Curriculum Design

Food and nutrition courses are offered once a year at the College. All nutrition majors are assigned a program faculty member to assist them in planning their program of study. Students are required to meet with their food and nutrition faculty advisor when planning their class schedules. If a student makes course selections incorrectly, his/her graduation may be delayed.

Formal advisement for Dietetic Technician majors takes place twice a year—in April / May/ June for Fall I and II, and in November / December / January for Spring I and II.

The schedule of advisement dates is made available to students in the following ways: it is published and distributed by the Office of Academic Advisement, posted on a student’s LaGuardia e-mail account, distributed to students by faculty and announced at the Food & Nutrition Club meetings. It is the responsibility of the students to check the schedule for advisement dates.

The Dietetic Technician Program is divided into two distinct phases:

• Pre clinical – consisting of required general and elective courses with specific key courses required for candidacy.
• Clinical- consisting of all Dietetic Core Curriculum courses and Field Work Experiences.

The total credits required for completion of the program are 60. Presently, all courses are offered once a year to eligible DT students.

The fieldwork component of the program allows students to participate in the daily operation of a dietetics department under the supervision of a Registered Dietitian. Students directly apply the knowledge received in their dietetic and foodservice management courses to practical experiences at the work site. Health care facilities and community-based nutrition programs located in the New York Metropolitan Area provide fieldwork experiences for students in the DTP.

** Students are NOT paid while completing their fieldwork experience.** 

Students spend a total of 480 hours over three semesters completing their field experience. Field experience courses are scheduled in Spring I of the first year of the program, and Fall I and Spring I of the second year.

• The first field experience course is foodservice oriented with a particular emphasis on food production and sanitation and safety.
• The second field experience course addresses medical nutrition therapy.
• The third field experience is a service-learning experience in community nutrition.

Students who have previous experience within the field of dietetics may apply for a waiver from the first fieldwork course- Dietetic Field Experience I. The Waiver Application process is reviewed with students during SCD 107 Careers in Food & Nutrition. If a waiver is approved, it is for the clinical field experience hours ONLY. Students receiving the waiver must still register for the course and attend and participate in the weekly seminar.

The Clinical Coordinator maintains the final say as to where, when and IF a student is allowed to enroll in a field experience course.

LaGCC follows an enhanced semester system consisting of:

• Fall Session 1 - 12 weeks (September to December)
• Fall Session II - 6 weeks (January to February)
• Spring Session I - 12 weeks (March to June)
• Spring Session II - 6 weeks (June to August)

Courses are scheduled progressively throughout the program. The program is designed for students to attend classes as full time, day students for each semester in a two-year period once they have applied for candidacy and have been accepted into the clinical phase of the program. However, students may choose to progress through the program on a part-time basis. A faculty advisor can assist you in planning your program.

For the first field experience course students attend classes at least 3 days a week at the college while practicing in fieldwork one full day a week. The remaining two field experience courses have students scheduled at fieldwork two days each week and in classes on campus for at least two days a week. Opportunities also exist for students to complete a portion of their fieldwork hours during the Fall-2 and Spring-2 semesters.

Students who are employed in the food and nutrition department in a hospital or nursing home can request to use their work site as their fieldwork site. Permission of their work supervisor and the DTP Clinical Coordinator is required.