NOTE: Most courses must be completed in 6 months or less. However, some courses must be completed within a semester time frame. To earn your associate degree in a timely manner, we suggest completing 4 to 5 courses every 12 months. Listed prerequisites may be waived by the course instructor if you can demonstrate the required level of competency.
If you have completed the Penn State dietary manager certificate, you have already earned 16 to 19 of the required credits toward your degree.
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:
Currently Employed
If you are currently employed in a hospital, skilled nursing, or WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children), or other community health agency, you can use the following schedule to plan your degree program.
| Year 1 (10 credits) |
| BI SC 004 |
Human Body: Form and Function |
3 credits |
|
D S M 100 |
The Profession of Dietetics |
1 credit |
| *D S M 101 |
Food Safety and Sanitation |
3 credits |
| NUTR 151 |
Nutrition Component of the Food Service System |
3 credits |
| Year 2 (11 credits) |
| *D S M 250 |
Principles of Quantity Food Production |
3 credits |
|
*D S M 260 |
Management and Analysis of Quantity Food |
4 credits |
| *D S M 295A |
Field Experience in Food Service Management |
1 credit |
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 205 |
Human Resource Management in Food Service Operations |
3 credits |
| *NUTR 252 |
Diet Therapy and Nutrition Care in Disease |
4 credits |
| General Education (Quantification) |
3 credits |
| Year 4 (11 credits) |
NUTR 253 or
*D S M 280 |
Nutrition Care of the Elderly or
Current Issues in Community Dietetics |
3 credits |
| *NUTR 359 |
Nutrition Assessment Theory and Practice |
2 credits |
| General Education (Humanities) |
3 credits |
| General Education (Arts) |
3 credits |
| Year 5 (12-13 credits) |
D S M 281 or
Elective |
Facilitated Discussion in Community Dietetics or
Elective |
2 credits |
| 3 credits |
| *D S M 295W |
Professional Staff Field Experience |
4 credits |
| Elective |
3 credits |
| General Education elective |
3 credits |
*Designates a course with supervised practice
Not Currently Employed
If you want to begin on your degree but are not currently working in a hospital, skilled nursing, or WIC, or other community health agency, you can use the following degree plan. You begin with General Education and required courses that do not require supervised practice. By the third year of the program you will need to have an approved practice site and a preceptor in order to complete the remaining courses required for the degree.
| Year 1 (13 credits) |
| BI SC 004 |
Human Body: Form and Function |
3 credits |
| D S M 100 |
The Profession of Dietetics |
1 credit |
| 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 |
SOC 001 or
PSYCH 100 or
HD FS 129
|
Introductory Sociology or
Psychology or
Introduction to Human Development and Family Studies |
3 credits |
| Year 2 (12 credits) |
| General Education Math |
3 credits |
| General Education Humanities |
3 credits |
| General Education Arts |
3 credits |
| General Education elective |
3 credits |
By this point in your program of study you'll need to arrange for a practice site and a preceptor in order to complete the remaining degree requirements.
| Year 3 (11 credits) |
| *D S M 101 |
Food Safety and Sanitation |
3 credits |
| *D S M 205 |
Human Resource Management in Food Service Operations |
3 credits |
| Elective |
3 credits |
| Elective |
2 credits |
| Year 4 (11 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 |
| *D S M 295A |
Field Experience in Food Service Management |
1 credit |
| Year 5 (13 credits) |
| *D S M 295W |
Professional Staff Field Experience |
4 credits |
| *NUTR 252 |
Diet Therapy and Nutrition Care in Disease |
4 credits |
| NUTR 253 |
Nutrition Care of the Elderly |
3 credits |
| *NUTR 359 |
Nutrition Assessment Theory and Practice |
2 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 100 The Profession of Dietetics
Home campus: ENGL 015 Rhetoric and Composition
Second Semester
World Campus: *D S M 101 Food Safety and Sanitation
Home campus: BI SC 004 Human Body: Form and Function
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 295A Field Experience in Food Service Management
Home campus: General Education course in Humanities
Seventh Semester
World Campus: *NUTR 252 Diet Therapy and Nutrition Care in Disease
Home campus: General Education course in Arts
Eighth Semester
World Campus: *D S M 195 Field Experience in Community Dietetics
World Campus: *NUTR 359 Nutrition Assessment Theory and Practice
Ninth Semester
World Campus: NUTR 253 Nutrition Care of the Elderly
or
*D S M 280 Current Issues in Community Dietetics
Home Campus: Elective
Tenth Semester
World Campus: *D S M 295W Professional Staff Field Experience
Home Campus: Elective
*Designates a course with supervised practice
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
Time Limits
General Education credits may be transferred regardless of the time elapsed since you earned them. Courses for the major have a time limit.
For courses in introductory nutrition, diet therapy, or quantity food production that you took more than 5 years ago, you must pass an exam (not the same as credit-by-exam, [see note below], and there is no fee). If the courses included supervised practice, a registered dietitian must verify your competencies.
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 outlines
- 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
There 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.
