Undergraduate Nutrition Practicum

Boston University offers an outstanding variety of affiliations for your practicum experience. Besides the opportunity to apply classroom knowledge in professional settings, these experiences help many students clarify their career goals.

Undergraduate Nutrition Practicum (SAR HS 415)

The Undergraduate Nutrition Practicum (SAR HS 415) is an optional course for the BS in Nutrition Program. Students in all tracks can apply for this experience. In this two-credit course, you will spend a minimum of 75 hours over the course of the semester working with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) or other health care professional in an area of your interest. The affiliations are designed to provide practical, hands-on experiences in the profession of nutrition—an opportunity to apply classroom knowledge in a variety of professional settings. The practicum is also an ideal opportunity to begin exploring the numerous career opportunities in nutrition.

This coveted experience allows you to customize your program and provides an ideal opportunity to begin exploring the numerous career possibilities in dietetics and nutrition. Students have completed the practicum in a wide range of settings, including clinical, media, research, sports and performance nutrition, community, public health, academic, food service, industry, communications, and private practice. These include:

Boston University Student-Athlete Fueling Station
Boston College Student-Athlete Fueling Station
Boston Medical Center General Research Center
Boston Medical Center Inpatient Nutrition Team
Boston Medical Center Teaching Kitchen
Brigham and Women’s Hospital Center for Weight Management and Wellness
Brigham and Women’s Hospital Outpatient Nutrition & Wellness Center
Boston Children’s Hospital Female Athlete Program
Cambridge Eating Disorder Clinic
Cambridge Health Alliance
Community Servings
Dana J. Fryer Nutrition LLC
Davita Dialysis Centers
Eliot Human Services
EloHealth
Forsyth School of Dentistry, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Greater Boston Food Bank
Joslin DiabetesClinic at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham
Kate Farms Inc.
Kids Cooking Green Community Program
Mass General Brigham Home Base Center for Veterans
Lahey Hospital and Medical Center Inpatient Nutrition Team
Life Care Long Term Care Facility
Massachusetts General Hospital General Research Center
Maura Walker, PhD Lab at BU
Megan McCrory, PhD Lab at BU
Mount Auburn Food and Nutrition Department
Newton Public School
Newton Wellesley Outpatient Oncology Clinic
Nicola McKeown, PhD Lab at BU
BU’s Sargent Choice Nutrition Center
SpotOn! Podcast

Please note:

Students who are admitted to Sargent College routinely participate in clinical education experiences as a part of the respective program curricula. Most clinical education facilities require criminal background checks to determine students’ eligibility for participation. History of a criminal background may disqualify students from participating in these experiences which are required for successful completion of the degree program.

Students may have to provide documentation of medical exams or immunizations before clinical education experiences.
Students are responsible for all expenses related to clinical education including travel-related expenses and placement specific costs. Travel-related costs include access to a car or car-ride service as not all placement sites are accessible via public transportation. Additional placement costs (up to approximately $125 per placement) may include fingerprinting, lab coat or scrubs purchase, etc

There may be some clinical placements that are unavailable to students who are non-US citizens.
Questions regarding requirements for specific sites should be directed to the Clinical Education Services Office (clined@bu.edu; Sargent room 218).

Questions?

We are happy to answer your questions. For more information about our practicum course, contact us at staniec@bu.edu or 617-353-1212