Curriculum

The UTMB Combined Master of Science Degree with Dietetic Internship (MS/DI) gives students a minimum of 1,280 hours of supervised practice experience in clinical, community, research, and food service management settings. Students enroll in hybrid didactic as well as dietetic internship supervised practice courses all four semesters of the program. The hybrid didactic courses meet in-person on Mondays with supplemental online instruction/learning while supervised practice is undertaken Tuesday through Friday.

The degree plan for the program is displayed below. All 5000 level courses are dietetic internship supervised practice rotations and are assessed pass/fail. These are repeatable, variable credit courses and a total of twenty 5000 level credits are required to meet the requirements for program completion. All 6000 level courses are hybrid (classes are a mix of in-person and online instruction) and are assessed with letter grades, i.e., A, B, C, and F. Students must successfully complete all twenty-four 6000 level credits with a grade of C or better for program completion and maintain an overall 3.0 GPA throughout the entirety of the program.

All students will be required to have access to a desktop computer or laptop to be able to successfully participate in and complete the program. Computer requirements for the program can be located on the Student Affairs New Student webpage.

Please see our student handbook for additional details pertaining to our program mission, vision, goals/objectives, program calendar, policies/procedures, graduation requirements, financial aid, assessment of prior learning, and state licensure.

Degree Plan

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Supervised Practice Courses will be taken simultaneously with core courses, per the direction of the Program Director. Credits hour per course varies from 1-6 Credits hours. Students must complete a total of 20 Credits hours.

Total Credits From Supervised Practice: 20 Credits

Total Degree Plan Credits: 44 Credits

Supervised Practice Rotations

Our collaborating healthcare facilities, school districts, research labs, business entities, and other affiliated agencies offering supervised practice experiences in clinical nutrition, food service operations management, community nutrition, research, and unique specialties are located primarily in the Galveston/Houston metropolitan area.

Our UTMB Galveston campus is the site for program orientation, MS degree coursework (6000 level courses), final evaluations, commencement/graduation, and multiple supervised practice rotations (5000 level courses). Supervised practice sites are determined exclusively by the program director and are based on criteria outlined in the student handbook. The availability of all supervised practice site locations is subject to change, often due to factors beyond the control of the UTMB MS/DI program. A reliable vehicle and the ability to travel to and from supervised practice sites per preceptor/site requirements is mandatory to successfully complete the internship.

The UTMB School of Health Professions maintains affiliation agreements with over 200 rotation sites, and the MS/DI program most frequently assigns students to the sites below.

Graduation Requirements

To successfully complete the UTMB combined MS/DI Program, the following must be achieved:

1. Attendance and active participation during orientation and final evaluation week of the internship.
2. Completion of all coursework and rotations within 24 months of matriculation.
   • Earn a grade of "C" or better in all didactic (6000 level) courses and maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.0.
   • Participate in internship presentations and other culminating experiences.
   • Complete a minimum of 1,280 supervised practice hours
     • Acceptable preceptor evaluation rating and project performance to earn a passing grade for all 5000 level courses.
     • Completion and submission of evaluation forms, assignments, and case studies as required for each rotation.

An official Verification of Completion enabling the graduate to establish eligibility to take the Registration Examination for Dietitians will be provided by the program director after all requirements for program completion have been verified.

View information on dietetic registration, certification, and state licensure.

Additonal content can be found on our homepage.

Graduate Degree Requirement for 2024

Effective January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) will require a minimum of a graduate degree to be eligible to take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN). In order to be approved for registration examination eligibility with a bachelor's degree, an individual must meet all eligibility requirements and be submitted into CDR's Registration Eligibility Processing System (REPS) by December 31, 2023 before 12:00 Midnight (CST).

For more information about this requirement, please visit the Commission on Dietetic Registration website.

For more information about educational pathways to become a RDN, please visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website.