Foods and Nutrition Degree Program

Explore the Foods and Nutrition degree program

Everyone needs to eat. Different people have different nutritional needs. Sometimes, however, people are not informed on the healthiest ways to fuel themselves. If you have an interest in healthy eating and public wellness, consider the Foods and Nutrition degree program at Wayne State.

Diet plays a significant role in health maintenance and disease prevention. The study and application of this field is influenced by a growing and aging population, increased public interest in nutrition, and the food industry’s desire to meet public demand for a wider variety of nutritious products. Nutrition education is an opportunity to help others make decisions regarding nutrition and health.

With an education in foods and nutrition, careers in health promotion, wellness programs, and food service management are good possibilities. Build your knowledge with additional coursework such as family and consumer sciences, business, and science, and you’ll be prepared to educate the public and help individuals protect their health through consuming quality food and meeting their nutrition needs.

View program courses Download program fact sheet (PDF)

Fast facts

Degree options:

B.A. or B.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences/Foods and Nutrition
Minor in Foods and Nutrition

Delivery format: On campus (Wayne)

Program credit hours: 51-54

Family and Consumer sciences core (18 credit hours)
Foods and Nutrition concentration (33-36 credit hours)

Note: Students must also take 30 credit hours of General Studies courses. A total of 120 credit hours are needed to graduate from WSC. Additional majors or minors can be added to help meet graduation requirements.

School: Business and Technology

Department: Technology and Applied Science

Prepare for your future

Opportunities and outcomes

Foods and nutrition topics covered

Consumer economics
Professional development and presentation
Construction and selection of household technology
High-quality food preparation and baking
Meal planning, preparation, and management
Family resource management
Development and nutritional needs throughout the life cycle
International foods and nutrition practices
Community nutrition programming and education techniques
Nutritional counseling and dietary assessment

Student learning outcomes

Demonstrate professional communication skills in family and consumer sciences settings
Apply knowledge from their program of study to current and future issues in family and consumer sciences
Utilize critical thinking for problem solving in family and consumer sciences settings

Foods and nutrition internships

Our Career Services Office is available to help you find internships and career opportunities. As a student in the Foods and Nutrition program, you may be able to find internships in the following industries:

Catering and food services
Restaurants and hotels
Nursing homes and assisted living facilities
Health and wellness centers
Government agencies
Community programs
Schools

Career services and internships

Graduates of the Foods and Nutrition degree program work in their chosen field using the skills they learned while at Wayne State College. Each year, eager employers welcome WSC graduates into their organizations.

Jobs of recent graduates:

Dietary Manager – Parkview Nursing Home (Dodge, Neb.)
Health Educator – Midtown Health Center (Emerson, Neb.)
Food Services Director – Lunchtime Solutions (Council Bluffs, Iowa)
Lab Assistant – CHI Health (Omaha, Neb.)
Physical Therapy Technician – Ortho Sports Physical Therapy (Petoskey, Michigan)
Recreational Programmer – City of Omaha (Omaha, Neb.)

job or grad school placement rate
within six months of graduation
Data based on most recent
employment outcomes survey

After graduating from Wayne State College, recent grads pursued advanced degrees at the following schools:

Public Health (MPH) – University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha, Neb.)

Cost of attendance

Most Affordable College in Nebraska

- College Affordability Guide, 2024

Wayne State is considered the most affordable four-year college or university in Nebraska. With same rates for in- and out-of-state students, our tuition guarantee, and our generous scholarship packages, it is clear to see how WSC earned the title. In fact, the average remaining annual cost of attendance for 2024-25 is $2,268 for undergraduate students after financial aid and scholarships.

Credits: 1
Description: The history, growth and development of family and consumer sciences. Career exploration of the opportunities for careers open to family and consumer sciences graduates. Freshmen, sophomores, undeclared majors or by permission of instructor.
Credits: 3
Description: A study of the fundamentals of verbal and nonverbal presentations, media techniques for presenting oral and written information, visual aids and their usage, and display techniques to enable the student to become more skilled at giving professional presentations.
Credits: 3
Description: Development of responsible consumerism through value clarification, goal formulation, decision-making, and effective use of resources.
Credits: 2
Description: Course to enhance the professional development of FCS majors. Topics to include networking, job search skills, portfolio development, professional associations, and entrepreneurship.
Prerequisite: FCS 313 Techniques in Professional Presentation
Choose one of the following courses:
Note:Fashion Merchandising majors will take FCS 103 Clothing Construction
- FCS 103 Clothing Construction (3 credits) - Evaluation of clothing construction for the consumer relative to sewing projects and ready-to-wear. Components of quality workmanship, apparel fibers/fabrics, and cost factors are emphasized through construction projects. Lecture and lab combined.
- FCS 302 Textiles (3 credits) - Serviceability concepts, durability, comfort, care, and appearance as related to fibers, yarns, fabric construction, finishes, and designs. Consumer oriented approach.
Choose one of the following courses:
- FCS 110 Family and Personal Relationships (3 credits) - A study of relationships throughout the life cycle. Application of the critical thinking process to the identification of values, the formulation of goals, and the decision-making model in order to improve the quality of life for individuals and families.
- FCS 115 Human Development and the Family (3 credits) - Principles and concepts of individual development through the lifespan in the context of the family.
Choose one of the following courses:
- FCS 240 Design and Interior Environments (3 credits) - The study and discussion of concepts, issues, and resolutions in which research of human behavior is influenced by built environment. Use of communication skills, problem-solving, and media to design interior environments. An exploration of sustainable design and its effects on interior design, architecture, city planning, and landscape design.
- FCS 305 Housing Development and Design (3 credits) - A study of architectural housing styles, future trends in housing, housing selection as it concerns the family during stages of the family life cycle. Floor plans, furniture arrangement, elements and principles of design, color theory, and their application to housing will be covered. Lecture and lab combined.

Foods and nutrition courses (33-36 credits)

Credits: 3
Description: The nutritional value of foods and the relation of food to health, fundamental principles of cookery applied to foods commonly used in the home. Lecture and lab combined. Class fee of $42 required.
Credits: 3
Description: An introduction to the principles and techniques used in the preparation of high-quality baked goods, with an emphasis on fundamental production techniques and evaluation of quality characteristics. The course will cover baking ingredients, use of equipment, proper storage, and sanitation methods. Lecture and lab combined. Class fee of $45 required.
Credits: 3
Description: Application of concepts in menu planning, preparation, and time management principles related to budgeting and purchasing of food. Lecture and lab combined.
Prerequisite: FCS 104 Principles of Food Preparation, FCS 107 Principles of Baking, or instructor approval
Credits: 3
Description: Analysis of the management process and socio-economic influences as related to the utilization of resources to meet individual and family goals. Special management situation considered.
Credits: 3
Description: A study of the construction, selection, use, and care of appliances and other technology used in the home; the basic principles in the use of gas and electricity in the home; safety and energy conservation of household technology.
Credits: 3
Description: Knowledge and understanding of nutritional needs and recommendations throughout the life cycle from prenatal nutrition through adulthood and special needs of the elderly. Special emphasis on maternal health and the development of a healthy child.
Credits: 3
Description: An understanding of the influences of cultures on food and nutrition practices and beliefs. Lecture and lab combined. Class fee of $35 required.
Prerequisite: FCS 104 Principles of Food Preparation, FCS 107 Principles of Baking, or instructor approval
Credits: 3
Description: This course will enable the student to attain a better understanding of the role of the community nutritionist in providing community nutrition program services and the availability of nutrition programs in the community. Nutrition education techniques for selected groups for health promotion, health maintenance, and rehabilitation will be utilized.
Prerequisite: FCS 207 Nutrition, or instructor approval
Credits: 3
Description: Fundamental knowledge and skills in nutritional counseling, including theory and strategies of behavior change and principles of nutritional and dietary assessment.
Prerequisite: FCS 207 Nutrition
Choose 6-9 credit hours from the following:
- BUS 142 Survey of Accounting (3 credits): A course for non-business majors to study the role of accounting as an information development and communication function that supports economic decision-making. This restricted overview of accounting emphasizes development of knowledge and skills to perform basic financial analysis, derive financial information for personal or organizational decisions, and utilize information for better understanding of business, governmental, and other organizational entities.
- BUS 222 Business Law I (3 credits): Introduction to the study of law, the law of contracts, agency and employment, negotiable instruments, personal property and bailments, and the laws governing the sale of goods.
- BUS 260 Management Theory and Practice (3 credits): Develops the management art and science of planning, organizing, actuating, and controlling through people to make ideas materialize within economic constraints of a business enterprise. Develops ability to construct policy, to make scientifically-sound decisions within that policy, and to establish ethical procedures to insure organized productive effort to intended objectives. Develops a management attitude, outlook, and ability.
- BUS 270 Principles of Marketing (3 credits): This course facilitates students in conquering the essential concepts of product, price, promotion, distribution, segmentation, ethics, and social responsibility, while addressing the evolving digital and social media influences. The fundamentals will be stressed allowing for useful decision processes by managers while encouraging the development of the marketing specialist as one of the key decision makers in a firm. Marketing is critical to implementing strategy, gaining competitive advantages, and ensuring positive organizational results.
- BUS 367 Foundations of Human Resource Management (3 credits): This course identifies the foundations of human resources in an organizational setting. The course introduces students to the history of human resource management and its role, and provides an overview of human resource management including: workforce planning and employment; employee recruitment, selection, orientation, performance appraisals; human resource development; job analysis and design; compensation and benefits; employee relations; and Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS).
- CHE 106 General Chemistry I (4 credits): Emphasis on nomenclature, atomic structure, bonding, gaseous and liquid states, equilibrium, and stoichiometry. 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. Class fee of $20 required. Prerequisite: High school chemistry or CHE 102 Chemistry for General Studies.
- CHE 107 General Chemistry II (4 credits): A continuation of CHE 106 with emphasis on kinetics, redox reactions, molecular geometry, hydrolysis, electrochemistry, and solubility products. Qualitative analysis included. 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. Class fee of $20 required. Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 106 General Chemistry I, or instructor approval.
- CHE 208 Introduction to Organic Chemistry (4 credits): Emphasis on nomenclature, functional groups, and organic structures as related to living matter. 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory. Class fee of $20 required. Prerequisite: C- or better in CHE 107 General Chemistry II.
- FCS 416 FCS Practicum (1-3 credits): Practical experience in the classroom or other professional settings. Experiences can include laboratory assistance, organization, presentation, and evaluation of activity units in family and consumer sciences. May be taken twice. Prerequisite: Department chair approval.
- PED 105 Anatomy and Physiology I (3 credits): An introduction to the physiological processes and anatomical features of the body which are related to and affected by physical activity and training. Systems include the integumentary, skeletal, and muscular. PED 105 is a prerequisite for PED 205, 275, 351, and 452.
- PED 207 Athletic Performance and Nutrition (3 credits): This course will enable the student to attain a better understanding of the dynamic relationship between nutrition and human physiological processes akin to athletics and exercise.
- PED 310 Professional and Leadership Development in Exercise Science (3 credits): This course will develop and enhance professionalism and leadership skills in the context of leadership evaluation, introduction to professional organizations, service-learning initiatives and career exploration related to exercise science and allied health careers. Ideally, this course should be taken at the end of the student’s sophomore year and will help students to develop a curriculum plan of electives to support identified career objectives. Prerequisite: minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA.

Popular pairings

Many students at Wayne State will add a second major or a minor to complement their program of study or to focus their studies on a specific topic. Students who recently majored in Foods and Nutrition at Wayne State also paired this major with one or more of the following programs:

Exercise Science (major or minor)
Public and Global Health (minor)
Sport Management (major or minor)

View all majors and minors

Related programs

Students interested in the Foods and Nutrition program may also be interested in:

Family and Consumer Sciences (B.A. or B.S.)
One Health Studies (B.A. or B.S.)

In the future, I want to open a business related to nutrition. The thing I really love about the Foods and Nutrition program is the wide range of classes I get to take. I get to take classes ranging from nutrition itself, to baking, and business. The professors are very knowledgeable and are always willing to go out of their way to help you. They know your name and where you’re from, and it’s comforting to know that you’re in good hands and that your professors care about you.

Emily Miller

Fremont, Nebraska

Major: Foods and Nutrition