New York University The Steinhardt School of Education Department of Nutrition & Food Studies HOW TO: CHOOSE A PROGRAM IN FOOD & NUTRITION (p. 1-4) BECOME A REGISTERED DIETITIAN (p. 5-6) CHOOSE AN RD/MASTER S DEGREE OPTION (p. 7) HOW TO CHOOSE A MASTER S PROGRAM IN FOOD & NUTRITION The Department offers master s programs in several fields of food and nutrition. These include: Nutrition & Dietetics:, MS Nutrition & Dietetics: Foods & Nutrition (HOND-FNU), MS Public Health Nutrition (HOPH), MPH Food Studies & Food Management: Food Studies (HOFD-FDS), MA Food Studies & Food Management: Food Management (HOFD-MGT), MA All master s programs include training in food and nutrition, but differ in emphasis on nutrition science, applied nutrition, community nutrition, food arts and sciences, and food management. Clinical Nutrition provides the most basic and applied nutrition science. Food Management provides the strongest business orientation. The programs require varying numbers of undergraduate prerequisite courses (depending on background and experience) and 40-46 credits of graduate coursework. Students who already hold certain types of advanced professional credentials may be eligible for 34-credit options (see below). The Department also offers two Dietetic Internships: The NYU Dietetic Internship The Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center Dietetic Internship/NYU Master s Program For each of the bulleted programs, the Department issues a handout that describes goals, admission requirements, prerequisites, curriculum, and career options. Request the handout of interest from the Department staff or view the same material on the department s website (www.nyu.edu/education/nutrition or www.nyu.edu/education/foodstudies). This guide is designed to help you choose the appropriate program for your interests. It is organized according to the type of degree or credential you hold now: Section A is for students who hold a bachelor s degree (but no other) Section B is for students who already hold an RD credential or are RD-eligible Section C is for students who already hold a business, law, or master s degree in a field other than health Section D is for students who already hold other health professions credentials (MD, RN, DDS, Pharm D, etc) Section E is for students who hold certificates from professional cooking schools Section F is to help students who hold a bachelor s degree (but no other) to decide among nutrition program options
2 SECTION A. IF YOU HAVE A BACHELOR'S (BS OR BA) BUT NO OTHER DEGREE a,b Become a Registered Dietitian (RD) Take prerequisite courses to qualify for an RD Meet requirements for Dietetic Internships Become an RD without getting a master s degree Become an RD and get an MS Become an RD and get an MPH Become an RD and get an MA Complete a Dietetic Internship, with or without getting a master s degree Complete a more intensive clinical internship jointly with an MS Obtain an MS without becoming an RD Obtain an MPH without becoming an RD Obtain an MA in Food Studies without an RD Obtain an MA in Food Management without an RD Public Health Nutrition (HOPH), RD/MPH Option Food Studies & Food Management (HOFD), RD/MA Option The NYU Dietetic Internship Bronx VAMC Dietetic Internship/ NYU Master s Program (HOND-CNU) Foods & Nutrition* (HOND-FNU) Public Health Nutrition (HOPH) Food Studies (HOFD-FDS) Food Management (HOFD-MGT) NOTES a For more information about the differences between and Foods & Nutrition (HOND-FNU), see Section F. b Although enrollment in is the usual route to dietetic registration, RD/Master s degree options are also available in all of the department s master s degree programs. See page 7.
3 SECTION B. IF YOU ALREADY HAVE AN RD OR ARE RD-ELIGIBLE Obtain an MS and more advanced training in clinical dietetics Obtain an MS and more advanced academic training in nutrition science, education, or business Obtain an MPH and more advanced training in community or public health nutrition Obtain an MA in Food Management Obtain an MA in Food Studies 34-credit 34-credit Foods & Nutrition (HOND-FNU) Public Health Nutrition (HOPH) Food Management (HOFD-MGT) Food Studies (HOFD-FDS) SECTION C. IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A BUSINESS, LAW, OR MASTER S DEGREE IN A NON-HEALTH FIELD Obtain an MA in Food Management Obtain an M.A. in Food Studies 34-credit Food Management (HOFD-MGT) 34-credit Food Studies (HOFD-MGT) SECTION D. IF YOU ALREADY HOLD A HEALTH PROFESSIONS CREDENTIAL (MD, RN, DDS, Etc) Obtain an MPH and more advanced training in community or public health nutrition Obtain an MS and more advanced academic training in nutrition science, education, or business Public Health Nutrition (HOPH) 34-credit Foods & Nutrition (HOND-FNU) SECTION E. IF YOU ALREADY HOLD A PROFESSIONAL COOKING CREDENTIAL Obtain an MA in food management Obtain an MA in food studies 34-credit Food Management (HOFD-MGT) 34-credit Food Studies (HOFD-FDS)
4 SECTION F. THE 40-CREDIT CLINICAL NUTRITION (HOND-CNU) v. FOODS AND NUTRITION (HOND-FNU) requires students to meet (or to have met) American Dietetic Association requirements for eligibility to take the Dietetic Registration examination along with training toward the master's degree. Foods and Nutrition (HOND-FNU) provides broad experience in foods and nutrition and leads to a master's degree, but does not qualify students for the RD credential. These programs require the same core sequence of nutrition science and research courses; they differ in prerequisite, specialization, and supervised professional practice requirements. These differences are outlined below. Note: Students who complete all undergraduate courses required for NYU s Graduate Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD the collection of prerequisite courses) are eligible to take graduate level courses in any of the department master s programs. They also may apply for and complete Dietetic Internships while matriculated in any of the department s master s programs. REQUIREMENT CLINICAL NUTRITION FOODS & NUTRITION Curriculum Code HOND-CNU HOND-FNU Leads to RD eligibility Yes No Requires BS or BA degree Yes Yes Requires completion of the DPD Yes No Requires undergraduate prerequisites Yes (met by DPD) Yes, but fewer Requires Dietetic Internship Yes No Requires field experience Optional Yes Thus, Clinical Nutrition differs from Foods & Nutrition in 3 important ways: (1) it requires more undergraduate prerequisites, (2) it calls for more clinically focused courses, and (3) it fulfills American Dietetic Association educational and clinical practice competencies for eligibility to become a Registered Dietitian.
5 HOW TO BECOME A REGISTERED DIETITIAN (RD) The American Dietetic Association (ADA) awards the Registered Dietitian (RD) credential to students who have successfully completed the following requirements: Bachelor s degree from an accredited institution (BS, BA) The Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) A Verification Statement of completion of the DPD A Dietetic Internship A Verification of completion of the Internship A passing score on the Dietetic Registration examination 1. Bachelor s degree This can be a BA or BS, but must come from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning. 2. Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) The DPD is the collective term for the set of undergraduate courses that meet educational competency standards established by the ADA. Students who take the BS degree at NYU fulfill those competencies as part of their undergraduate degree and obtain a DPD Verification from NYU. Students who matriculate into NYU master s programs without a DPD Verification may obtain one by taking at least 15 credits at NYU from the set of courses (prerequisites) that comprise the Graduate DPD. These DPD courses do not count toward the master s degree V25.0002 Introduction to Modern Chemistry (5) V25.0240 Principles of Organic Chemistry (5) E14.1035 Human Anatomy & Physiology (3) E33.0060 Diet Assessment & Planning (3) E33.0085 Introduction to Foods & Food Science (3) E33.0091 Food Management Theory (3) E33.0119 Nutrition and Health (3) E33.1023 Food Microbiology & Sanitation (3) E33.1052 Food Production & Management (3) E33.1064 Nutritional Biochemistry (3) E33.1184 Food Science & Technology (3) E33.1185 Clinical Nutrition Assessment & Intervention (3) E33.1209 Community Nutrition (3) E33.1269 Nutrition & the Life Cycle (3) This course counts toward the 40-credit master s degrees E33.2190 Research Methods (3) 3. Verification of DPD completion Obtain the Verification by filing an application during the last semester of DPD courses. 4. Dietetic Internship Students usually apply for Dietetic Internships during the last semester of completion of DPD courses. Application is competitive and takes place through a computer matching process in which students rank programs, and programs rank students (see the handout on the NYU Dietetic Internship). The department holds seminars every semester to explain the details of these processes; these are announced in classes, on bulletin boards, and through the department s e-mail list.
NYU participates in two Dietetic Internships: the NYU Dietetic Internship and the Bronx Veterans Affairs Dietetic Internship/NYU Master s Program. These programs differ as follows (see Handouts): NYU Internship Bronx VAMC Length 12 months 17 months Semesters 3 (or 2 + Summer) 3 plus Summer Credits required 19 34 MS awarded No (requires 21 more credits) Yes Stipend No Yes, $8,525 Number of positions ~ 40 per year 7 5. Verification of completion of internship This is obtained from the Internship director. At this point, students are considered RD-eligible. 6. RD Examination RD-eligible students may apply to ADA to take the Registration Examination. 6
7 HOW TO CHOOSE AN RD/MASTER S DEGREE OPTION At NYU all routes to dietetic registration require matriculation into a master s program (because the dietetic internships are post-baccalaureate). The sequence is: 1. Matriculate into a master s program usually 2. Complete the DPD prerequisites 3. Complete the Dietetic Internship 4. Complete the master s requirements Students are encouraged to consider other RD/master s degree options, as compared below (see Handouts for details): Option Master s Program Number of Credits Required, post-rd RD/MS 21 RD/MS Foods & Nutrition (HOND-FNU) 21 RD/MPH Public Health Nutrition (HOPH) 29 RD/MA Food Studies (HOFD-FDS) 26 RD/MA Food Management (HOFD-MGT) 26