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New B.S. in Nutrition program launched

The Department of Natural Sciences at LAU has launched a new undergraduate program in nutrition, beginning in spring 2010.

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Students in the new B.S. in Nutrition program will use LAU's state-of-the-art labs on both campuses.

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Learn more about LAU's B.S. in Nutrition program.

The Department of Natural Sciences at LAU has launched a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Nutrition program, beginning in spring 2010 for current students, and fall 2010 for new students on both campuses.

The program is structured as a three-year undergraduate degree program in nutrition, and an optional fourth year in which students can earn a diploma in dietetics that enables them to begin professional practice as dietitians.

“In this optional fourth year, once approved by the government, students would take two professional practical courses (at least 600 hours of internship), conducted in LAU’s recently acquired University Medical Center - Rizk Hospital and/or any other hospital, if needed,” says Dr. Fuad Hashwa, dean of LAU’s School of Arts and Sciences in Byblos.

The program, under the School of Arts and Sciences, has been introduced to meet the growing demand of students interested in studying dietetics in addition to nutrition, says Dr. Costantine Daher, chair of the Department of Natural Sciences at LAU Byblos. “We made a study when we attended career fairs and visited schools, and discovered that many students were interested in such a major,” he says. “So we started developing the program.”

The idea for developing a B.S. in Nutrition program first emerged over six years ago, says Daher, who worked toward actualizing the degree program, adding that a long list of factors contributed to the delay in launch. He explained that these factors included an unstable political situation in Lebanon, a challenge in finding qualified faculty, and a brief lack of a government that delayed the approval of the curriculum.

However, with the support of the deans and the provost, everything worked out, and Daher says the program is being launched in the spring for existing students in the science programs who may want to switch over. “The first year of the nutrition program is very similar to the biology program,” he adds.

Dr. Samira Korfali, chair of the Department of Natural Sciences in Beirut, is excited to launch the program. “It reflects the changing needs in the market,” she says. “And it also gives a chance for students who started in another science field to switch if this is what interests them.”

To find out more about the B.S. in Nutrition program, check out this page.

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