Accelerated BS/MS in Nutrition (DPD)

This pathway is for third year NFS majors who are interested in completing their degree and then continuing at Hunter to obtain a master’s degree and verification statement (students will be provisionally accepted into the program in their junior year but must maintain grade requirements to matriculate into the MS-DPD program).

This accelerated pathway provides the opportunity for undergraduate students to remain at Hunter for their graduate coursework providing students the opportunity for academic acceleration to a graduate degree.

Since the MS-Nutrition curriculum meets the didactic program in dietetics (DPD) requirements established by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE), the credentialing arm of the American Dietetic Association (ADA), it will qualify students from this BS/MS accelerated track to apply for Dietetic Internships and continue their professional preparation for the Registered Dietitian (RD) credential.

To become an RD, students must have:

Completed a minimum of a bachelor’s degree at a US regionally accredited university or college

Completed the DPD coursework (didactic program in dietetics) approved by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) of The American Dietetic Association (ADA).
Completed a CADE-accredited supervised practice program such as a dietetic internship (DI). The Hunter DI is described in the graduate catalog and online atwww.hunter.cuny.edu/schoolhp/nfs. For further information on the Hunter DI, contact Prof. Ann Gaba at agaba@hunter.cuny.edu.
Pass a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).

Career Opportunities for students graduating with this accelerated BS/MS:

Dietetics is an allied health profession which focuses on the food and nutrition intake of individuals and its relationship to health. Registered dietitians are trained in the sciences and are able to translate scientific findings and help people live healthy lives. Major areas of practice include clinical, community, management, and consultant dietetics. More than half of all dietitians and nutritionists are found to work in hospitals, nursing homes, and physician’s offices and clinics. More information about career opportunities may be found on the American Dietetic Association’s website at http://www.eatright.org

Academic Requirements for Entry into the MS-DPD in Junior Year

Upper-division undergraduates who have completed 96 credits (GER, electives, and prerequisite coursework for the NFS major may qualify for this pathway if they:

1. are enrolled in the Hunter NFS major

2. have upper-division status and have fulfilled the prerequisite coursework by the end of spring semester of the Junior year (see “Prerequisite”chart below)

3. provide an official transcript verifying an overall grade point average of at least 3.5 and at least 3.2 GPA in all required sciences with no grade less “C” for the Sciences and Statistics and no grade less than a “B” for the Introductory Nutrition and Food Science courses.

4. have received the consent of the DPD Director, and provide a declaration of intent from the DPD Director showing a plan to complete the DPD requirements and receive a BS/MS degree.

Prerequisite courses

Students take graduate courses after completing 96 credits

Students must have completed 96 credits before they can start taking graduate courses. An overall GPA (combined grade point average from all postsecondary institutions attended) of 3.5 (upon completion of 96 cr) is required for consideration. Because of the competitive nature of the applicant pool and the small size of the incoming class, the admission process may favor applicants with an overall GPA greater than 3.5.

Undergraduates admitted to the program take graduate courses during their senior year and will be able to complete the MS-DPD degree one year after they complete the requirements for the BS (NFS) degree. These students will be admitted directly into the MS-DPD program without having to take the GRE exam. Upon completion of the requirements for the MS degree, both the BS and MS degrees will be awarded. These students will pay undergraduate tuition rates up to the number of credits required to earn a baccalaureate degree (120 cr) and credits taken after that number toward the combined dual degree will be paid at the graduate level. Students interested in this accelerated program should speak to the adviser in the Nutrition track during their sophomore year to review the curriculum path for the five-year program.

Students who have been provisionally accepted into the MS-DPD program but who do not maintain the required GPA will not be admitted to the MS-DPD program but will be eligible to receive a BS (NFS) degree from Hunter provided that they fulfill all other academic requirements for their undergraduate degree.

Curriculum Requirements

The accelerated BS/MS is a 137-credit program

For a list of the graduate courses, consult hunter.acalogadmin.com/preview/preview_program.php