Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the necessity for the extension of education and the desirable educational period of department of food and nutrition in junior college. Questionnaire was answered by the students, professors, dietitians, and the graduates. The result is summarized as follows: 52.1% of the subjects recognized that 2 year-period of education is too short, and professor group felt significantly shorter than any other groups. Both groups of professors(45.7%) and dietitians(43.5%) had more significantly recognized the necessity for the extended period of education than the groups of students(23.0%) and the graduates(21.5%) As the causes of the necessity for the extended period of education, 48.6% of the subjects answered 2 year-period of education is too short to study and practice on the major, and professor group highly recognized that the students need more time to study and practice for the major than time to prepare for the dietitian's certificates(p<0.001). Both Groups of professors(77.8%) and the graduates(65.1%) had significantly higher answer than groups of dietitians(56.1%) and the students(56.5%) to the question that 3 year-period of education is proper(p<0.001). Therefore the educational system should be reorganized into the three year-period of education as soon as possible for the effectiveness of the education of the dietitians, for the higher acquisition of dietitian's certificate, for the increase of field education, for the development of the student's creativeness and for the various courses after the graduation.