Akita Nutrition Junior College studies food scientifically and tries to train professional dieticians who are capable of promoting health among local citizens.
Akita Nutrition Junior College is a dietician training school with 50 years of experience. We have produced many capable dieticians who presently work both inside and outside of Akita Prefecture. Because of a high amount of salt in the local diet many cases of cerebrovascular disease have traditionally been found in Akita Prefecture. Dieticians in the prefecture (1/3 of whom are graduates of our school) have been involved for some time in a “Less Salt Campaign.” A decrease in the number of people with this disease has been noted. Graduation from our school provides students with a dietician license which enables them to work in hospitals, schools and nursing care facilities. Three years of working as a dietician will qualify them for a registered dietician state examination. We offer a “registered dietician course” to support our graduates. Our success rate is in keeping with the national average. Ten of our graduates passed the examination this year (2007). Expert knowledge and professional skills provided help students achieve their goal of becoming professional dietitians who are devoted to the health and happiness of people in the community.
A curriculum was created to meet the needs of the community. The “Cultural Refinement Class” is aimed at broadening the students’ view and to nurture sensitivity. “Basic exercise” and “Seminar” classes have a small class setting. Off-campus training is offered as well as regular “lectures,” “laboratory work,” and “supervised training.”
Students must take required classes as well as elective classes. Required classes are necessary to obtain the dietician license. Elective classes should be selected to meet individual goals and interests.
Through laboratory work, training, and practice students are able to actually experience what they are taught in the classroom. This helps them gain a deeper understanding. Various types of laboratory work introduce them to advanced technology. Skills needed for experiments are taught in the “Fundamental Experiment Skills” class (for those who never learned them in high school). Of course this is also taught to experienced students in order to make their laboratory skills even more reliable.
The second year students undergo training in the group meal preparation room during summer vacation. Group Meal Administration Off-campus Training Ⅱ is offered to those who desire more training. Students gain more established knowledge through off-campus training.
Today, all the calculations for calories and nutritive values are done on computers. Thus, students are expected to acquire skills working with Word Processing and Spreadsheet software. Data Processing Exercises A, B, C, and D give students necessary computer operation skills.
Seminars are conducted in a small-class setting. Students do research, make presentations, and discuss ideas under the guidance of an instructor. All students are required to enroll in a seminar from their first year. Students may choose the seminar of their choice. Each seminar consists of approximately 10 students, making individual guidance possible. The common aim of these seminars is to help students acquire the ability to detect and solve problems on their own. Personal contact with instructors makes college life even more fruitful.
Chinatsu Ito Seminar: Considering Dietary Habits in Everyday Life
Megumi Ito Seminar: Building Relationships with People through Dietary Guidance
Komatsubara Seminar: Scientific Analysis of Foods
Sato Seminar: Health Preservation and Disease Prevention through Foods
Taira Seminar: Comparison of Dietary Cultures between England, America, and Japan
Takisawa Seminar: Ever Needed Dietetics
Toyomaki Seminar: Learning Changes in Processed Foods
Hashimoto Seminar: Let’s Produce “Eating”
Higashiguchi Seminar: Scientific Analysis of “a Sixth Sense” Needed for Food Preparation
Hirokawa Seminar: Learning “Life Phenomena”