OVERVIEW CURRICULUM Course List Course Schedule COSTS ADMISSIONS FACULTY FAQs REQUEST INFORMATION "Because of the Penn State Online experience I have been able to complete my lifelong dream. I sat for the national credentialing exam with the School Nutrition Association and passed it, and I am now a school food service and nutrition specialist (SFNS). Also, I gained a promotion to my current position as assistant director of food and nutrition services. These two benchmarks in my professional life have been the culmination of a lifelong dream." —Linda Irby, undergraduate certificate in school food service management

Online Tools Course Schedule To earn your degree in a timely manner, we suggest completing 4 or 5 courses every 12 months. You may take up to 6 months to complete each course, if needed. Five-Year Plans The following three 5-year plans are offered as guides for completing this degree, considering your current employment status and enrollment method: if you are currently employed at an appropriate facility if you are not currently employed at an appropriate facility if you are taking a blended program via a Penn State campus  Currently Employed If you are currently employed in a school food service or child nutrition operation, you can use the following schedule to plan your degree program. YEAR 1 (11 credits) *DSM 105 Introduction to School Food Service 2 credits ENGL 015 Rhetoric and Composition 3 credits NUTR 151 or NUTR 251 Nutrition Component of the Food Service System or Introductory Principles of Nutrition 3 credits General Education: Natural Sciences (GN) course 3 credits YEAR 2 (12 credits) *D S M 101 Food Safety and Sanitation 3 credits *D S M 205 Human Resource Management in Food Service Operations 3 credits *D S M 250 Principles of Quantity Food Production 3 credits SOC 001 or PSYCH 100 or HD FS 129 Introductory Sociology or Psychology or Introduction to Human Development and Family Studies 3 credits YEAR 3 (13 credits) *D S M 195 Field Experience in Community Dietetics 3 credits *D S M 204 Marketing of Child Nutrition Programs 3 credits *D S M 260 Management and Analysis of Quantity Food 4 credits General Education: Quantification GQ) course 3 credits YEAR 4 (12 credits) D S M 275 Cost Control in Institutional Food Service 3 credits General Education: Humanities (GH) course 3 credits Professional elective: Consult with your adviser 3 credits General Education: Arts (GA) course 3 credits YEAR 5 (12 credits) *D S M 295W Professional Staff Field Experience 4 credits General Education: Elective 3 credits HD FS course 3 credits Elective 2 credits

*Designates a course with supervised practice

Not Currently Employed

If you want to begin your degree program but are not currently employed in a school food service or child nutrition program, you can use the following schedule to plan your degree program. 

YEAR 1 (11 credits)
*D S M 105	Introduction to School Food Service	2 credits
ENGL 015	Rhetoric and Composition	3 credits
NUTR 151 or  NUTR 251	Nutrition Component of the Food Service System or Introductory Principles of Nutrition	3 credits
General Education: Natural Sciences (GN) course		3 credits

YEAR 2 (12 credits)
SOC 001 or PSYCH 100 or HD FS 129	Introductory Sociology or  Psychology or Introduction to Human Development and Family Studies	3 credits
General Education: Quantification (GQ) course		3 credits
General Education: Humanities (GH) course		3 credits
General Education: Arts (GA) course		3 credits

By this point in your program of study you'll need to arrange for a practice site in order to complete the remaining degree requirements.

YEAR 3 (11 credits)
General Education elective		3 credits
*D S M 205	Human Resource Management in Food Service Operations	3 credits
HD FS course		3 credits
Elective		2 credits

YEAR 4 (13 credits)
*D S M 101	Food Safety and Sanitation	3 credits
*D S M 195	Field Experience in Community Dietetics	3 credits
*D S M 250	Principles of Quantity Food Production	3 credits
*D S M 260	Management and Analysis of Quantity Food	4 credits

YEAR 5 (13 credits)
*D S M 204	Marketing of Child Nutrition Programs	3 credits
D S M 275	Cost Control in Institutional Food Service	3 credits
*D S M 295W	Professional Staff Field Experience	4 credits
Professional elective: Consult with your adviser		3 credits

*Designates a course requiring a practice site

Taking a Blended Program via a Penn State Campus

If you choose the blended program option, a good strategy for completing the program is to enroll each semester in a course offered by your home campus and a course offered by Penn State World Campus. This course sequence is a suggestion, not a requirement--you have the flexibility to take courses whenever they fit into your schedule. Your academic adviser will help you plan your program of study.

First Semester
World Campus: *D S M 105 Introduction to School Food Service
Home campus: ENGL 015 Rhetoric and Composition

Second Semester
World Campus: *D S M 101 Food Safety and Sanitation
Home campus:  General Education course in Natural Science
 
Third Semester
World Campus: *D S M 250 Principles of Quantity Food Production
Home campus: NUTR 251 Introductory Principles of Nutrition

Fourth Semester 
World Campus: *D S M 205 Human Resource Management in Food Service Operations 
Home campus: General Education course in Quantification

Fifth Semester 
World Campus: *D S M 260 Management and Analysis of Quantity Food
Home campus: HD FS 129 Introduction to Human Development and Family Studies
or
PSYCH 100 Psychology
or
SOC 001 Introductory Sociology

Sixth Semester 
World Campus: *D S M 204 Marketing of Child Nutrition Programs
Home campus: General Education course in Humanities

Seventh Semester 
World Campus: D S M 275 Cost Control in Institutional Food Service
Home campus: General Education course in Arts

Eighth Semester 
World Campus: *D S M 195 Field Experience in Community Dietetics 
Home campus: HD FS 229 Infant and Child Development
or
HD FS 239 Adolescent Development

Ninth Semester
World Campus: Professional elective--M I S 103 Microcomputer Applications in Business
or
LER 136 Race, Gender, and Employment  
Home campus: Elective

Tenth Semester 
World Campus: *D S M 295W Professional Staff Field Experience
Home campus: Elective

Alternative Ways to Earn Credit

Here is an overview of popular alternatives to taking all the courses from Penn State.

Transferring Prior College Credits

You can transfer credit awarded for college-level work if:

• the course was taken at a regionally accredited institution
• the course grade you earned is a C or better
• the credits are useful to your program of study (your academic adviser will determine this)
• you have been accepted for degree candidacy at Penn State
• you complete at least one 3-credit course at Penn State

Grades

Actual letter grades and grade points are not transferred from other institutions--only the credit--so your grade-point average is not affected.

To request transfer credit, send the following to your Penn State adviser:

• official transcript
• course descriptions
• course outline
• title, author, and year of publication of each textbook used in courses in food service management, dietetics, and nutrition

If you completed any college courses before enrolling in Penn State dietetics programs, talk with your adviser about transferring credit.

College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

You can receive credit for knowledge acquired through noncredit courses or self-directed learning in certain subject areas through the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), based on your score on the respective CLEP exam. Penn State dietetic programs accept CLEP credit in accounting, math, algebra, economics, marketing, management, history, psychology, and sociology. If you are interested in CLEP credit, talk with your adviser.

Credit by Exam

You may be able to earn credit by exam instead of completing the usual requirements of a course if:

• you have been admitted to degree candidacy at Penn State
• you have developed substantial knowledge in one of the subject areas listed below
• you complete at least one 3-credit course at Penn State
• the exam grade you earn is a C or better

The is a nonrefundable fee for credit by exam. The following courses are eligible for credit by exam in this program:

D S M 101	Food Safety and Sanitation	2 credits
D S M 105	Introduction to School Food Service	2 credits
D S M 205	Human Resource Management in Food Service Operations	3 credits
D S M 250	Principles of Quantity Food Production	3 credits
D S M 260	Management and Analysis of Quantity Food	4 credits

If you are interested in credit by examination as a substitute for the courses listed above, talk with your adviser.

For the complete policy on alternative ways to earn credit, review the World Campus student policies page.