Program Requirements (64-83 hours)

A baccalaureate degree requires a minimum of 120 unduplicated semester hours. More information can be found at www.wku.edu/registrar/degree_certification.php.

Students who began WKU in the Fall 2014 and thereafter should review the Colonnade requirements located at: https://www.wku.edu/colonnade/colonnaderequirements.php.

The major in hospitality management and dietetics program offers four distinct concentrations:

1. Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management
2. Nutrition and Dietetics
3. Food, Nutrition and Wellness
4. Family and Consumer Sciences Education

Common Core Courses*

*A grade of “C” or above must be earned in all courses required for these majors. No minor or second major is required.

Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management Concentration

The Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management concentration requires 66 semester hours which include common core courses and concentration specific courses. This concentration prepares students for careers in hotel and resort management, food and beverage management, supply chain management, meeting, convention, and event planning, sales, marketing, hospitality business entrepreneurship, and tourism. This concentration requires the following: 

Nutrition and Dietetics Concentration

The Nutrition and Dietetics concentration requires 64 semester hours which include common core courses and concentration specific courses. This concentration meets requirements of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics and fulfills one of the steps necessary to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. A grade point average of 3.0 on at least 30 credit hours is required for admission to the Nutrition and Dietetics concentration; specific courses, including human nutrition (HMD 211) with a grade of B or better, chemistry (CHEM 105), biology (BIOL 131), and mathematics (MATH 183), require a minimum grade of “C” or higher and should be a part of these 30 credit hours. Students must have an ACT composite score of ≥ 20 or SAT (CR+M) of ≥ 950. Additional information on the admission process and becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist is available on the program website (http://www.wku.edu/ahs/dietetics). This concentration helps prepare students for careers in medical nutrition therapy, sports nutrition and wellness, hospital and school food service, public health nutrition, extension services, research, nutrition counseling, and private practice. This concentration requires the following:

Specific courses required for the concentration may also count toward Colonnade Requirements and include the following: 

Food, Nutrition and Wellness Concentration

The Food, Nutrition and Wellness concentration requires 69 semester hours which include common core courses and concentration specific courses.  Courses for the certificate in Health Education and Promotion are included in the requirements, and Food, Nutrition and Wellness concentration students are highly encouraged to declare the certificate. This concentration prepares students for careers in extension services, community nutrition programs, food service management, health coaching, wellness, event management, sales, public relations, research, and fitness facilities management. This concentration requires the following:

Required Colonnade courses in support of this concentration include CHEM 109 and BIOL 131.

Family and Consumer Sciences Education Concentration

The Family and Consumer Sciences Education concentration requires 83 semester hours which include the common core courses, the concentration specific courses (which include the required Professional Education Courses), and 12 hours of designated electives. This concentration prepares students to become Family and Consumer Sciences educators for Middle Schools and High Schools.

A required Colonnade course in support of this concentration is COMM 145. All requirements for admission to professional education must be met to fulfill the Kentucky standards for the designated teaching certificate. Current information on teacher education and certification are available on the website for the Office of Professional Educator Services: http://www.wku.edu/educatorservices/. 

Finish in Four Plans

Food, Nutrition, and Wellness Concentration

Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management Concentration

Nutrition and Dietetics Concentration

Family and Consumer Sciences Education Concentration

Program Admission

Acceptance into the Dietetic Internship is competitive and is managed through a national matching process. The Dietetic Internship Program/Graduate Certificate requires the completion of 15 graduate credit hours and a minimum of 1200 hours of supervised practice in a variety of practice settings, including hospitals, long-term care/skilled nursing facilities, community nutrition programs, and other health/community organizations.

Applicants must meet the following requirements for entrance into the Dietetic Internship/Graduate Certificate:

• Completed a Baccalaureate degree.
• Earned an overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• Scored a minimum on the Graduate Record Examination of 142 on Quantitative and 144 on Verbal.  All scores must be within 5 years of the time of application.
• Completed a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) prior to the start date of the internship.
• Submitted a signed Declaration of Intent to Complete Degree or Verification Statement.  Once accepted into the program, all interns must submit signed Verification Statements prior to the start date.
• Submitted online application through the national centralized application system.  More information regarding the application process is available at www.wku.edu/ahs/dieteticinternship/index.php.
• Submitted an application for admission to WKU Graduate Studies with appropriate fee (after being accepted into the Dietetic Internship).

Program Requirements (15 hours)