The University of Kansas is proposing a new bachelor’s of science degree in nutrition at Wednesday’s Kansas Board of Regents meeting.
According to the proposal in the KBOR meeting agenda, this program would be offered at the KU Edwards campus in Overland Park through the School of Professional Studies. It is designed for transfer students, like those from Kansas City metro-area community colleges.
The university is asking for a non-standard tuition rate of $495 per credit hour to make sure the degree is affordable for all students throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area.
The Edwards campus does not offer lower-division courses, but KU expects that students would complete these at a community college.
Lawrence-based students would also have the option to pursue this degree.
“Incoming Lawrence-based students interested in pursuing the Nutrition degree are able to begin program requirements in their freshman year,” the memo read.
According to the memo, the degree would provide “a comprehensive understanding of how food and nutrition impact health, providing students with the foundational knowledge to pursue careers as nutritionists, dietitians or related roles in the health field.”
The memo said this program would prepare students for employment, graduate school or other professional programs.
It has been designed to establish a bridge to the University of Kansas Medical Center’s Master of Science in Dietetics and Nutrition program.
“This proposal capitalizes on the School of Professional Studies’ strong relationships with Kansas City metro-area community colleges, well-established transfer pathways focused on workforce needs and a close relationship with the University of Kansas Medical Center,” the memo read.
According to the memo, Kansas State University is the only public institution in Kansas that offers the same program. It also said that employment of dieticians and nutritionists is expected to grow 7% from 2022 to 2032.
The program would be funded through the Johnson County Education and Research Triangle funds and tuition revenue until it could generate its own revenue. No state funds would go toward the program.
This proposal is part of the meeting’s consent agenda, meaning it will likely be approved. The Board of Regents meets on April 17 at 1:30 p.m. at the Pittsburg State University in the Overman Student Center. The meeting will be live streamed on YouTube.
This article was edited by Head News Editor Emily Harter. If the information in this article needs to be corrected, please contact [email protected].