Interested in the field of nutrition but don’t want to major in it?

The University of Akron School of Nutrition and Dietetics is now offering a minor in nutrition.

According to the school’s website, UA students who are “majoring in a wide variety of disciplines can benefit from the minor for both personal care and professional knowledge.”

Open to all UA students, the new minor features classes from the two degree programs the School of Nutrition and Dietetics offers. These programs are Dietetics: Coordinated Program (CP) and Food and Environmental Nutrition (FEN).

Dr. Pei-Yang Liu, an associate professor and licensed Ohio Dietitian, said the creation of this minor came after the school received several calls from students in other majors interested.

“Originally, we got many phone calls from students. Especially from the sports science majors because a lot of times, they involve nutrition,” Dr. Liu said. “So we put it over to the curriculum system and it got approved. Now we can accept students.”

Two courses Liu said students must take within the minor include Nutritional Fundamentals and Medical Nutrition Therapy. Students will then need to complete an additional 12 credit hours of nutrition courses.

A complete course list and curriculum guide for the nutrition minor can be found on the School of Nutrition and Dietetics website. Additional information on the CP and FEN degree curriculums are also available online.

When scheduling classes for the minor, Dr. Liu recommends students ask the advisors within the School of Nutrition and Dietetics for assistance as some classes require prerequisites and others do not.

“So us as advisors for those minor students will suggest what courses are most suitable for them,” Dr. Liu said. “If they don’t need to take those prerequisites, that will be good for them and they can just directly take our courses.”