• Description of Program
• Degree Requirements
• Special Opportunities
• Careers

Description of Program

Nutrition & Dietetics integrates nutrition, medical nutrition therapy, biochemistry, epidemiology, and research methods, including dietary assessment, statistics, and presentation skills.  Graduates will be prepared for dietetics supervised practice (i.e. dietetic internships) in order to establish eligibility to take the RD exam en route to a career as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).

Competencies:

1. Use biochemical mechanisms of nutrient metabolism to explain contributions of nutrients to health and disease.
2. Demonstrate command of structures, chemical properties, and interrelationships of biological substances.
3. Apply medical nutrition therapy principles to dietary interventions in various disease states.
4. Identify key sources of data for epidemiologic purposes.
5. Apply the basic terminology and definitions of epidemiology.
6. Evaluate the strengths and limitations of epidemiologic reports.
7. Critically synthesize scientific literature.
8. Demonstrate command of ethical principles in designing and conducting research and presenting and publishing findings.
9. Demonstrate command of methods and techniques of research.
10. Select, apply and interpret appropriate statistical methods of analysis to data.
11. Synthesize and summarize nutrition research in an effective presentation.

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 30 graduate credit hours is required for the nutrition & dietetics program. A minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) is required for graduation. A minimum grade of C is required in each course. The sequence of courses for completing the degree must be approved each semester by the advisor.

Public Health Foundations Requirement (0 credits)
All new master's degree students must complete the Public Health Foundations online course no later than the end of their first semester of graduate study. Complete details and registration information for this course can be found iu.instructure.com/enroll/MNG3L6

The Nutrition Science Core courses and Specialization core courses must be taken before completion of the Bachelor's degree.  All 4 courses must be taken at the graduate level to count for the Master's degree and the Bachelor's degree.

Complete each of the following Nutrition Science core courses (6 cr.):

• SPH-N 530 Advanced Nutrition I * (P: a course in organic chemistry and SPH-N 231) (3 cr.)

• SPH-N 532 Advanced Nutrition II ** (P: SPH-N 530) (3 cr.)

Complete each of the following Specialization core courses (6 cr.):

• SPH-N 531 Medical Nutrition Therapy * (P:SPH-N 231 and PHSL-P 215, or equivalents.) (3 cr.)

•  SPH-N 533 Medical Nutrition Therapy Application ** (P or C: SPH-N 531) (3 cr.)

The remaining master’s degree courses can be taken after completion of the Bachelor’s degree: Complete the following Public Health Core courses: (6 credits) 

•  SPH-E 680 Nutritional Epidemiology or SPH-E 651 Epidemiology (3 cr.)
• SPH-Q 501 Introduction to Statistics in Public Health 

Complete two of the following Elective courses*: (6 credits) 

• SPH-N 617 Communication of Nutrition Science to Diverse Audiences (3 cr.)
• SPH-N 602 Food and Nutrition Policy and Regulations (3 cr.)
• ANTH-E 621 Food and Culture or other Food Studies graduate course (3 cr.)
• SPH-H 522 Promoting Women’s Health or other Maternal Child Health graduate course (3 cr.)
• SPH-B 589 Theories and Conceptual Frameworks in Public Health (3 cr.)
• SPH-N 600 Nutrigenomics (P: CHEM-C 483 OR SPH-N 530) (3 cr.)
• SPH-N 601 Phytonutrients (P: SPH-N 532 or concurrent or permission of instructor) (3 cr.)
• SPH-N 620 Nutrition in Sports (3 cr.)

Complete one of the following Reserch Options, either Thesis or Non-thesis (6 cr.)

Thesis

•  SPH-N 599 Masters Thesis (6 cr.)

Non-Thesis

•  SPH-N 691 Readings in Nutrition Science (3 cr.)  (P: Permission of instructor) or SPH-N 539 Special Problems in: Nutrition (3 cr.) 
• SPH-N 692 Research in Nutrition Science (3 cr.) (P: Permission of Instructor)

Special Opportunities

Special opportunities include individualized research with faculty members, laboratory experiences, and volunteer opportunities in nutrition education.

Careers

Graduates with a MS in Nutrition & Dietetics can apply for supervised practice in dietetics (i.e. dietetic internships) as a last step needed to establish eligibility to take the national RD exam. Successful passage of the RD exam establishes graduates as Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs).

As RDNs, graduates may work in clinical settings such as hospitals, long term care facilities, nutrition clinics, or private practice; serve on a health care team; or work one-on-one with people in the treatment and prevention of disease. Community-based RDNs counsel individuals and groups on nutritional practices designed to prevent disease and promote health. Management RDNs often oversee large-scale meal planning and preparation in health care facilities, schools, universities, restaurant chains, or private industry. A growing number of RDNs work in business, journalism, marketing, sports nutrition, and corporate wellness programs. RDNs with advanced degrees can pursue careers in higher education; conduct research in nutrition science, dietetics, or health; or pursue further education in doctoral programs or other health professional programs.