Experiential Learning

Experiential Learning Form (NSC 391/491, 392/492, 399/499, & 498H) due:

• 7wk1 session: January 24, 2025
• Regular Academic session: February 7, 2025
• 7wl2 session: March 26, 2025

Internship Work Plan (NSC 393/493) due:

• January 28, 2025

All steps outlined on your form must be completed and submitted to NSW-ExpLearning@arizona.edu before the enrollment deadline listed above to avoid additional steps or issues with enrollment.

Individual Studies within Experiential Learning, under the following:

• Preceptorships (391/491)​
• Directed Research (392/492)​
• Internships (393/493)
• Independent Study (399/499)​

And Experiential Learning within the following courses:

• NSC 358L: Institutional Food Management Laboratory​
• NSC 395A:  Experiential Learning in Nutritional Sciences​
• NSC 444: Community Nutrition​
• NSC 497B: Medical Nutrition Therapy Workshop​
• NSC 497F: Community and School Garden Workshop (not taught by NSW)​

All these experiences will require varying degrees of hands-on experience where students will need to dedicate time outside of the classroom and outside of classwork in D2L.

NSC 391H & 491H

NSC 399H & 499H

Please refer to the Honors College policy on receiving honors credit for individual studies and research.

NSC 498H – Honors Thesis

Course Catalog Description: “An honors thesis is required of all the students graduating with honors. Students ordinarily sign up for this course as a two-semester sequence. The first semester the student performs research under the supervision of a faculty member; the second semester the student writes an honors thesis.”

Go to https://frankehonors.arizona.edu/academics/thesiscapstone for more information on the structure of an honors thesis.

Regular Grading: A, B, C, D, E

Credit varies and is dependent on the amount of hours a student can dedicate to the Preceptorship during the session of the course. 1 credit of Preceptorship = 45 hours of work.

Description: Preceptorships consist of work and practice in the classroom. Preceptors are highly motivated students who have previously taken the course and will provide support both in and out of the classroom. They function as student mentors and as instructional assistants.

Open positions are frequently posted on the SNAC D2L portal or emailed to students. If you want to preceptor for a specific course, you can inquire by emailing the instructor of the course.

FERPA Training for Instructors and Instructional Support Teams is REQUIRED for all preceptors. Preceptors must complete the FERPA Training before being enrolled into preceptorship credit. After completing your training, take a screenshot of your certificate, and submit it with your application.

Alternative Grading: S, P, F

3-units of NSC 392 is required for B.S. in Precision Nutrition & Wellness

For students taking NSC 392/492 as an elective, credit varies and is dependent on the amount of hours a student and instructor can dedicate to the Directed Research project in a semester. 1 credit of Directed Research = 45 hours of work.

Description: Directed Research is a structured form of research, where a student can gain in-depth experience in a NSW lab. Students will work directly with a faculty member or graduate student to complete assignments related to the lab’s research with specific deliverables at the end of the semester.

Directed Research is different than an Independent Study because it is graded and is focused on students conducting their own research.

Students can find a list of research faculty in Nutritional Sciences and Wellness by going to our directory. You can click on the name of each faculty member and see what their research areas are. If their area of research interests you and you would like to complete Directed Research in their lab, send them an email introducing yourself and ask if they are accepting students for the upcoming semester.

If you would like further information on how to get started in research, please review the information on the Research, Innovation & Impact Office website.

Regular Grading: A, B, C, D, E

3-units required for Fall 2024 and newer B.S. in Nutrition and Human Performance (requirement can also be fulfilled with 3-units of Independent Study NSC 399/499)

Credit varies and is dependent on the amount of hours a student can dedicate to the Internship in a semester. 1 credit of Internship = 45 hours of work.

Description: An Internship requires specialized work on an individual basis in a nutrition or food related environment. The primary goal of an internship is to give students an opportunity to apply lessons learned in the classroom to a real-world experience set in a professional practice-oriented environment.

While students can complete non-credit bearing internships at any point in their academic career, NSC credit-bearing internships must include supervised professional practice in their major field. Students will need to have a supervisor at their internship site while completing academic coursework to receive credit for the experience.

Receiving NSC credit for an internship is dependent on the approval of the School of Nutritional Sciences & Wellness.

If you are interested in completing an internship or have been accepted into an internship you would like to receive credit for, please email Nicole Chavez at NSW-ExpLearning@arizona.edu.

Alternative Grading: S, P, F

This is an undergraduate-level internship and not a Dietetic Internship.

Credit varies and is dependent on the amount of hours a student can dedicate to the Independent Study in a semester. 1 credit of Independent Study = 45 hours of work.

Description: Qualified students working on an individual basis with professors who have agreed to supervise such work. Independent Study is meant to be flexible, where students can work on a variety of different projects alongside a faculty supervisor.

Students can find a list of faculty to work with in Nutritional Sciences & Wellness by going to our directory. Click on the name of the faculty member to see what their project interest areas are. If the area of their projects or research interest you and you would like to complete an Independent Study under their guidance and supervision, send them an email introducing yourself and ask if they are accepting students for the upcoming semester.

If you would like further information on how to get started in research, please review the information on the Research, Innovation & Impact Office.

Alternative Grading: S, P, F

1-unit course required for B.S. Nutritional Sciences - Dietetics Emphasis

Course Catalog Description: “The Quantity Food Production Management lab provides students the hands-on experience of learning and operating quantity food production equipment and the management experience of planning, purchasing, staffing and producing a menu for a lunch operation serving 100+ meals. Students will be required to meet all dress code requirements of the production facility.”

This course requires students to get hands-on experience in organizations that have food services and an industrial sized kitchen where you can complete labs. These organizations can include (but are not limited to) hospital cafeterias, assisted living facilities, rehabilitation facilities, and school cafeterias. This opportunity allows students to get a variety of hands-on experience, which is vital to understanding the processes of foodservice. Students will need to train in food safety before they start these experiences, demonstrating that they can safely work around food in any kitchen they volunteer in. There will also be a few written assignments within the class on top of the experiences.

2-unit course required for B.S. Nutritional Sciences - Dietetics Emphasis and Nutrition Emphasis​

Course Catalog Description: “This course offers an organized volunteer and work opportunity with oversight by the department and a classroom component.”

This course requires students to volunteer in a community location like food pantries, food banks, food distribution centers, schools, community gardens, or other related agencies.

3-unit course required for B.S. Nutritional Sciences - Dietetics Emphasis and B.S. Nutrition & Food Systems

Course Catalog Description: “This course is an in depth look at how the RD/nutritionist works in the community, by providing hands-on experience in teaching nutrition in a community setting. The course will cover areas such as determining needs for nutrition education, public policy, various nutrition programs, funding and grant writing, and communication skills needed for various audiences.”

This course requires students to work with an organization for nutrition programming in community settings. The community setting can include (but is not limited to) health centers, clinics, hospitals, schools, churches, recreational and sports centers, and other non-profits that have food or nutrition programs. Students will develop a needs assessment, nutrition lesson plans, provide information on interventions, and other related activities that will be evaluated by the supervisor in the community organization with the guidance of an instructor.

3-unit course elective for students who have taken NSC 415L and NSC 415R.

Course Catalog Description: “The NSC Applied Sports Nutrition Workshop will provide students with the opportunity for hands-on experiential learning in the field of Sports Nutrition. Sports Nutrition students will learn to conduct dietary intake assessments; practice menu development for athlete training tables, create recipe nutrient analyses, and observe University athlete training tables; create sports nutrition cooking demonstrations and nutrition education materials/presentations for athletes; learn and practice body composition assessment and analysis techniques; and observe athletes during training to better understand the physical demands of various sports. The program instructor and rotation leaders work closely with student participants to develop sports nutrition skill sets to compliment career aspirations within the sports and fitness nutrition industry.”

*Only taught in-person

1-unit course elective in Nutritional Sciences for students who have taken NSC 325 and NSC 395A

Course Catalog Description: “The NSC Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) Workshop will provide students with the opportunity for hands-on experiential learning in the field of MNT. Students will be assigned a variety of hands-on patient or client activities throughout the semester to strengthen their skills in applying MNT principles, developing competency to complete a comprehensive nutrition-focused physical assessment, strengthening communication and collaboration strategies, strengthening research skills related to research methodology, and interpretating of research literature and integration of research principles into evidence-based MNT practice.​

Students will meet weekly throughout the semester to review their patient interactions and nutrition care plan with the Instructor. Students will also participate in monthly patient care rounds where they will be required to present or describe their patient/client interactions related to that month. Students will also participate in journal club monthly to review and discuss assigned journal articles on MNT relevant topics. Students will also participate in 1 group community presentation during the semester. Students will be required to sign a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPAA) agreement.”

*Only taught in-person

Course Catalog Description: “This workshop-based course is designed to enable UA undergraduate and graduate students to work in Tucson-area schools and community sites helping stakeholders to plant, harvest and prepare foods from their garden as well as use the garden as a learning space. As a member of a school or community garden team, students are likely to cover a wide range of activities from maintaining a compost pile to administering lesson plans for teaching in the garden to weeding, planting, and organizing work crews. In addition to attending one 3-hour weekend workshop, students are required to attend weekly class meetings on the UA campus. Most of the course, however, revolves around independent and sustained involvement with a Tucson school or community garden. No teaching or gardening experience is required.”

*Only taught in-person

This is a list of organizations that students for online courses NSC 358L, NSC 395A, and NSC 444 have worked with in the past. This list is designed to help students identify potential sites in their geographic area for experiential learning or undergraduate internships. There is NO guarantee that the organizations on this list will have the capacity to take on students. Students are responsible for identifying a contact person at each site to reach out and discuss opportunities. Specific requirements and information on how to reach out to sites will be given to students enrolled in the course at the start of the semester. If you are enrolled in an in-person main campus class, your site options are preselected each semester by your instructor.

View List

University of Arizona registration deadlines apply to all the experiential learning courses listed above: https://registrar.arizona.edu/dates-and-deadlines.

Please keep in mind that any courses that require you to apply with the Experiential Learning Form and/or the Internship Work Plan Form should be emailed to NSW-ExpLearning@arizona.edu a few weeks before the registration deadline, to give adequate time to review your application and enroll you into the course.

• Grading: All for-credit experiential learning opportunities appear on the official transcript. Experiential learning opportunities which are graded on a S/P/F basis may or may not fulfill requirements for units per semester for specific funding sources. Students should consult with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid to verify that all semester unit requirements are met, for requirements of specific funding sources (grants, scholarships, etc.).
• Credit: The University and Board of Regents require a minimum of 45 hours of course work for each unit of credit awarded.
• The Number of Credits: Number of credits requested must lie within the approved credit range listed in the catalog course description.
• Tuition Fees: Tuition fees are calculated at the same rate as other NSC courses.
• The Proposal: The student should have a specific proposal in mind when requesting Experiential Learning credits.
• Incomplete: In the case that a grade of ‘I’ is awarded in an experiential learning course, and the project advisor is no longer available, another project advisor must be identified who agrees to evaluate the student’s work. All for-credit experiential learning opportunities must be reviewed and approved by the School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness. Approval of internship sites, independent study projects and other experiential learning options is at the discretion of the Department of Nutritional Sciences and will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Working with a Mentor in Another Department: If you are an NSC major, but are completing an experience in another department, you will need to contact that department to get registered. The NSC department can only register students in NSC courses under supervising mentors who are affiliated with the School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness.

If you are having issues filling out the Experiential Learning Form on your device, you can fill it out online. Click on this how-to guide for more information.

University of Arizona students can utilize the Office of Student Engagement & Career Development as a resource for all things career, whether that's creating a career plan, developing in-demand skills, or securing career opportunities. You can learn more by going to their website or by speaking to someone one-on-one through LifeLab.