Graduate Certificate
The Dietetic Internship Graduate Certificate program prepares graduates for a career as registered dietitians. A bachelor's degree from a didactic program in dietetics (DPD) accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics is required for admission. Graduates are eligible to apply for approval by the Commission on Dietetic Registration to take the national Registration Examination for Dietitians.
Master of Science
The Master of Science in Dietetics and Nutrition program is designed for professionals in nutrition and other careers with a science background, this degree offers many benefits, including expanded job opportunities and increased knowledge in the science of nutrition.
Prerequisites: A bachelor’s degree is required for admission. The degree may be in any field but must have included prerequisite courses in biochemistry, physiology and nutrition. Degrees earned outside the United States must be evaluated for equivalency. This program begins three times each year, once each in fall, spring and summer semesters.
Program Details: Students may enroll full-time or part-time and many classes are available online.
Outcomes: A master's degree in dietetics and nutrition expands employment opportunities in governmental agencies and in research. The degree can also be a step toward applying for medical school and enhance medical practice or a step toward a doctoral program.
Online Master’s Degree
An online master's degree through the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance is available to registered dietitians. Learn more
Prerequisites: Admittance to the 36-credit hour master's degree in dietetics and nutrition is limited to only credentialed registered dietitians (RD) or registry-eligible individuals having met all requirements of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for registration.
Program Details: Students enroll for all courses through his or her home institution such as KU Medical Center, but the actual courses are delivered online from any of the participating universities and their respective faculty members.
Taking two courses each semester (including summers) should allow students to complete the program in approximately two years. More courses may be taken each semester provided they are available at the institution at that time. See the current schedule of course offerings using the course planner on the Great Plains IDEA website.
Outcomes: A master's degree in dietetics and nutrition expands employment opportunities in governmental agencies and in research. The degree can also be a step toward applying for medical school and enhance medical practice or a step toward a doctoral program.
Graduate Certificate
The Dietetics and Integrative Medicine Graduate Certificate program is an opportunity for working professionals or graduate students to acquire the knowledge to function as skilled advisors to patients and as collaborative members of multidisciplinary health care teams. Qualified applicants must currently be a registered dietitian or other health care professional and/or currently enrolled in a health professions major at the graduate level.
Online Master’s Degree
An online master's degree through the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance is available to registered dietitians. Learn more
Prerequisites: Admittance to the 36-credit hour master's degree in dietetics and nutrition is limited to only credentialed registered dietitians (RD) or registry-eligible individuals having met all requirements of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for registration.
Program Details: Students enroll for all courses through his or her home institution such as KU Medical Center, but the actual courses are delivered online from any of the participating universities and their respective faculty members.
Taking two courses each semester (including summers) should allow students to complete the program in approximately two years. More courses may be taken each semester provided they are available at the institution at that time. See the current schedule of course offerings using the course planner on the Great Plains IDEA website.
Outcomes: A master's degree in dietetics and nutrition expands employment opportunities in governmental agencies and in research. The degree can also be a step toward applying for medical school and enhance medical practice or a step toward a doctoral program.
Doctor of Clinical Nutrition
The doctorate in clinical nutrition at the University of Kansas is designed for students currently working in the field of nutrition and dietetics with a registered dietitian credential. This unique program will provide professionals advanced knowledge of clinical nutrition necessary for today's complex, interdisciplinary health care environment.
Prerequisites: Applicants are required to possess current professional RDN licensure and have completed a master's degree.
Program Format: Courses in this program are offered fully online. Only a single visit to campus for orientation is required.
Outcomes: Students in the program will enhance their abilities in the areas of communication, medical nutrition therapy, management and leadership, as well as expand their interprofessional and research experience, preparing them for leadership roles in clinical nutrition or higher education settings through cutting-edge course work and completion of outcomes-based research projects. Additional benefits include higher earning potential and opportunities for current and future advanced employment positions.
Students with degrees in nutrition or biological sciences have the opportunity for clinical and translational research at a world-class academic health center renowned for its research facilities. This program emphasizes training in the core sciences of nutrition, biochemistry, biostatistics and the most advanced research methodology.
Prerequisites: The course work required before enrolling in this program depends upon whether the student is accepted to the medical nutrition science doctoral program after obtaining an undergraduate or after a graduate degree. Additionally, it depends on the area of study of the degree (nutrition, biological sciences or other areas of study).
Program Details: The doctoral program in medical nutrition science targets students with degrees in nutrition or biological sciences. Students may enroll with a bachelor's degree or master's degree. This program emphasizes training in the core sciences of nutrition, biochemistry, biostatistics and the most advanced research methodology.
Program Format: Students may enter this program during the fall or spring semester.
Outcomes: To graduate students capable of conducting research using appropriate research methods, ethical procedures and statistical analysis with advanced knowledge in the nutritional sciences and who contribute to the growing body of knowledge in the medical nutrition science arena.
"Get the most hands-on experience that you can and don’t be afraid to jump outside your comfort zone! Your dietetic internship and master's degree are the best places to receive feedback that is crucial to becoming the best dietitian you can be....It is very important to soak up every bit of knowledge that you can and hold on to it. Because in the end, your GPA or a test score does not define how you help patients, it's your knowledge and critical thinking."- Josie Diekemper, Dietetic Internship '17, MS '18
Accreditation
The University of Kansas Dietetic Internship graduate certificate program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, 800-877-1600, ext. 5400; ACEND@eatright.org. The program outcomes data are available upon request to prospective students and the public. Documents relating to accreditation may be obtained from the department office.