Curriculum

The 40-credit Master of Science program in Nutrition and Dietetics prepares you for a wide range of nutrition careers, including healthcare, business & industry, community/public health, food & nutrition management, education, research, journalism & media, and private practice/consulting. You’ll receive advanced training in clinical nutrition and emerge as a capable nutrition clinician, well-equipped to help individuals and communities optimize health and improve quality of life through healthy eating habits 

Core Course Sequence

Before beginning the 40-credit Clinical Nutrition MS program, you will be required to complete the prerequisite courses, a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD), consisting of 17 courses for 57 credits. The DPD is also the core set of basic science, nutrition science and food science courses you will need to complete to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). Depending on the number of previously completed DPD courses at the time of application, you may need up to two years to complete these courses. At the end of the DPD courses, students will receive a DPD verification statement allowing you to apply for a one-year dietetic internship. Admission to the NYU or James J Peters Bronx VA dietetic internships is a separate application. If you have previously completed the DPD courses and enroll with a verification statement, you will begin the Clinical Nutrition program with the graduate level nutrition courses.

In the 40-credit Clinical Nutrition MS program, you will complete graduate-level nutrition courses in advanced nutrition science, advanced clinical nutrition, research & statistics, and elective courses. You will learn to critically analyze recent research studies in the field in order to engage in evidenced-based practice and explore specialized fields within the dietetics profession.

Sample Courses

You will complete advanced clinical nutrition and elective courses in areas that interest you. 

Maternal/Child Nutrition examines ​principles and application of nutrition for healthy mothers, infants, children, and adolescents with emphasis on current research related to normal growth and development.

Complementary and Alternative Nutrition reviews and analyzes the cultural context, rationale for, and applications of complementary and alternative nutritional therapies for acute and chronic conditions. The course emphasizes critical evaluation of scientific and other evidence for safety and clinical efficacy of products and practices, and utilizes library, internet, and other resources on this topic.

Sports Nutrition evaluates and applies nutrition concepts related to the energy, fluid and nutrient requirements of athletes and physically active individuals: diet related physiology, trends in sports nutrition, special conditions affecting athletic performance and techniques for counseling athletes.

Nutritional Aspects of Eating Disorders discusses the definition, diagnosis, assessment, and determinants of eating disorders from the nutritionist's perspective, with an emphasis on team approaches to treatment.

Seminar in Advanced Nutrition: The Business of Nutrition teaches practical step-by-step guidelines for writing a nutrition business plan and discusses how to launch and maintain a successful private nutrition practice. Topics covered will include identification of business, marketing and competition, strategic alliances, consulting, pricing and billing, insurance, reimbursement, operations, financing, technology and social media, HIPPA, and legal considerations.

Culminating Experience:

The program culminates in a capstone project through either the Research Applications or Research Apprenticeship course where theoretical and applied aspects of research design, data analysis and interpretation are presented. You will formulate an independent research question and then conduct, analyze, and summarize your findings via a written manuscript and oral presentation to your peers and nutrition faculty members.