All students must meet the Requirements for the Master's Degree.
Overview
The Master of Science in Dietetics Program (M.S.D.), housed in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences under the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Vermont, is a 30-hour graduate credit coordinated degree program that includes fully online didactic coursework, a graduate capstone project, an approximately 32 hour mandatory campus-based embedded competency training session at the start of semester 2, and supervised practice experience culminating in student eligibility to write the exam for Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.
The mission is to educate and prepare graduate students who will successfully function as entry-level dietitian nutritionists with specialized knowledge of and the ability to apply the principles of and the ability to apply the principles of leadership, weight-neutral approaches to health, nutrition science, and evidence-based care across community health and nutrition practice settings. Students will also develop competence in research methodology. Students will take graduate level courses throughout the University of Vermont as well as advanced nutrition courses offered in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences. For more information about the program, please visit the M.S.D. website.
For the core M.S.D. courses (NFS 6100, NFS 6110, NFS 6120, NFS 6130), there is a weekly mandatory online synchronous class meeting. During the supervised practice experience semesters, NFS 6110 and NFS 6120 class meetings are held every Monday.
The Master of Science in Dietetics is accredited by:
Accreditation Council for Education and Dietetics (ACEND)
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More information about ACEND and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is available at their websites.
Following completion of the supervised practice experience and all requirements for the M.S.D., students will be issued a verification statement of completion of the program and will be eligible to write the exam for Registration Exam for Dietitians.
Specific Requirements
Requirements for Admission for the Degree of Master of Science in Dietetics
Minimum GPA of 3.00 in college-level courses with an overall science GPA of 2.50 in required courses with no required science grade less than 2.00. For prerequisite admission requirements, please visit the M.S.D. webpage.
Didactic Curriculum
The M.S.D. Program is designed for students who have completed a Didactic Program in Dietetics and have obtained a verification statement from an accredited program (these students would also be eligible to apply for any dietetic internship). Other students without a verification statement may apply following completion of pre-requisite coursework (see the M.S.D. webpage).
Minimum Degree Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Dietetics
The M.S.D. is a 2-year, 30 credit hour Master's degree program which includes the following coursework: M.S.D. Journal Club (2 credits), M.S.D. Supervised Practice I (4 credits), M.S.D. Supervised Practice II (4 credits), Evidence-based practice project (2 credits), Fundamentals of Critical Inquiry (3 credits), Biostatistics (3 credits), Pharmacology (3 credits), Food Regulation (3 credits) and two graduate elective courses to support their particular interest in the professional leadership, weight-neutral approaches to health, nutrition science, and evidence-based care (6 credits); All courses are offered online.
Coursework will be completed online. However, university-designed SPE students will have the option of taking some courses on campus. All dietetics practice courses will be completed online.
| Requirement Description | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| NFS 6100 | MSD Journal Club | 2 |
| NFS 6110 | Supervised Practice I | 4 |
| NFS 6120 | Supervised Practice II | 4 |
| NFS 6130 | Evidence-based Practice Prjct | 2 |
The M.S.D. program director will advise on the remaining courses that should be taken to fulfill the 30-credit requirement.
Supervised Practice Experiences
The supervised practice portion of the curriculum is integrated with graduate course work. During the 2 semesters of supervised practice experience, NFS 6110 Supervised Practice I and NFS 6120 Supervised Practice II are coordinated whereby 2 hours of synchronous class time are held each Monday, and the reminder of the week (Tuesday – Friday) is spent in supervised practice settings (for a total of at least 32 hours/week).
Between NFS 6110 and NFS 6120 (at least 150 hours) and the 32-weeks of supervised practice, the program exceeds the 1000-hour requirement established by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND).
The program also includes approximately 32 hours of mandatory campus-based embedded competency training session at the start of the second semester and supervised practice experience. All students will complete 12 weeks in community rotations, 12 weeks in clinical rotations, 5 weeks in food service management. The community rotation includes 2 weeks working with farm or food production and 3 weeks in a school nutrition program. After completing all rotations, students will select a rotation of their choice for further skill and knowledge development (staff relief). The staff relief rotation is a recommended minimum of 2 weeks, but it can be longer if a student desires and the preceptor agrees.
Graduation Completion Requirements
M.S.D. students must successfully complete all coursework, a comprehensive exam, supervised practice rotations, and the capstone project in order to receive the M.S.D. degree and verification statement of eligibility to write the exam for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists.
Comprehensive Examination
Candidates will prepare a written and oral comprehensive exam that will test their ability to apply evidence-based practice, incorporate nutrition science, and demonstrate leadership within the dietetic scope of practice.
Requirements for Advancement to Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Science in Dietetics
Completion of requirements as outlined in program description.