Food and Nutrition - 2020-21 Graduate Catalog

Chair: Dr. Mary-Jon Ludy, Interim, Department of Public and Allied Health
Program Coordinator: Dr. Kerri Knippen
Address: 122 Health and Human Services
Phone: 419-372-8316
Program Web Page

Degrees Offered
Masters of Food and Nutrition

Programs Offered
Masters of Food and Nutrition
Graduate Certificate in Food and Nutrition
Accredited Dietetic Internship

Program Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Master's degree, students in the Food and Nutrition program are expected to be able to:

• Integrate requirements, bioavailability, and metabolism of macronutrients and micronutrients and their relationships in health and disease.
• Assess the pathophysiology and role of nutrition and food constituents in the prevention and treatment of major disease states. 
• Use theories of nutrition education and behavior change to design, implement, and evaluate a community nutrition program.
• Influence state and national nutrition policy by promoting evidence-based practice of nutrition in health and disease prevention/treatment.
• Demonstrate knowledge of research design, methods, and statistical analysis.
• Develop effective oral and written communications pertinent to food, nutrition, and clinical dietetics.

Accreditation
Eligible students may choose to complete the master's program in conjunction with a post-baccalaureate dietetic internship program. The dietetic internship program is granted Accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 120 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, Il 60606, 312.899.0040, ext. 5400. https://www.eatrightPRO.org/ACEND  

Prerequisite to Graduate Work
A bachelor's degree related to Food and Nutrition is the preferred foundation with coursework in biochemistry, anatomy and physiology, and nutrition. Additional course work may be required as a condition of admission should there exist deficiencies in undergraduate course work.

Admission Procedure
Applicants seeking admission to the graduate program in Food and Nutrition should follow the instructions outlined in the Graduate Admission webpage. The Department of Public and Allied Health offers the Master of Food and Nutrition (MFN). The program requires a minimum GPA of 3.0 and completion of the GRE verbal and quantitative tests for admission.

Degree Requirements
The Food and Nutrition (F&N) graduate program provides course work and study in basic nutritional sciences, current topics in food and nutrition sciences, and applied areas, such as community/public health nutrition, and clinical/medical nutrition therapy. Supporting course work in a related field, such as biology, chemistry, counseling, exercise science, education, and/or epidemiology, is designed to meet the student's career interests.

Master of Food and Nutrition
The M.F.N. degree requires a minimum of 39-40 semester hours, including three hours each of statistics and research methodology.  Plan I: Students under Plan I must complete a formal thesis and pass an oral examination on the thesis. Topics are selected early in the program with advisement from a thesis committee of three graduate faculty members.  Plan II: Students under Plan II must complete a master’s project while enrolled twice in FN 6900 for a total of six credit hours.  Student in Plan II may instead choose to take a comprehensive exam.  This option requires that the student take an additional 6 credits of graduate FN courses and enroll in 1 credit of FN 6980 the semester in which the comprehensive exam is taken.

Food and Nutrition Graduate Certificate
The Food and Nutrition Graduate Certificate (FNGC) curriculum includes studies in nutrient metabolism, food science, and nutritional principles related to health and disease.  The FNGC may be desired by students currently pursuing other graduate degree programs (e.g. public health, exercise science, biological sciences), employed in allied health professions, or in the Dietetic Internship who have an interest in advanced study of food and nutrition but do not wish to complete a graduate degree.  Students completing the Food and Nutrition Graduate Certificate Program will be required to take 15 credit hours of food and nutrition graduate-level courses.  The FNGC does not carry with it any licensure or privileges, and is not currently approved by any professional organization.

Graduate Courses
Please access graduate courses online. Graduate courses offered by the Department of Public and Allied Health use the prefix: FN