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Nutrition MS, with DPD Verification

Requirements

Program of Study

The Master of Science program in Nutritional Sciences provides students with a course of study in advanced nutrition topics related to disease prevention and management, health optimization, and food and nutrition sustainability. The program prepares graduates for positions in advanced clinical, community, and management careers as well as careers in various industry settings. Students are able to tailor the degree with additional course options within, and outside of, Nutritional Sciences. This degree requires a minimum of 30 semester hours beyond a Bachelor’s degree. Students may or may not choose to complete a thesis. In order to complete a thesis, students must complete 3 hours of course and 3 hours of course. Students must have a 3.0 GPA in prerequisite courses consisting of: General Chemistry I, General Chemistry II with lab, Organic Chemistry, Physiology with lab, and Nutrition. No GRE is required.

Students also have the option to pursue post-baccalaureate Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) verification with the MS in NUTR. The MS NUTR DPD track is specifically designed for students who hold a Bachelor’s degree in a related or unrelated field, and want to pursue Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) accredited supervised practice upon program completion, in order to become a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist (RD/RDN). 

The MS NUTR with DPD verification track requires a minimum of 22 hours of undergraduate credit of TCU NTDT courses (course Food Systems Management, course Quantity Food Production, course Essentials in Dietetics Practice, course Medical Nutrition Therapy I, course Nutritional Biochemistry, course Medical Nutrition Therapy II, course Research Methods in Nutrition) as leveling courses, and a minimum of 30 semester hours beyond a Bachelor of Science degree. Students may or may not choose to complete a thesis. In order to complete a thesis, students must complete 3 hours of course and 3 hours of course. In addition to prerequisite courses required for the MS NUTR (General Chemistry I, General Chemistry II with lab, Organic Chemistry, Physiology with lab, and Nutrition) students must also complete additional prerequisite courses of Nutrition Throughout the Lifecycle, Medical Terminology, Microbiology, and either Human Behavior, Psychology, Sociology or Anthropology. Students must apply to, and be accepted into, the TCU DPD.  Eligibility for admission to the DPD MS NUTR track is based on completion of prerequisite courses with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 for Nutrition (NTDT) classes; and an Associated Requirements GPA of at least 2.75, no more than 3 grades below a "B-" in the Associated Requirements, 200 hours of documented food or nutrition practical experience and an application packet. Students accepted to the DPD must apply to the MS in NUTR to receive conditional acceptance until they begin graduate coursework before they begin courses at TCU to pursue DPD verification or the MS in NUTR. A student's continuation in the DPD is contingent upon attainment of successful completion of the required courses. To earn DPD verification, the student must attain a minimum Nutrition (NTDT) GPA of 3.0, earn a "C-" or better in all NTDT and Associated Requirement courses, a maximum of three grades below a "B-" in the Associated Requirements, and complete 500 hours of documented food or nutrition practical experience prior to the completion of their final semester at TCU. Students who do not meet the requirements for DPD verification, but complete the requirements of the MS in NUTR, will graduate with the MS in NUTR without DPD verification.

Prerequisites (Nutrition and Associate Requirements)

Bachelor's Degree plus:

Nutrition

Nutrition throughout Life Cycle

Medical Terminology

Human Behavior, Psychology, Sociology, OR Anthropology

General Chemistry I

General Chemistry II Lecture and Lab

Organic Chemistry

Physiology

Microbiology

Post Bac

Fall Semester

Spring Semester

course Quality Foods 4

course Food Systems Management 3

course Nutritional Biochemistry 3

course Medical Nutrition Therapy I 3

course Medical Nutrition Therapy II 3

course Research Methods in Nutrition 3

course Essentials in Dietetics 3

course Community Nutrition* 3

*Counts towards Master's

Graduate First Year (Courses are listed by number, title and credit hour for each semester)

Fall Semester

course

Nutritional Sciences Seminar

3

course

Integrative Functional Nutrition and Nutritional Genomics

3

course

Nutrition Ecology, Food, and Sustainability

3

Spring Semester

course

Biochemical, Physiological, and Molecular Aspects of Human Nutrition

3

Electives

3

Electives

3

Graduate Second Year (Courses listed by number, title, and credit hour for each semester)

course

DPD Graduate Seminar

1

course

Thesis

3

OR

Non-thesis

Elective

3

course

Culinary Medicine Seminar

3

course

Thesis

1-6

OR

Non-thesis

Elective

3

Nutrition Graduate Course Options

course

Nutritional Sciences Graduate Seminar

3

course

Gut Microbiota and Health

3

Non-Nutrition Graduate Course Options

course

Trauma & Relationships

3

course

Case Studies in Child Development

3

course

Interaction Skills for Health Professionals

3

course

Diversity in American Education

3

course

Action Research

3

course

Counseling Theories and Techniques

3

course

Addictions Counseling

3

course

Assessment in Counseling

3

course

Healthcare Improvement Science

1.5

course

Diversity and Social Justice

3

course

Human Behavior and the Social Environment 1

3

course

Human Behavior and the Social Environment 2

3

course

Health Care in the U.S.

1.5

course

U.S. Health Care Policy

3

course

Challenges in Healthcare Leadership

1.5

course

Financial Reporting

1.5

*Students can take up to 15 hours of 50000 level credit towards the MS degree.