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Students in the MS Nutrition Sciences, Dietitian Education Program (DEP) complete 58 credit hours of graduate coursework, including 24 credit hours of practicum requirements.

The DEP track curriculum is taught completely online to allow flexibility and convenience for students who reside outside of Birmingham and for the integration of practicum requirements. Though the curriculum is entirely online, practicum requirements are completed in-person within facilities that meet supervised practice requirements. The DEP track, including practicum requirements, can be completed wherever you are located. Students do not have to relocate to Birmingham to complete the program.

This is a full-time graduate-degree program; courses are offered in a specific sequence of study. Courses or supervised practice hours taken at any other institution cannot fulfill requirements of the DEP as there is no policy to evaluate equivalencies. Pre-requisites for admission to the program are evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the program.

  • Fall (Year 1) – 13 credit hours
    • NTR 600: Principles of Food Science Operations and Menu planning (3 hours)
    • NTR 604: Principles and Practice of Nutrition Support (3 hours)
    • NTR 621: Applied Statistics to Nutrition Sciences I (3 hours)
    • NTR 632: Nutrition Counseling and Education (4 hours)
  • Spring (Year 1) – 12 credit hours
    • NTR 601: Advanced Medical Nutrition (3 hours)
    • NTR 611: Advanced Food System and Resource Management (3 hours)
    • NTR 631: Community Interventions for Healthy Lifestyles (3 hours)
    • NTR 637: Applied Research in Nutrition Sciences (3 hours)
  • Summer (Year 1) – 10 credit hours
    • NTR 500: Communication in Nutrition (1 hour)
    • NTR 618: Nutritional Biochemistry (6 hours)
    • NTR 670: Practicum in Wellness (3 hours)*
  • Fall (Year 2) – 11 credit hours
    • NTR 671: Practicum in Community Nutrition (3 hours)*
    • NTR 672: Practicum in Food Systems Management (3 hours)*
    • NTR 673: Practicum in Medical Nutrition Therapy I (3 hours)*
    • NTR 690: Seminar (2 hours)
  • Spring (Year 2) – 12 credit hours
    • NTR 674: Practicum in Medical Nutrition Therapy II (4 hours)*
    • NTR 675: Practicum in Dietetic Administration (4 hours)*
    • NTR 676: Advanced Practicum in Dietetics (4 hours)*
    • NTR 501: RDN Certification Review (0 hours)**

*Denotes practicum course. These courses are considered in-person experiences and therefore are subject to tuition charges based on state residency classification (resident or nonresident).

**Students are required to register for NTR501 during their final spring semester. NTR 501 is the two-day Review/Overview Course that is hosted on the UAB Campus. Students are not charged tuition for this course but will pay a non-refundable $550 fee.

Graduation Requirements

Students are required to maintain a 3.0 GPA to maintain good Academic Standing. Graduates receive their Verification Statement and are eligible to take the national exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) offered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) once they have completed all degree requirements of the MS in Nutrition Sciences, Dietitian Education Program. The maximum time allowed for completion of the MS in Nutrition Sciences, Dietitian Education Program is three years.

Additional Information

Please refer to the UAB Academic Calendar for important dates.

Descriptions of Nutrition Sciences graduate coursework can be found in the Graduate Catalog.





























































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Marian Carter, Ed.D.

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