Nutritional Sciences

This 100% online collaborative MSNS Clinical Nutrition program leverages nutrition expertise across clinical professionals within the UK Colleges of Medicine and Health Science. The flexibility of the online format benefits working professionals looking to advance their nutrition credentials.  Our interdisciplinary program allows students to learn from experts in areas of clinical nutrition, culinary medicine, and biomedical education. Students will interact with faculty who have biomedical education and clinical nutrition backgrounds, providing unique and interdisciplinary perspectives, and knowledge and skills to support graduate education and training. 

This graduate degree meets the new minimum degree requirements (effective January 2024) for eligibility to take the registration examination for dietitians. 

What You'll Learn

Upon completion of the MSNS in Clinical Nutrition, students will be able to demonstrate mastery of knowledge in Clinical Nutrition in the following four areas:

• Integrate information from the scientific literature and use critical thinking to make ethical, evidence-based practice decisions in clinical nutrition.
• Demonstrate advanced clinical practitioner readiness, with new knowledge, professional skills and ethical values that are essential to the clinical RDN.
• Describe the nutrition care process in decision making for the care of patients/clients with complex medical conditions.
• Explain clinical nutrition-based concepts in health promotion and disease prevention for individuals, groups, and populations.

Topics this program explores

• Medical nutrition therapy
• Clinical nutrition assessment
• Research methods in nutritional sciences
• Macronutrient and micronutrient metabolism
• Communication skills
• Nutrition in chronic disease

Sample Classes

• NS/CNU 601 - Integrated Nutritional Sciences Part I 
• NS/CNU 602 - Integrated Nutritional Sciences Part II 
• NS/CNU 603 - Integrated Nutritional Sciences Part III 
• RHB 775 - Responsible Conduct in Research and Ethics 
• NS/CNU 704 - Current Topics in Nutritional Sciences
• STA 570 - Basic Statistical Analysis
• CNU 608 - Research Methods in Nutritional Sciences 
• NS/CNU 607 - Professional Skills Course
• NS/CNU 782 - Special Problems in Nutritional Sciences: Capstone Project

How You Will Learn

• All classes and assignments are completed online following the appropriate academic term calendar, with opportunities to connect with faculty and students virtually (chats and video conferences) 
• No in-person requirements
• Program can be completed in 18 months

Admission Requirements

In addition to the standard admission criteria of the Graduate School, students are required to have:

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in Nutrition or Dietetics
• A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.9 on undergraduate coursework. 

Application Requirements

• Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resume.
• A brief essay, no longer than two single-spaced pages, describing long-term career goals and how the graduate program would advance these goals. The essay should also include a description of the applicant's clinical nutrition coursework and any experience with clinical nutrition.
• Two letters of recommendation (only need to submit emails of references, and the system will ask them to upload their recommendation)

Career Possibilities

With a master's degree in Nutritional Sciences, you can work in a variety of settings that connect nutrition to positive health outcomes. While many Registered Dietitians find employment in clinical settings, there are many other industries that employ these experts.

• Healthcare / Hospitals
• Public Health 
• Food Safety 
• Sports Nutrition
• Food Manufacturing
• Schools
• Research
• Higher Education

and more!

Meet with a Program Representative

Have questions about this program? Need to discuss your unique situation? Meet with a program representative online and get all your questions answered. Schedule an appointment below.

Schedule Appointment

Related Programs

Students in this program may find the Online Graduate Certificate in Applied Nutrition and Culinary Medicine to be complementary to this degree.