Education Concentration program of study prepares students as health and physical educators in school settings. Students may prepare as candidates for North Carolina K-12 licensure; see specific requirements in the teacher education section of this catalogue. In addition to the core curriculum of 38 credit hours, the student will complete 21-28 credit hours, including skill acquisition, physical education methods, and professional education classes. Additional coursework is required to obtain licensure.