Mar 29, 2024  
2008-2009 Graduate Catalog 
    
2008-2009 Graduate Catalog [NOTE!!!! THIS IS AN ARCHIVED CATALOG. FOR THE CURRENT CATALOG, GO TO CATALOG.NIU.EDU]

Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics


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The M.S. in nutrition and dietetics is designed to prepare students interested in community nutrition to work as registered dietitians in a variety of public and private health organizations in county, state, and government agencies or as patient-care dietitians in hospitals and other health-care settings. The program also prepares students to continue their studies in doctoral programs.

Students in this program may select additional courses in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and psychology for a concentration in biochemistry or biophysics. (For details, see “Center for Biochemical and Biophysical Studies.”)

Students planning to qualify for the Registration Examination of the American Dietetic Association must meet both academic and experience requirements. Completion of the Dietetic Practicum may be used to satisfy the experience requirements. The academic requirements for the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) of the American Dietetic Association must be completed before students initiate the practicum hours. A list of courses may be obtained from the student’s adviser. Any deficiency in courses required for admission must be removed within the time limitation determined by the admission committee.

Post-baccalaureate students requesting DPD verification must complete a minimum of 9 semester hours of approved course work at NIU with a grade of C or better. Consult with the DPD director prior to NIU enrollment to determine required course work.

Students-at-large intending to take courses required by this program should meet with the program coordinator.

Admission


Applicants are required to have completed a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) or have had courses in general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology or bacteriology, human biology, human physiology, science of nutrition, applied nutrition, two semesters of nutrition in clinical care, principles of food preparation, and statistics. A minimum 3.00 GPA in these courses is required. Applicants will be admitted according to the vacancies in the program. Vacancies are determined by the number of graduate students completing degrees each semester. Applicants with the highest GPA and GRE scores will be given priority for available positions.

A combined total of no more than 12 semester hours of graduate credit earned as a student-at-large plus transfer hours will be counted toward the M.S. degree.

The majority of vacancies in the program are filled shortly after February 15 for summer session, April 15 for fall semester, and September 15 for spring semester.

Requirements


Students must complete the required courses listed here and fulfill the thesis or non-thesis option, with corresponding requirements listed below:

One of the following (3)


  • Three semester hours selected in consultation with the assigned graduate program adviser (3)

Thesis Option Requirements


Requirements


In addition to the requirements listed above:

Graduate Credit


A minimum of 32 semester hours of graduate credit is required for the degree with the thesis option.

Non-Thesis Option Requirements


Requirements


In addition to the requirements listed above, complete:

And 3 additional semester hours


And 3 additional semester hours from the following in consultation with the assigned graduate program adviser.

Graduate Credit


A minimum of 35 semester hours of graduate credit is required for the degree with the non-thesis option.

Dietetic Internship


The internship is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) and is available only to majors enrolled in the M.S. program in nutrition and dietetics. The dietetic internship offers on-site supervised practice experiences in dietetics, nutrition, and food service; completion fulfills the practice requirements to qualify for the Registration Examination of the Commission on Dietetics Registration. Interns may request one of the three CADE emphases: community, general, or food service.

The combined M.S. and internship program involves five terms: two orientation terms comprised of course work only, and three terms comprised of both on-site supervised practice (20-40 hours week) and graduate study. Students in the internship must have completed at least 15 semester hours toward the degree before they can be placed in a supervised practice site.

Admission


Admission is limited and competitive; admission to the major does not constitute admission to the internship. Although a student may apply for admission to the internship while acceptance to the major is pending, internship acceptance cannot be finalized until the student is accepted into the major.

Applicants must have completed the academic requirements for the DPD of the ADA. A B average in key course work is required. These courses are identified in the applications packet.

Applicants must have successfully completed 150 clock hours of paid work or volunteer experience related to the profession.

Students may apply in the fall or spring semester. Applicants should inquire about application deadlines. Applications will be screened and ranked with the highest ranking applicants being invited to interview. Following the interviews, students are matched to this program through the ADA computer-matching process. Late applicants will be considered if openings are available after computer matching.

Requirements


In addition to the courses required for the M.S. in nutrition and dietetics, including FCNS 651 (2), students electing the practicum must complete the following.

Program Completion


When all requirements of both the M.S. degree and dietetic internship have been met, students will be issued the CADE Verification Statement of dietetic internship completion.

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