About California State University, San Bernardino Nutrition and Food Sciences
CSUSB (California State University, San Bernardino) is 1 of the 23 main campuses in the Cal State University system.
It was founded in 1965, and is located in the Inland Empire. About 4,000 students graduate from CSUSB every year. And every year, CSUSB helps educate more than 20,000 students. WOW! One of the Registered Dietitians I worked with years ago at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital graduated from CSUSB, and she loved the program. She started at CSUSB as a Freshman, but the dietetics program there has lots of transfer students from one of California’s 112 Community Colleges, and since Cal State Bakersfield doesn’t have an accredited dietitian program, some students take 2 years at Bakersfield Community College, and then transfer to CSUSB for the upper level nutritionist classes.
San Bernardino State Dietetic Road Maps
I recently requested their informational packet for prospective students to get a better idea of how their program works, and I spent a while going over the fine print, detail, whatever you want to call it. Compared to some of the other dietitian programs I’ve gotten information from and have been studying recently, the packet from CSUSB was REALLY easy to read through and understand.
One of the cool things they send to you if you request it, is what they call “Road-maps”. What these “Road-maps” do is visually walk you through the steps to become a Registered Dietitian from A to Z. So, if you’ve never taken a college course in your life, they’ll show you a “4 year road-map”), which is the EXACT classes you need to take, prerequisites needed, etc. If you’re a transfer student from a community college, you’ll get a Road Map for that, too. Same if you’ve been taking classes for a different major, but want to change to Nutrition. The courses at CSUSB are broken down into quarterly semesters, which still sort of confuses me, since I’m still used to the 2 semesters a year thing. But their informational packet makes all that clear.
Dietetic Internship
They also have advisors at the CSUSB dietetics program who will assist you in making sure you’re prepped for the Dietetic Internship you’ll need to take after you finish your degree. These Dietetic Internships are competitive, and one of the biggest things CSUSB stresses is: DO WELL IN SCHOOL! Apparently, GPA is one of the biggest factors when applying for a Dietetic Internship (DI). There’s lots of DI’s out there, but there are even more graduates looking for slots. I just read that there are nearly double the number of applicants as there are available slots. So, make sure you keep you GPA up while at CSUSB!
Becoming A Registered Dietitian
The Nutrition and Food Sciences Program at California State University, San Bernardino also has a lot of test prep courses to help prepare you for taking the CDR (Commission on Dietetic Registration) Exam. This is the exam you take AFTER you’ve finished your Dietetic Internship. It’s a VERY tough exam, and if you don’t pass it, you have to wait at least 45 days before you take it again. The CDR Website has more specific testing information.
More on the CSUSB Dietetic Program
At CSUSB, the administration has developed the NTFS (Nutrition & Food Sciences) Program, also characterized as the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) in order to provide quality education to their graduates. These individuals think critically, demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to become competent Registered Dietitians, embrace diversity in the field, and communicate effectively.
Goals & Outcomes of the Cal State/San Bernardino Program
- The goal is to prepare students to become competent enough to perform at the highest level in a dietetic supervised internship, and to eventually become entry level dietitians.
- Another goal is to prepare culturally sensitive entry level dietitians and nutritionists, regardless of the field they decide to go into.
Accreditation status in the field
The DPD must prove that it is meeting its goals, the mission, and attaining achievable outcomes, in order to maintain the Accreditation status. Some of the outcome measures which are reviewed include: the retention and completion of the program by students, Dietetic internship placement, graduate school placement, high pass rate on the registration exam for dietitians, as well as responses on the internship and graduate director surveys.
NTFS Program conducted at CSUSB
Students will learn the requisite knowledge and qualify for admission into an accredited dietetic program. Further, the California State University, San Bernardino Dietitian program prepares students to eventually ready themselves for the national exam, which is administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). This exam will determine who becomes a registered dietitian (RD) in the field. Once completed with DPD courses, further foundational knowledge in chemistry, metabolism, biochemistry, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, and food services are also taught to students. Additionally, their studies will include preparation in food service and preparation, nutrition, management, assessment, community nutrition, medical nutrition therapy, and any other relevant subject matter, which will prepare them to meet competencies required to gain admission into a dietetic internship.
Here's the complete list of all courses that need to be taken to earn a BS in Nutrition and Food Sciences at California State University, San Bernardino. In order to receive your "verification statement" to prove completion of San Bernardino State's DPD, you need to maintain an overall GPA ABOVE 2.8, and receive a B- or better grade in all of your HSCI courses.
The application of science of nutrition, into a healthy food choices by individuals, groups, and families, requires the teaching of research based knowledge, along with multi-disciplinary teaching in the field. The curriculum which is covered in the program will provide both a broad and academic program which is grounded in the science based disciplines. Some of the emphasis in the program include: science, food and metabolism of nutrients, critical thinking, application of theories in the dietetic community, as well as the ability to teach students to effectively communicate.
Students enrolled in DPD will begin with general education in the social sciences, chemistry, biology, and will learn the understanding behind food prep techniques. They will then move onto biochemistry, microbiology, anatomy and physiology, and courses focusing on chemical and nutritional values in foods. During junior and senior year courses, upper division courses in metabolism, nutrition, medical nutrition, advanced nutrition, stats, community nutrition, food science and service, and production and management, become the focal point of their studies. Through all phases of the program students will develop all required knowledge and skills to provide excellent service, and to become lifelong learners, in the field of nutrition, dietetic, and health professions.
Courses are extremely rigorous, and in addition to classroom hours, several hours will be spent outside the class by students in order to do well in their courses.
It is therefore encouraged for students to focus on academics, and depending on the course level, students will be required to put in 4 to 5 hours per credit hour they are taking. In advanced courses, a complete comprehensive understanding of the material is required for students to excel. In these courses, they are asked to think Critically, and will be applying knowledge learned in prerequisite courses. Simply regurgitating material learned at lower level courses, will not help students excel in upper level courses. Please Note: The DPD courses will give students foundational knowledge which will then be applied in their dietetic internship program. It is in the internship program where hands on experience is gained, which will be completed under the supervision of a registered dietitian. It is, however, encouraged that during DPD courses students volunteer somewhere, in order to gain knowledge and learn functions of a registered dietitian, in a multitude of healthcare settings. For community service experiences, students can earn HSCI 399 units (additional information can be found in Appendix D). With upper level HSCI courses, units may not be used in order to meet the upper level electives.
California State University, San Bernardino 909-537-5340 5500 University Parkway San Bernardino CA 92407 Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences Home Page