Additional Resources
Distance Education Requirements & Expectations
The AFN program includes the option to offer courses as either online or hybrid (a combination of in-person and online). Expectations for time spent in SEL and on other course requirements remain unchanged whether courses are offered in-person or as online/hybrid. Technology provided by the university will be utilized for online/hybrid course delivery, including Blackboard, Panopto, and Zoom. In addition, online testing will use Respondus Lockdown to verify student identities. To facilitate distance education, students should have access to personal computing technology and internet access. Students local to Grand Rapids have access to these requirements at on-campus computer laboratories.
Academic Calendar & Program Schedule
During the GVSU AFN Program, students will follow the university's Academic Calendar; students typically have a Fall Break, a Thanksgiving break, and a week-long Spring Break, as well as a few one-day holidays included in the university calendar (e.g. Labor Day, MLK Jr. day). The supervised rotation schedule will be given to students at the beginning of every semester and will reflect the holiday breaks provided.
Customary religious holidays may be honored with the approval of the Supervised Practice Coordinator and site preceptor. Approval for the holiday must be granted prior to that holiday. Read the GVSU Religious Inclusion Policy (SLT 9.6), for more information
Students are scheduled for a maximum of 12 hours per week at their supervised practice sites. These hours may be completed in one 8-hour day, along with a combination of shorter days. Depending on the site and preceptor’s needs, supervised practice hours may be scheduled for earlier morning and later evening than the usual course schedule, and rarely may require weekend hours.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Applied Food & Nutrition program
As an accredited program, graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Food and Nutrition are immediately eligible to sit for the credentialing exam for Nutrition and Dietetic Technicians, Registered (NDTR). Dietetic technicians are employed in clinical, community and food service settings and serve less complex, less acutely ill patients compared to the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) level of practice.
After completing the AFN program, graduates are also immediately eligible to enter graduate-level dietetic internship programs and coordinated graduate programs, which lead to eligibility to sit for the RDN credential and employment.
The Applied Food and Nutrition program requires admission to GVSU, completion of a secondary application, and corresponding materials.
Secondary admission means that before a student can begin the program, they must complete a specific set of courses at or above the required GPA level, plus apply and be admitted following a competitive application review process. Prerequisites are typically completed in the first and second years as an undergraduate. Once a student is on track to complete the last of these requirements, the next step is to submit a secondary admission application. Admitted undergraduate students complete their third and fourth years within the AFN program. Applicants may apply while courses are in progress, so students should plan to submit their application prior to the February 15 deadline for full consideration.
A College of Health Professions Student Service Advisor can guide you through the planning and application process. We encourage all students interested in the AFN program to reach out and schedule an appointment with the CHPSS office.
Although undergraduate dietetics programs are not required to include experiential learning, we believe that hands-on experience is the best way to build student skills and confidence. Therefore, there are three practicum courses embedded within the AFN program, which allow students opportunities to job shadow dietitians and nutrition managers in all areas of practice. Additionally, AFN students will practice their skills in culinary medicine in our foods lab and the GVSU Sustainable Agriculture farm, and in clinical nutrition and nutrition counseling in our Simulation Center.
Although AFN courses may be offered using distance (online/hybrid) education, students must be present on campus for laboratories, some in-seat classes, and practicum placements. International students will require a student visa to be present in the U.S. to complete the program, as well as to complete supervised practice in a dietetic internship or coordinated graduate program for registered dietitian nutritionist credentialing exam eligibility.
This program may not be eligible for international student visas, due to the percentage of hybrid and online coursework. Contact the Padnos Center's International Student Services office at [email protected] for more information on course format requirements for international students.
For Applied Food and Nutrition students interested in completing the Master's degree in Clinical Dietetics, the Combined Degree Program is an option which offers several benefits:
1. Save Money! Eleven credits of graduate classes will be applied toward the B.S. degree, replacing the need for 11 credits of undergrad classes while allowing you to pay the undergraduate tuition rate for graduate-level courses.
2. Graduate Early! Students in the AFN+CD Combined Degree Program graduate approximately 1 year (two semesters) earlier than those completing the two programs separately at GVSU.
3. Rest Assured! Accepted applicants to the Combined Degree Program know they have a reserved seat in the graduate program before the beginning of their senior year.
Do you have additional questions?
Please email AFN Program Director, Dr. Libby MacQuillan, [email protected], or contact a College of Health Professions Student Services Advisor.