Department of Health and Nutrition

Current medical practice has begun to recognize the importance of "team healthcare". Nutritionists work together with physicians, nurses, and pharmacists to help patients maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Advances in food production have given us much convenience while at the same time causing harm to our health. In light of this situation, our Department focuses its research and education on the relationship between food and health.

Upon graduation, students are able to apply a people-centered approach improving health in our society. In recognizing the importance of valuing patients as individuals, our Department partners the important objective of gaining national certification with a wealth of training in a positive, humanistic approach to professional practice. Our passion for this initiative is evident from the day students arrive and continues throughout the program's 4 years of study. Whether its in our small laboratory classes or when studying to pass the national exam, faculty and students are working together on a common goal. We believe that integrating NIU's guiding principle of hospitality with a curriculum of the highest quality makes our Department the ideal place to study.

Nutrition based medicine. That's the basic principle of our Department. We've developed a program that illuminates the links between medicine and nutrition where students gain knowledge at the same time as they develop practical skills. The result is a Department that is training professionals who can capitalize on their knowledge of nutrition for the benefit of people everywhere.

Whether it's clinical health management, administrative health guidance, food development for food companies, or developing new medicine for pharmaceutical companies our faculty represent a rich and diverse background of professional specialists. The chance to "hear it like it is" from such faculty members has an inspirational effect on our students. So too does the chance to forge new paths in the field. And with the excellent faculty, facilities, and opportunities that we provide, students receive the support they need achieve their goals for the future.

The main goal of our Department is to train certified nutritionists. As the requirements are quite strict both faculty and students engage in an intense process of preparation to gain certification. Throughout this process, students are also able to earn a highly specialized education and develop in themselves a sense of pride of purpose that will benefit them in the future.