MS Curriculum

MS Curriculum

Master of Science (MS) curriculum involves coursework in biostatistics, epidemiology and nutritional sciences, and culminates in a capstone or thesis.

If completing the MS with RDN training, you will take an additional 30 credits RDN practice experience.

Nutritional Sciences Graduate Programs One-Page Handout — Nutritional Sciences Graduate Programs handout (pdf)

Courses

Autumn 2019

Course requirements listed on this page apply to students entering the MS program, or the MS and RDN training programs in autumn 2019. Refer to curriculum archives in Current Students if you entered the program in a previous year.

Read about curriculum changes for autumn 2020 (pdf)

1st Autumn (13-14 credits)

Course	Name	Credits	Requirement
EPI 511	Introduction to Epidemiology	4	All MS
HSERV 579	Structural Racism and Public Health	1	All MS
NUTR 500	Graduate Seminar: Current Issues in Nutrition	1	All MS
NUTR 513	Food and Society: Exploring Eating Behaviors in a Social, Environmental, and Policy Context	2	All MS
NUTR 520	Nutrition and Metabolism I	3	All MS
NUTR 529	Nutrition Research Design	2	All MS
NUTR 561A	GCPD Seminar	1	GCPD only

1st Winter (12 credits)

Course	Name	Credits	Requirement
BIOST 508	Biostatistical Reasoning for the Health Sciences	4	All MS
NUTR 521	Nutrition and Metabolism II	3	All MS
NUTR 531	Public Health Nutrition	5	All MS

1st Spring (8-12 credits)

Course	Name	Credits	Requirement
NUTR 522	Nutrition and Metabolism III	3	All MS
NUTR 562	Nutrition and Chronic Disease	4	All MS
NUTR 536	Nutrition Education Principles and Practice	2	Required GCPD; Elective for non-GCPD
NUTR 560	Nutritional Counseling for Chronic Disease	2	Required GCPD; Elective for current RD only
NUTR 596 or NUTR 700	Nutrition Practice Capstone Master's Thesis	1	All MS

1st Summer

Program	Course Requirement
GCPD Students	Supervised Practice/Practice Experience: The timing of this 3 week rotation varies depending on the sites. It generally occurs in late August or early September.

2nd Autumn (2-13 credits)

Course	Name	Credits	Requirement
NUTR 526	Maternal and Pediatric Nutrition	4	Required GCPD; Elective for non-GCPD
NUTR 563	Nutrition in Acute Care	4	GCPD only
NUTR 559	Orientation to Clinical Dietetics	3	GCPD only
NUTR 596 or NUTR 700	Nutrition Practice Capstone or Master's Thesis	2	All MS

2nd Winter/Spring/Summer – GCPD Only (30 credits)

Course	Name	Credits	Requirement
NUTR 561	Supervised Practice/Practice Experience	10 per quarter [c]	GCPD only

Additional Requirements for MS Students Not Tied to Specific Quarter

Course	Name	Credits	Requirement
NUTR 596 or NUTR 700	Nutrition Practice Capstone or Master's Thesis	6 additional credits for a min of 9 [a]	All MS
	Additional Electives	4	All MS

Notes

[a] Timing of NUTR 596 Capstone/700 Thesis Credits: With the exception of the required 1 credit (1st year spring quarter) and 2 credits (2nd year autumn quarter), students may distribute the remaining NUTR 596 or NUTR 700 credits as best fits their schedule.

Additional GCPD Curriculum

[c] NUTR 561: For the 30 credits of GCPD Practice experience, students register through PCE (Professional and Continuing Education) which does not have tuition distinction for tiers or residency.
[d] Electives: GCPD courses satisfy the 4 elective credits required for the MS degree.

Learning Objectives

Upon satisfactory completion of the Master of Science in Nutritional Sciences, graduates will be able to:

Meet the competencies established by the School of Public Health and the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) for all SPH students.
Meet the core competencies established by the Nutritional Sciences Program for all Nutritional Sciences students:
- Apply knowledge of human nutrient requirements in relation to genetics, metabolic pathways, and physiological function across the life course.
- Assess nutritional status of individuals and groups.
- Appraise how nutritional factors across the lifespan are linked to non-communicable diseases (NCD) and quality of life.
- Apply evidence-based approaches to improve diet quality and nutritional status.
- Apply appropriate methodologies to a research question.
- Explain, critique, and apply the process of public health practice and nutrition policy development.
- Describe the basic components and determinants of the US food and nutrition systems.
Translate knowledge and skills from Nutritional Sciences competencies to nutrition research or evidence-based clinical practice (when combined with dietetics training).

Thesis or Capstone Project

During the first year of study, the Graduate Program Coordinator serves as your initial academic adviser and provides guidance in selecting either a thesis or capstone as a culminating project. MS Nutritional Sciences students may complete a research-based thesis under the direction of a faculty thesis chair and committee.

MS students who have also enrolled in the RDN training program, or have a prior RDN credential, may elect to complete a practice-based capstone with mentorship from an NSP faculty adviser and a practicing dietitian.