Curriculum
The M.S. concentration in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics is a full-time program that can be completed in three semesters (one year) by students completing graduate coursework while enrolled in the B.S. concentration in Nutrition-Dietetics. For external applicants who are admitted, the standard program length is two years beginning with the fall term. The M.S. requires a minimum of 34 credit hours of combined classroom and practice-based coursework in clinical, community, and healthcare foodservice settings. See the Guide to ACEND-accredited nutrition and dietetics programs at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for full details.
Program prerequisites and corequisites:
- Program prerequisites: Introductory nutrition, general chemistry I and II, organic chemistry, human physiology, biochemistry, micronutrient and macronutrient metabolism, life span nutrition, psychology, course content in kinesiology/physical activity, statistics, medical terminology, public health.
- Coursework (or equivalent) that must be completed either prior to or concurrent with the program: NUTR 315, 316, 403, 410, 412, 415, 416, 420, 422, HTM 210, 445, culinary or food science course, microbiology. External applicants who are completing or who have completed an ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) will likely have met most of these requirements and should work with the program director to complete a prior learning assessment and determine which additional coursework, if any, may still be required.
Summer | Fall | Spring | |
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Year 1 | * Clinical Nutrition I * Clinical Nutrition I Practicum * Food & Nutrition in the Community * Foodservice Operations Management * Foodservice Management Practicum * Nutrition Education & Counseling * Professional Issues in Nutrition & Dietetics Credit hours: 15 (up to 5 of graduate credit) | * Clinical Nutrition II * Clinical Nutrition II Practicum * Nutrition & Dietetics Management * Nutrition Research Design & Methods II * Restaurant & Catering Management and Execution Credit hours: 13 (up to 5 hours of graduate credit) | |
Year 2 | * Clinical Practice Experience * Community Nutrition Practicum Credit hours: 7 | * Community Nutrition Assessment * Advanced Community Nutrition Practicum * Clinical Nutrition III * Clinical Nutrition III Practicum * How to Feed the World Credit hours: 11 | * Community Nutrition Intervention & Evaluation * Advanced Community Practicum * Data Analysis & Interpretation of Nutrition Outcomes * Advanced Clinical Practice & Mentorship * Healthcare Foodservice Management Credit hours: 12 |
Students must be on site in Knoxville for these programs – most classes are scheduled live and in person. A limited number of required and elective courses are offered online. Students do need access to a laptop, but required platforms, i.e. Zoom, are readily accessible through the university. Supervised experiential learning sites and preceptors are arranged through the program director. Equivalent didactic coursework will be considered to meet course requirements on a case-by-case basis. Supervised experiential learning from outside the planned curriculum is not considered for credit.
In order to successfully complete program requirements, graduate from the program, and receive a verification statement, students must:
- Successfully complete required graduate coursework with a 3.0 GPA or better
- Meet all ACEND competencies
- Complete a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised experiential learning
- Meet applicable Graduate School deadlines for Admission to Candidacy and Graduation