Nutrition & Dietetics (Graduate)

Faculty

Suresh T. Mathews, Chair, Professor
Megan H. Kaal, Assistant Professor, Clinical Coordinator
Keith E. Pearson, Assistant Professor
Amy C. Cameron, Instructor, Director, Dietetic Intership
Clara Darling, Instructor

Mission

The mission of the Samford University Department of Nutrition and Dietetics is to provide a comprehensive study of all areas of food, nutrition, and dietetics. The culinary and wellness nutrition management major, nutrition and dietetics major, dietetic internship, and master of science in nutrition programs all offer students the opportunity to pursue knowledge and competency in a distinctive Christian environment. Faculty are committed to preparing graduates who are well-informed, scientifically and empirically competent, and ethically responsible. Graduates are capable of entering successful careers in foods, nutrition, dietetics, and healthcare, while contributing to the needs of their community and society at large.

Graduate Programs and Requirements

Degree/Major
Master of Science (M.S.)
Nutrition (M.S.)
Nutrition w/a Concentration in Dietetic Internship (M.S.)

Certificate
Dietetic Internship Certificate

Joint Degree Pathway Program
Master of Science in Nutrition/Doctor of Pharmacy (M.S./ Pharm.D.)
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The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics offers an online master of science degree (M.S.) in nutrition. The goal of the program is to prepare students and dietitians for positions in healthcare, research, academia, community settings, or the private sector.

The M.S. in nutrition provides advanced training in human nutrition science. The program can also be combined with a dietetic internship, which provides students with the supervised practice experience needed to fulfill the competences for dietitians established by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND).

Students are required to complete a capstone/culminating research project in nutrition science, community nutrition, or public health. All classes are offered online and students may pursue either fulltime or part-time study for all programs. The coursework, research experiences, internships, and certifications prepare students for careers in academia, hospitals, long-term care, schools, wellness programs, industry, government, and public health.

The department also offers a stand-alone, graduate-level dietetic internship certificate.

In cooperation with the McWhorter School of Pharmacy, the department offers a joint degree leading to both a master of science (M.S.) in nutrition and a doctor of pharmacy (Pharm.D.). Some credit sharing is allowed and overall credits of the combined programs are reduced.

Master of Science: Nutrition (M.S.)

The master of science degree (M.S.) in nutrition provides advanced training in human nutrition science. The program can be combined with a dietetic internship which provides students with the supervised practice experience needed to fulfill the competences for dietitians established by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND).

Admission Requirements

Applicants must:

Possess a baccalaureate degree in any field from an accredited college or university, or be in the senior year of undergraduate study.
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.
Achieve a C or better in all prerequisite courses. All prerequisite courses must have been completed within 10 years prior to application. Required prerequisite courses include mathematics, general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, anatomy and physiology I and II, and introductory nutrition.
Submit valid GRE, MCAT, or DAT scores:
1. GRE minimum scores: Verbal: 153; Quantitative: 144; Analytical: 4.0
2. MCAT equivalent of 492
3. DAT minimum score of 14
Submit three letters of reference through the application system. References should be from 1) a current or previous professor, 2) a work supervisor, and 3) a registered dietitian or another current or previous professor.
International applicants or American citizens who learned English as a second language must score at least 550 (paper), 213 (computer), or 80 (internet) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
If accepted, a non-refundable fee of $1,000 is required to secure admission into the program. This fee is applied to the first semester’s tuition.
Exceptions to any admission requirements may be considered on an individual basis.

Transfer Credit

Students may transfer up to 9 hours of graduate credit from another regionally-accredited college or university. If students are completing the M.S. and the dietetic internship concomitantly, students will still be permitted to transfer up to 9 hours but only 6 of these hours may come from courses required for completion of the dietetic internship certificate. Transfer credit is eligible for courses with an earned grade of B or better completed within the last ten years. Dietetic internship students may not transfer credits to replace supervised practice credit hours. Students must complete the Credit Transfer Request Form and send to the M.S. in nutrition program director along with a copy of the syllabus from the course in which the student desires to transfer graduate credit. Requests for institutional graduate credit transfer must be approved by the Samford instructor who teaches the analogous course, the program director, and the chair of the department. Students are not able to use credit from other institutions in place of taking NUTR 610 (Capstone Project in Nutrition) , which must be completed at Samford University. Requests for graduate credit transfer are typically made during the application process or immediately after admission to the program. Requests at all other times will be considered on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the program director.

Progression Policies

In order to progress in the Master of Science (MS) in nutrition program, the student must:

Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above on all coursework.
Make a grade of B or better in each required or prescribed course in the M.S. in nutrition curriculum. Note: A grade of C or lower constitutes failure in any required or prescribed course in the M.S. in nutrition curriculum.
A student will be allowed to take a failed M.S. in nutrition course one additional time, but must make a B or above for a passing grade.
Failure in a course may cause an interruption in the student’s matriculation in terms of scheduling courses.
A student who fails (C or lower) two M.S. in nutrition courses will be terminated from the program.
A student may not enroll in any M.S. in nutrition course more than twice.
A student who fails to successfully complete a required M.S. in nutrition course within one calendar year of academic probation notification will be dismissed from the program.
Students must be aware that matters of plagiarism, unethical, unprofessional, or unsafe conduct may result in immediate dismissal from the M.S. in nutrition program.

Students may not receive any grades lower than B for M.S. in nutrition courses. Courses with grades lower than B may be retaken one time. When a course is retaken, both grades remain on the transcript and both are used in calculating the student’s grade point average (GPA). Students must maintain a GPA of 3.00 or higher and may not retake more than two courses during their M.S. in nutrition program. Students whose GPA falls below 3.00 will be placed on academic probation and will not be permitted to take more than nine credit hours during any semester they retake courses. Students who remain on academic probation for more than two semesters or students who receive a grade lower than B in two or more courses will be terminated from the M.S. in nutrition program. Students retain the right to appeal termination decisions via the grievance procedure outlined in the M.S. in Nutrition Student Handbook.

Dietetic Internship Certificate

The dietetic internship program has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). It qualifies graduates to take the exam for professional credentialing as a Registered Dietitian (RD). The program of study has a concentration in community nutrition and public health, and consists of four graduate courses and 1,200+ supervised practice internship hours completed in healthcare organizations and other community-based settings. Interns complete the program with 25 graduate credits which may be applied toward the master’s degree (M.H.C.A., M.P.H., or M.S.). The university awards a certificate to the program’s graduates.

Admission Requirements

Applicants to Samford’s dietetic internship program must complete the online centralized internship application, DICAS. The fee to use DICAS is $40 for the first application submitted and $20 for each additional internship application. All applications become the property of the Dietetic Internship at Samford University and will not be returned. Digital Matching: Applicants must also register online at D&D Digital for computer matching and select dietetic internship priority choices. There is a $50 computer matching fee.

Additional requirements:

Possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
Possess an official Verification Statement of Completion or Declaration of Intent to Complete from an accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD), with original signatures issued within the last five years.
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.
1. GRE minimum scores: Verbal: 153; Quantitative: 144; Analytical: 4.0
2. MAT minimum score: 402
Have a minimum GPA of 3.20 on a 4.00 scale of all major courses.
Have a minimum GPA of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale in all science courses.
Submit a résumé.
Submit three letters of reference through the application system. Two references must be from a prior faculty member, academic advisor, or other professional who has supervised the applicant’s academic studies; the other professional reference may be from an employer or other who can provide a knowledgeable testament regarding character, ethics, responsibility, potential for success, and other attributes which predict an applicant’s favorable performance in an internship.
International applicants or American citizens who learned English as a second language must score at least 550 (paper), 213 (computer), or 80 (internet) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
Submit a Kira video interview. A link will be provided upon submission of the application.
Possess 150 hours or more dietetics-related and/or food service work experience, volunteer or paid.
Exceptions to any admission requirements will be handled on an individual basis.
If accepted, a non-refundable fee of $500 is required to secure admission into the program. This fee is applied to the first semester’s tuition.

To apply, go to https://portal.dicas.org.

Progression Policies

In order to progress in the post-baccalaureate certificate program in Dietetic Internship (DI), the intern must:
Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above on all coursework.
Make a grade of B or better in each required or prescribed course in the Dietetic Internship curriculum. Note: A grade of C or lower constitutes failure in any required or prescribed course in the Dietetic Internship curriculum.
An intern will be allowed to take a failed Dietetic Internship course one additional time but must make a B or above for a passing grade.
Failure in a course may cause an interruption in the intern’s matriculation in terms of scheduling courses.
An intern who fails (C or lower) two Dietetic Internship courses will be terminated from the department.
An intern may not enroll in any Dietetic Internship course more than twice.
An intern who fails to successfully complete a required Dietetic Internship course within one calendar year of academic probation notification will be dismissed from the program.
Interns must be aware that matters of plagiarism, unethical, unprofessional, or unsafe conduct may result in immediate dismissal from the Dietetic Internship program.

A minimum GPA of 3.00 is required to be awarded the Dietetic Internship Certificate. An intern must earn a B or higher in a Supervised Practice course (rotation) before moving onto the next course or rotation. Courses with grades lower than B may be retaken one time. When a course is retaken, both grades remain on the transcript and both are used in calculating the intern’s grade point average (GPA). Interns may not retake more than two courses during their DI program. Interns whose GPA falls below 3.00 will be placed on academic probation and will not be permitted to take more than nine credit hours during any semester they retake courses. Interns who remain on academic probation for more than two semesters and interns who receive a grade lower than B in two or more courses will be terminated from the DI program. Interns retain the right to appeal termination decisions via the grievance procedure outlined in the DI intern handbook.

Programs

Master

Certificate - Graduate

Dietetic Internship Certificate

Courses

Nutrition & Dietetics