Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health

Clinical Nutrition Concentration

Introduction

The master's program in Nutrition and Dietetics with a concentration in Clinical Nutrition (curriculum code HOND-CNU) prepares students for a wide range of careers as dietitians in health care, community, and private practice settings, as food industry specialists in public relations and media, and as nutrition educators in health care, community, or corporate health programs (for a more complete list of career options, go to the Career Opportunities section of this page). The program allows students to meet the registration eligibility requirements of the Commission on Dietetic Registration of American Dietetic Association (ADA) as well as to obtain a Master of Science degree.

Other Program Options

The Department offers additional Masters Degree options to students who are interested in Nutrition who are not interested in becoming Registered Dietitians, or already hold an RD credential. These include:

  • Clinical Nutrition (HOND-CNU) 34-credit option for Registered Dietitians and RD-eligible individuals.
  • Foods and Nutrition (HOND-FNU) 34 credit option only for applicants who are holders of a health-care credential (RN, MD, CSW, DDS, RPh) and not interested in practicing nutrition.
For information about these programs, please consult an advisor in the graduate nutrition program.

Admissions

Applicants must have at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. For more information, please view the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education & Human Development Graduate Bulletin. For application materials or for specific questions on admissions, please call the Steinhardt Graduate Admissions Office at 212 998 5030, or visit http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/graduate_admissions.

The Bulletin contains detailed information for students with U.S. or international undergraduate credentials on tuition and living costs, non-matriculated status, and financial aid.

The deadlines for application to the M.S. program are November 1 for the spring semester and February 1 for the fall semester. Note, however, that deadlines for application to Dietetic Internships differ and you must refer to the "NYU Dietetic Internship" section of this website for additional information about deadlines.

In addition to all general application requirements, applicants to master's degree programs in nutrition (HOND) who have non-U.S. credentials must present a course-by-course evaluation of their international credentials. A number of agencies can provide this service; however, NYU Steinhardt recommends World Education Services (WES). Greater detail on the evaluation services and costs may be found at www.wes.org.

Policies

Students are responsible for following all University policies as described in the current edition of the New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education & Human Developement Bulletin. Additionally, students are required to adhere to any additional policies established by the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health.

Program Goals

The goals of the Clinical Nutrition concentration within the M.S. program in Nutrition and Dietetics are to provide students with the knowledge and skills to:

1. Educate individuals and the public on food choices that will optimize health and prevent disease.

2. Apply nutrition principles and diet assessment to the treatment of diet-related disease conditions.

3. Manage human, financial, and physical resources to improve the nutritional care of individuals and population groups.

4. Help improve the nutritional status of individuals and population groups.

5. Monitor trends and issues in the discipline of nutrition, and translate this information into curriculum, education, and training programs.

6. Apply research principles and methods to the examination of current problems in nutrition and health.

Program Overview: Clinical Nutrition (HOND-CNU)

This Clinical Nutrition concentration is a 40-credit curriculum for students seeking eligibility to obtain the R.D. credential along with advanced academic work leading to the M.S. degree. It also provides the courses for the Dietetic Internship/Master's Program conducted jointly with the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center (JJPVAMC). Admission to dietetic internships is competitive, accomplished through a national computer matching system, and requires separate applications to the Internship and the computer matching system. The curriculum can be found here.

For detailed information on the NYU Dietetic Internship, and the James J. Peters Veterans Administration Medical Center, Bronx, NY Dietetic Internship/NYU M.S. Program in Clinical Nutrition, visit the Dietetic Internship section of our website.

How to Become a Registered Dietitian

The Graduate DPD is one element of the requirements for Dietetic Registration. These requirements include:

  • A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution (you should already have this for graduate admission).
  • The NYU Graduate DPDb
  • An NYU DPD Verification Statement: Obtain this in the last semester in which you are taking DPD courses. Request application from office staff and submit with fee.
  • A Dietetic Internship: Apply through national computer matching in the last semester of courses (see handouts for the NYU Dietetic Internship or Bronx VA Internship).
  • Verification of Internship Completion: Obtain from the Dietetic Internship director at the end of the internship program.
  • Apply to the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) to take the dietetic registration examination.
  • Pass the CDR examination and earn the Registered Dietitian credential.

How to Join the American Dietetic Association

Students enrolled in the NYU Graduate DPD and those who are RD-eligible may join the American Dietetic Association members. For information about the organization, its benefits, and its membership requirements, consult the ADA's Website: www.eatright.org.

To join the student committee of the Greater New York Dietetic Association (GNYDA), go to www.gnyda.org. Membership in the ADA is required to join GNYDA.

a The various terms used throughout this handout are defined in the Glossary.

b The NYU DPD is currently accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association (200 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000 Chicago, IL 60606-6995, 1-800-877-1600) until 2011. .

Clincal Nutrition (HOND-CNU) Graduate Didactic Program in Dietetics/DPD

The NYU Graduate Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) constitutes a set of undergraduate courses that must be completed by all students as part of American Dietetic Association eligibility requirements for dietetic registration and as part of NYU's requirements to study at the master's level. The program's mission is to provide students with a well-integrated education in basic sciences, liberal arts, and theoretical and applied aspects of nutrition. Students who complete the DPD requirements:

  • Obtain a sound basis of liberal education and specialization coursework in nutrition and dietetics.
  • Meet the foundation knowledge and skills requirements of the American Dietetic Association's Standards of Education.
  • Are able to apply decision-making and analytical skills to further training.
  • Are prepared to enter dietetic internships, programs of graduate study, or find positions related to food, nutrition or health care.

Prerequisites and Pre-Internship Requirements

NYU Graduate students who have not completed undergraduate DPD courses do not take another bachelor's degree. Instead, students enroll in the Clinical Nutrition (HOND-CNU) M.S. program option and take undergraduate DPD courses as needed. All courses taken toward the DPD must be approved by an advisor and completed prior to receiving the Graduate DPD Verification Statementa. DPD courses may not be taken for graduate credit, and DPD courses taken for graduate credit outside of NYU, whether prior to or after matriculation, will not be counted toward the graduate degree at NYU.

The following 15 courses - or their equivalents taken elsewhere and pre-approved by a HOND program advisor - constitute NYU's Clinical Nutrition (HOND-CNU) Graduate DPD. For help in planning the sequence in which these courses must be taken, consult the Graduate DPD Sequence Map and obtain the approval of an academic advisor. Online courses and courses taken at two-year colleges that do not have an ADA-accredited program do not meet NYU's DPD requirements.

COURSES

Basic Science - credits for courses taken at NYU
V25.0002 Introducation to Modern Chemistry- with laboratory (5)
V25.0240 Principles of Modern Chemistry - with laboratory (5)
E33.1023 Food Microbiology & Sanitation (3)
E33.1064 Nutritional Biochemistry (3)
E33.1068 Nutrition-Focused Human Physiology (3)

Nutrition Science
E33.0119 Nutrition & Health (3)
E33.1260 Diet Assessment & Planning (3)
E33.1269 Nutrition & the Life Cycle (3)
E33.1185 Clinical Nutrition Assessment & Intervention (3)
E33.1209 Community Nutrition (3)

Food Science
E33.0085 Introduction to Foods & Food Science (3)
E33.0091 Food Management Theory (3)
E33.1052 Food Production & Management (3)
E33.1184 Food Science & Technology (3)

E33.2000.02 New Graduate Student Seminar (HOND) (0)
(Must be taken during first term)
E33.2190.01 Research Methods (credits can count toward 40-credit MS degree) (3)

a To receive a DPD Verification or Declaration of Intent from NYU, students must take at least 15 credits at NYU and get pre-approval from a HOND program advisor for all DPD courses taken outside NYU.

Download a PDF of the sequence map

Curriculum and Requirements

This curriculum provides advanced academic training leading to an M.S. degree for students who also seek the Registered Dietitian (RD) credential. We recommend applying to Dietetic Internships as early in the program as possible.

Notes:

1. No master's level E33 courses may be taken pass/fail.
2. Not all courses listed are offered every semester. Classes run if enrollment is sufficient.
3. Courses marked with an asterisk (*) may be taken only after you have completed E33.2190.01 Research Methods. Please consult with your academic advisor for additional information about course sequence.

MASTER'S PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

PREREQUISITE: DPD Verification (or Declaration of Intent) from CADE-accredited program.

FIRST SEMESTER (3 credits) - All students, including Dietetic Interns
E33.2000.002 New Graduate Student Seminar: Nutrition section (0)
E33.2190.001 Research Methods (3)

NYU DIETETIC INTERNSHIP (15 credits)
Interns only, or may be taken as electives by students who have completed a different dietetic internship

E33.2037 Medical Nutrition Therapy (4
E33.2196 Nutrition-Focused Physical Assessment (2)
E33.2198 Nutrition Counseling Theory and Practice (3)

Reserved for NYU Interns only (6)
E33.2146 Clinical Practice in Dietetics I (3)
E33.2147 Clinical Practice in Dietetics II (3)

Dietetic Internship elsewhere: Discuss with advisor how MS requirements can be reduced from 40 to 34 credits.
No Dietetic Internship: Must take 3-4 credits of E33.2077.01 Field Experience

Nutrition Science - required to take both: (6 credits)
E33.2139 Advanced Nutrition: Protein, Fats and Carbohydrates (3)
E33.2144 Advanced Nutrition: Vitamins and Minerals (3)

Advanced Clinical Nutrition - at least one required: (3 credits)
E33.2041 Pediatric Nutrition (3)
*E33.2043 Critical Care Nutrition (3) (can only be taken after completion of an ADA-accredited Dietetic Internship)
E33.2045 Sports Nutrition (3)
E33.2194 Weight Management (3)
E33.2220 Nutrition in Aging (3)
E33.2222 Nutritional Aspects of Eating Disorders (3)

Advanced Nutrition Research - at least 1 required: (3 credits)
*E33.2192 Nutritional Epidemiology (3)
*E33.2178 Nutrition Assessment Methods for Research (3)
*E33.2207 Seminar in Advanced Nutrition (3)

Advanced Applied Nutrition - at least one required: (3 credits)
*E33.2042 Maternal & Child Nutrition (3)
*E33.2192 Nutritional Epidemiology (3)
*E33.2178 Nutrition Assessment Methods for Research (3)
*E33.2207 Seminar in Advanced Nutrition (3)
*E33.2213 Nutrition in Public Health (3)

Culminating experience (3 credits)
(These can only be taken after completion of 30 graduate credits including all core requirements)
E33.2061 Research Applications (3)
E33.2063 Research Apprenticeship (3), by permission of the Department

Electives: Graduate level courses - XXX. 2XXX (Remaining credits)
Chosen by advisement from other categories, programs, and schools. Only 2000-level courses are considered graduate level. Please check Department or University schedules for course offerings each semester.

TOTAL CREDITS: 40

Career Opportunities

Graduates of our program are currently employed in a wide variety of positions, including:

  • Clinical dietitians or managers of nutrition programs in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, health professions schools, and other health care settings.
  • Members of clinical specialty teams in pediatrics, internal medicine, family medicine, surgery, renal, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and critical care medicine services.
  • Members of health teams caring for patients with AIDS.
  • Counselors of patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and hypertension.
  • Community nutritionists in a wide variety of programs sponsored by local, state, and federal agencies of the government and private sector.
  • Nutrition educators in health care, community, or corporate health programs.
  • Private nutrition consultants to the general public, health care agencies, weight management programs, government agencies, and the food industry.
  • Staff members of private sector health agencies such as the American Heart Association, the Red Cross, or the March of Dimes.
  • Staff members of local and state health departments.
  • Staff members of federal agencies such as USDA, Library of Congress, National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration.
  • Nutrition teachers in schools, colleges, and universities.
  • Project officers of private philanthropic foundations.
  • Profit and non-profit positions that focus on nutrition education, media and communications of food, nutrition and health.

Glossary

  • ADA: The American Dietetic Association, the 68,000-member professional organization of dietetic practitioners. The ADA establishes standards, and approves and accredits dietetics education and practice programs.
  • CADE: The ADA's Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education, a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education.
  • Declaration of Intent: To apply to Internships, students must have either a DPD Verification or a Declaration of Intent to complete the DPD by the time the program begins. The Declaration of Intent permits students who are enrolled in the last few DPD courses to apply to internships; it lists the courses being taken to complete the DPD. When these courses are completed, a DPD Verification is issued. Note: a DPD Verification is required for Internship enrollment.
  • Dietetic Internship: A program that provides a minimum of 900 hours of supervised practice in dietetics and is accredited by the ADA. Successful completion of a Dietetic Internship enables students to meet eligibility requirements to take the dietetic Registration Examination.
  • DPD: Didactic Program in Dietetics. The set of required courses established by an institution (in this case, NYU) to satisfy the core competencies of education defined by CADE. The DPD represents the fundamental knowledge expected of an entry-level dietetics student prior to taking an Internship.
  • DPD Verification: Process whereby the Director of Dietetics reviews students' academic records to determine whether they have completed all of the ADA educational competencies to fulfill the DPD.
  • Internship Verification: Certificate awarded after satisfactory completion of all rotations, assignments, and projects associated with the Dietetic Internship and the Clinical Practice in Dietetics courses (E33.2146 and E33.2147).
  • Matriculation: Official acceptance as a degree student in an academic department. Students meet with an advisor and complete a "matriculation agreement," which specifies prerequisites, number of transferred graduate credits, and total graduate points required for the Master of Science degree.
7/2008