The MS in Nutrition Sciences, Dietitian Education Program is an Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND)–accredited Coordinated Program in Dietetics. This track accepts admission for the fall term only and accepts a total of 30 incoming students each year.

Open House

The program will host a Virtual Open House on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. CST. Students who are unable to attend the live session may email Dr. Marian Carter at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. after October 4 to request the session recording. Register for the event and receive session information.

Admission Requirements

Students with a bachelor’s degree in any field of study are eligible to apply to the Dietitian Education Program as long as they have completed the following 3 credit hour science courses and the equivalent to the following courses in the UAB Minor in Nutrition Sciences (18 credit hours). Students must have earned a grade of C or higher in three-credit hour courses for the following prerequisites:

• Introductory Biology – 3 credit hours- lab is not required
• Organic Chemistry – 3 credit hours – lab is not required
• Physiology – 3 credit hours – lab is not required
• Microbiology – 3 credit hours – lab is not required

UAB Minor in Nutrition Sciences (18 credit hours)

• NTR222 Nutrition and Health (Intro to Nutrition) (3 credit hours)
• NTR232 Lifecycle Nutrition (3 credit hours)
• NTR320 Nutrition and the Consumer (3 credit hours)
• NTR330 Nutrition and Metabolism (3 credit hours)
• NTR420 Nutrition Genetics (3 credit hours)
• NTR421 Nutrition Assessment and the Nutrition Care Process (3 credit hours)

Although we require a minimum grade of C or better for prerequisite courses, the most competitive students have a GPA well above 3.0 in prerequisite courses, and overall undergraduate degree GPA. If you are a distance-based student, please note that only the Minor in Nutrition Sciences courses are available online. However, the science courses are not. Prerequisites cannot be completed concurrently with this degree program; all prerequisites must be completed prior to the program start date.

If you have not completed the equivalent to the UAB Minor in Nutrition Sciences, you may consider exploring the MS in Nutrition Sciences – Lifestyle Management and Disease Prevention (LMDP) track. Students in the LMDP track can enroll in the Dietitian Education Graduate Certificate Program (DEP-C) after completing 29 specific credit hours from the LMDP curriculum. Graduates of the LMDP track with the Dietitian Education Graduate Certificate Program are eligible to take the national exam to become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.

Official Transcripts

Official transcripts from each institution where college credit was earned can be submitted electronically at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or mailed to:

UAB Graduate School
LHL G03, 1720 2nd Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35294-0013

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required. Strong letters of recommendation generally come from the following:

• Current or previous professor
• Supervisor
• Professional (preferably from a Registered Dietitian)

Every applicant has unique circumstances. Collectively, your letters of recommendation should attest to your academic ability to complete a rigorous graduate program, your experiences with handling new and challenging situations, examples of your ability to take ownership for your learning, engagement in life-long learning, professionalism, and independence as a self-directed learner. UAB Graduate School will send an email link to each of your references from the email address that you provide for each reference as part of your UAB Graduate School application. Your letters of recommendation will be submitted electronically by your references directly to the UAB Graduate School.

International Applicants

Due to the exclusively online delivery system of the Dietitian Education track, this program is not available to students who desire to pursue their studies while physically present in the US on an F-1 or J-1 student visa. Applicants who are physically present in the US in another immigration status that permits exclusively online study (such as H-4, L-2, TN, pending green card, etc.) are welcome to apply.

Please email your current immigration document (USCIS approval or receipt notice, plus most recent I-94 card) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for an initial assessment and information about English proficiency requirements.

The program expects a cumulative TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 80, IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score of 6.5, PTEA (Pearson Test of English Academics) score of 53, Duolingo score of 120, or IELA (International English Language Assessment) score of 176.