The mission of the Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics at West Chester University is to provide quality education that prepares competent nutrition and dietetic professionals to successfully pursue careers in food, nutrition, and health-related fields. The learning environment is structured to promote an appreciation for life-long learning, purposeful self-reflection, effective problem solving, and teamwork.

The five goals for the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) accredited BS in Nutrition and Dietetics (DPD Program) are:

• Recruit and retain students who are committed to becoming skilled and contributing members of the dietetics profession, or other related professions.
• Graduate individuals who are well-prepared in foods and nutrition, clinical and community nutrition, education and research, and foodservice and nutrition systems management.
• Provide quality undergraduate didactic instruction to enable students to successfully apply for supervised practice programs.
• Provide a strong education in the basic sciences to enable graduates to work effectively with other health professionals and form the basis for graduate study.
• Maintain an ongoing evaluation system to respond to new developments in the dietetics field and to promote curricular improvements.

Students are required to complete 120 credits to graduate with a BS in Nutrition and Dietetics. A minor in Nutrition requires students to complete two required courses, NTD 303 and NTD309. Four additional “NTD” courses must be completed for a total of 18 credit hours. A "C" grade or better must be earned. In order to graduate with a second degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, a minimum of 30 credits must be earned at WCU.

Program outcomes data are available upon request. Please contact the DPD Director, Dr. Joanne Christaldi, at 610-436-1038.