I. Admission Requirements
For unconditional admittance, the prospective student needs to have an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, preferably in a major of nutritional sciences or related field. Students with a cumulative GPA lower than 3.0 or those who majored in another area may be considered for conditional admittance.
Students must have a minimum of two letters of recommendation, preferably from current or former faculty who can evaluate the student’s ability to handle graduate work. Students must also submit a personal statement that discusses in detail why the individual wants to pursue an MS degree in Nutritional Sciences. Work and volunteer experience in the field is also evaluated. The department uses a rubric for evaluating each applicant and scores points for overall GPA, personal statement, letters of recommendation, and work, volunteer, or internship experience.
II. Program Requirements
NS Track
Professional Core - 9 hours
NSCG 5600 – Advanced Nutrition (3)
NSCG 5610 – Nutrition Therapy and Disease States (3)
NSCG 5910 – Nutrition through Life Cycle (3)
Research Core – 6 hours
NSCG 5800 - Research in Foods and Nutrition (3)
NSCG 5420 - Biostatistics (3)
Nutrition Elective Courses - 9 hours (selected from the following courses)
NSCG 5630 - Sports Nutrition (3)
NSCG 5640 - Public Health Nutrition (3)
NSCG 5720 - Advances in Nutrition Education (3)
NSCG 5740 - Pediatric Nutrition (3)
NSCG 5820 – Gerontological Nutrition (3)
NSCG 5840 – Weight Management, Obesity and Diabetes (3)
Elective - 6 hours
Any Counseling, Human Development, or Nutrition elective
Internship or Thesis - 3 hours
NSCG 5850 - Internship (3) or NCSG 5900 – Thesis (3)
Total Credit Hours in NS Track - 33 hours
NS-RD Track
Professional Core - 9 hours
NSCG 5600 – Advanced Nutrition (3)
NSCG 5610 – Nutrition Therapy and Disease States (3)
NSCG 5910 – Nutrition through Life Cycle (3)
Research Core – 6 hours
NSCG 5800 - Research in Foods and Nutrition (3)
NSCG 5420 - Biostatistics (3)
Nutrition Elective Courses - 9 hours (selected from the following courses)
NSCG 5630 - Sports Nutrition (3)
NSCG 5640 - Public Health Nutrition (3)
NSCG 5720 - Advances in Nutrition Education (3)
NSCG 5740 - Pediatric Nutrition (3)
NSCG 5820 – Gerontological Nutrition (3)
NSCG 5840 – Weight Management, Obesity and Diabetes (3)
Elective - 3 hours
Any Counseling, Human Development, or Nutrition elective
Internship
Internship requirements are fulfilled by a prior ACEND-accredited dietetic internship, and 6 credits are granted towards the degree program.
Total Credit Hours in NS-RD Track - 27 additional hours
(27 hours + 6 transfer internship hours = 33 hours)
III. Exit Requirements (NS and NS-RD tracks)
- A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher is required.
- Successful completion of at least 33 credit hours for either the Thesis or Non-Thesis (Internship) option is required.
- Successful completion of a written comprehensive examination is required, with an 80% minimum score.
- Successful completion of a three-credit internship program project or thesis, including passing an oral exam, is required. The NS-RD track completes this requirement through the dietetic internship and RD exam.