Nutrition, Food & Exercise Sciences

Department Overview

Florida State University’s leading-edge programs in the Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences (NFES) prepares scholars and practitioners to excel in professions which enhance physical well-being, health and human performance by providing a firm foundation in essential scientific and technical knowledge and practical skills through teaching, research, publication and service. Today’s interest in healthy lifestyles is translating into a remarkable range of career opportunities related to diet, fitness, and health. Targeted coursework allows students to learn the professional, technical, and interpersonal aspects of their career with an emphasis on the prevention of chronic diseases laying a foundation for experiential learning through internships and laboratory activities.

NFES has approximately 1500 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled each semester who are served by outstanding teaching and research faculty who help create a challenging academic environment.

Three Bachelor of Science degrees are offered: Food and Nutrition, Exercise Science and Athletic Training. Under the Food and Nutrition degree, there are two majors: Dietetics and Food & Nutrition Science. Dietetics Majors learn the knowledge and skills required to qualify for a dietetic internship known as the didactic program in dietetics (DPD) which is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of the American Dietetic Association (ADA). The food and nutrition science major has a strong science base that prepares students for job opportunities in the food industry, government agencies and careers in the medical field as well as graduate study. The exercise science program prepares students for graduate study in exercise physiology, medicine, dentistry and other health related fields including physical therapy as well as for positions as personal trainers and health fitness instructors in both hospital-based wellness programs and corporate fitness programs. The athletic training program, which is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE), prepares students to take the Board of Certification (BOC) examination for athletic trainers.

The department provides a CADE accredited dietetics internship experience for qualified applicants as a post-baccalaureate route for students to become eligible to take the registration examination for dietitians (RD exam). Registered Dietitians can work in a variety of settings including health and wellness promotion, sports venues, product development, clinical nutrition, education, journalism and management, to name a few.

The Department is in a unique position nationwide to provide graduate training at both MS and PhD levels with research opportunities in human nutrition, food science, sports science and exercise physiology. The combination of these respective areas of concentration within a single department facilitates integrative studies involving the quality and safety of food, the functional properties of food, food intake and physical activity in the promotion and/or maintenance of human health and the optimization of physical performance.