The Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the District of Columbia proposes to establish a new Graduate Program in Nutrition/Dietetics. The Program in Nutrition/Dietetics is intended for individuals interested in careers as public policy advocacy, community education; policy analysis, public policy evaluators and lobbyists, researchers; and managers of health service delivery organizations and systems, managed-care programs, and other population-based organizations. In congruence with the motto of the University of the District of Columbia “A NEW DAY AND A NEW OPPORTUNITY" the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, which currently houses the ten year accredited DPD Program has designed an innovative educational Graduate Program. The program also provides opportunities for students of diverse educational backgrounds locally, nationally and internationally to enter the graduate program to meet academic requirements for RD credentialing eligibility.

Goals: The program’s specific goals are:

The Graduate Program in Nutrition/Dietetics (GPND) at the University of the District of Columbia will be a new and innovative, dynamic Master of Science program that will broaden the scope of learning and teaching in the discipline of nutrition. The program will provide a strong foundation in science and research, technology and information systems, and the scientific knowledge of nutrition with emphasis on public policy and communication. The program will focus on training health professionals to serve the health and nutritional needs of urban and international populations and to be leaders in effecting needed regulations and laws to reduce health disparities. In keeping with the university’s open admission policy, all qualified applicants majoring in nutrition, related fields, and other disciplines who are desirous of participating in the program will be admitted.

General Admission requirements to UDC can be accessed on www.udc.edu.
Any student interested in the graduate Program in Dietetics should apply. Application information is available on our web page: www.udc.edu/nutrition.

Applications are considered on the basis of qualification of each applicant without regard to race, color, creed, sex or national origin.

Students seeking admission to the Graduate program have to fulfill the general Admission policies of the University. Any student locally or nationally, interested in the graduate Program is eligible to apply and will have to submit the following:

The Graduate Program will not admit any students that are unprepared for the graduate program. Students completing the accredited DPD Program will be eligible to apply for graduate program. Students holding degrees in majors other than nutrition are expected to complete the DPD knowledge requirements prior to applying to the Graduate Program. All applications to the Graduate Program will undergo a two-phase review process. Phase 1: Evaluation by the Graduate Selection Committee and Phase 2: Personal Interview. The model for the new program is attached at the end for information.

The two-year curriculum described below outlines the conceptual information that will deem necessary for a successful career in Nutrition and Dietetics. Students selected for the program work with leading experts in all areas of public health as they apply their education to real life scenarios. The program is designed to provide an opportunity for students of Nutrition and Dietetics to gain exposure to state-of-the-art public health information while furthering their knowledge and skills. The curriculum will be thoroughly reviewed annually to update the program. The curriculum outlined below is designed to be a multi-disciplinary course work taught mostly by the graduate faculty of the University of the District of Columbia.

The New Graduate Program will require 32 credit hours. The entire first year offers course work and the second year will comprise of course work, research and thesis submission.