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Nutrition and Dietetics
The Nutrition and Dietetics program at ESPOL was conceived in response to the need to protect the health of the population. This is because population-based studies such as the National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT 2012) have revealed the urgency of establishing therapeutic strategies through nutrition education, healthcare, dietetic planning, research, and the innovation of nutraceuticals to prevent health issues and to maintain or improve the quality of life of the population.
ESPOL does not offer distance education modalities for Nutrition and Dietetics.
Mission
To train health professionals of integrity, with critical thinking, to be part of multidisciplinary teams that improve the quality of life of people through promotion, counseling and nutritional education.
Goal 1. Program graduates will be competent entry-level Dietitian Nutritionists (DN) who meet the employment needs of Ecuador.
Objectives:
1. At least 80% of students complete program requirements within 7.5 years (150% of planned program length). 2. Of graduates who seek employment, at least 60% percent are employed in nutrition and dietetics or related fields within 12 months of graduation. 3. At least 70% of employers who respond to a survey will agree or strongly agree that the program graduates are competent entry-level Practitioners. |
Goal 2. Program graduates will apply critical-thinking and effective problem-solving skills in their professional practice.
Objectives:
1. At least 70% of employers responding to a survey state they are ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ that program graduates demonstrate strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills in their professional practice. 2. At least 80% of program graduates will report feeling confident in their critical-thinking and problem-solving abilities in their professional roles within one year of graduation. |
Program outcomes data are available upon request.
* Undergraduate tuition/fees:
The Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador in its Article 356, among other principles, establishes that third-level public higher education will be tuition/fees free. Zero cost education is linked to the academic responsibility of the students.
Number of admitted students per academic year
Number of graduates per year
Number of enrolled students per academic year
Graphs show the figures in real time, at the time of the query
In the Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics program, we seek observant, critical, reflective, analytical, tenacious, cooperative, honest students who are committed to public health, possess a basic understanding of life sciences and mathematics, have manual dexterity, are willing to work both independently and in collaborative groups, and are dedicated to serving and assisting the population.
ESPOL is a tuition free public university financed by the Ecuadorian government through its Ministry of Finance.
The Academic Affairs Provost manages the resources allocated to the payment of each academic unit faculty, based on the annual plan. On the other side, the budget for: books, software, construction, and facility maintenance for each academic unit; is managed by The Library Information Center (CIB), Technology and Information Systems Management (GTSI), Physical Infrastructure Management, and Administrative Management; respectively.
Additionally, the Research, Development and Innovation Provost budgets institutional resources for research activities.
All efforts from different institutional areas are coordinated by the Strategic Planning and Institutional Development Manager. These resources are distributed according to operational objectives established in the Annual Operational Plan (POA) for each academic unit.
Students are free of charge during the regular semester and in the extraordinary term. The tables below detail the estimated cost for students (residents and non-residents), in regular academic term.
Residents, US dollars
Expenses | Per Academic Term cost ($) | Academic Year cost ($) |
General Services | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Student Fitness and Wellness Fee | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Student Activity Fee | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Subtotal tuition | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Other estimated expenses |
|
|
Food (1) | 240.0 | 480.0 |
Books/Course Materials/Supplies/Equipment | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Transportation (2) | 48.0 | 96.0 |
Miscellaneous/Federal Student Loan Fees (3) | 100.0 | 200.0 |
Scrubs (4) | 120.0 | 240.0 |
Subtotal other estimated expenses | 508.0 | 1016.0 |
Total Tuition, Housing & Misc Exp | 508.0 | 1016.0 |
(1) Estimated on campus food costs.
(2) Considers two-way public transportation. Does not include flights or transportation costs outside Guayaquil.
(3) Estimated cost. The final value would depend on the financial institution.
(4) Average cost.
Non-residents and international students, US dollars
Expenses | Per Academic Term cost ($) | Academic Year cost ($) |
Servicios Generales | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Student Fitness and Wellness Fee | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Student Activity Fee | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Subtotal tuition | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Other estimated expenses |
|
|
Housing/food (1) | 1,900.0 | 3,800.0 |
Books/Course Materials/Supplies/Equipment | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Transportation (2) | 72.0 | 144.0 |
Miscellaneous/Federal Student Loan Fees (3) | 300.0 | 600.0 |
Scrubs (4) | 120.0 | 240.0 |
Subtotal other estimated expenses | 2,392.0 | 4,784.0 |
Total Tuition, Housing & Misc Exp | 2,392.0 | 4,784.0 |
(1) Estimated on campus food costs. Housing and food costs are not billed by ESPOL. The final costs will vary depending on the location.
(2) Considers two-way public transportation in Guayaquil. Does not include ground transportation costs and flights outside Guayaquil.
(3) Estimated cost. The final value would depend on the financial institution.
(4) Average cost.
According to ESPOL's Undergraduate Tuition, Enrollment, and Rights Regulations, free tuition and fees are subject to temporal and definitive forfeiture. Second and third enrollments in a course will not be covered, nor those considered special or extraordinary (temporal forfeiture).
Definitive forfeiture applies when 30% or more credit hours of the program curriculum are failed.
ESPOL's Undergraduate Tuition, Enrollment, and Rights Regulations show the detailed fees calculations. ESPOL regulations are aligned with the Ecuadorian Higher Education Law.
Upon completion of the 5-year program, you will be able to:
• Improve the quality of life through nutritional education, health care, food planning, research and innovation of nutraceuticals that mitigate, correct or prevent issues linked to the nutritional status of our country. • Provide comprehensive care to the healthy population and especially to vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, children under 5 years of age and the elderly through the promotion of healthy eating habits and lifestyles. • Determine the dietetic-nutritional treatment for patients who suffer from chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, renal failure, among others. |
Occupational Profile
The nutritionist and dietitian has the skills and abilities to perform in various areas of work, such as:
• Public and private health service centers (hospitals, clinics, medical centers). • Planning and development of public policies in nutrition (governmental entities). • Food industries and creation of micro and medium-sized companies of healthy food (food services). • Sports and high performance centers, gyms. • Institutions dedicated to research, coordination and support nutrition interventions in public health. • Integral Gerontological Care Services. • Independent professional practice. |
To attain the Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics degree, students must complete the following requirements:
The program consists of eight academic terms, each term lasting 19 weeks.
Graduation requirements include:
1. Completing 38 credits of Basic Unit courses.
2. Completing 67 credits of Professional Unit courses.
3. Completing 8 credits of Integrative Unit in Capstone Course of 3 credits with a dedicated capstone project requiring 5 credits (equivalent to 240 hours).
4. Completing 2,080 hours of supervised practice divided into four rotations (520 hours each) in (1) Hospital Nutrition, (2) Hospital Food Service Management, (3) Community Nutrition, and (4) Food and Nutrition Promotion.
In Ecuador, there are no additional licensing or credentialing exams required to practice as a dietitian.
Therefore, graduates of our Nutrition and Dietetics program are eligible to practice immediately after completing the program without further examinations or licensing.
The Capstone Project is a culminating requirement for graduation. These projects provide students with the experience of applying acquired knowledge and skills to the needs of society, with a focus on sustainability.
The IDEAR Fair showcases all Capstone projects, offering students a valuable opportunity to showcase their work and hone soft skills such as communication and teamwork. It is also a space for students to network with potential clients and future employers.
Explore all of the Capstone projects completed by the students in Nutrition and Dietetics program.
Download the pdf file: Supervised Practice FLS
Students do not need to identify supervised practice sites or preceptors, as these are assigned by the Ministry of Public Health upon completion of the required credits. ESPOL facilitates this process by providing the preceptor.
Based on the Regulations for the Supervised Practice of the Nutrition and Dietetics Program of the Faculty of Life Sciences.
Art. 16.- Admission to the Supervised Practice. - In accordance with current health regulations, the process for entering the Supervised Practice is as follows:
a) Requirements. - This process is based on the coordination between ESPOL and the health establishments of the Comprehensive Public Health Network and Complementary Private Network, within the framework of the agreements that will be signed between them for this purpose. ESPOL will make the requests for the assignment of positions to the health establishments of the Comprehensive Public Health Network and Complementary Private Network, according to the planning approved by the Ministry of Public Health and in accordance with the regulations issued by said entity.
b) Position Assignment Process. - The process of assigning positions for Interns will be carried out based on the current regulations for the Supervised Practice issued by the Ministry of Public Health.
c) Inter-institutional Agreement for the Supervised Practice. - Once the number of positions has been assigned by the Ministry of Public Health, an inter-institutional cooperation agreement will be signed between each health establishment of the Comprehensive Public Health Network and/or Complementary Private Network and ESPOL.
d) Individualized Agreement for the Supervised Practice. - Based on the inter-institutional cooperation agreement for the Supervised Practice, to integrate the student with the health establishments of the Comprehensive Public Health Network and Complementary Private Network, ESPOL will sign individual agreements with the legal representative of the corresponding health establishments.
Interns are required to comply with this regulation, the Statute, the Code of Ethics, and other ESPOL internal regulations, as well as the internal policies and rules of the health establishments of the Comprehensive Public Health Network and Complementary Private Network where they are placed, as applicable.
ESPOL has applied to the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND®) to open an ACEND accredited Foreign Dietitian Education Program in PAO I 2025.
Our eligibility application was accepted by ACEND, and we are in the pre-candidacy process for our proposed program.
The program is not accepting applications at this time for an ACEND-accredited program but will do so upon successful completion of the candidacy for accreditation process to achieve ACEND accreditation.
For more information about the ACEND accreditation standards visit 2022 ACEND Accreditation Standards.
Contact Sara Flores Madrid, scflores@espol.edu.ec, +593 42 269 601, for more information.
DID YOU KNOW?
As part of our program, you will perform a 52-week Supervised Practice which will be carried out in institutions of the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador.
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