The Dietitian Nutritionist Program, housed within the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition, is a graduate degree program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) as a Future Education Model Graduate Degree Program (FEM). The program is a competency-based educational program that integrates experiential learning with didactic coursework to enable students to demonstrate the higher level of competence that will be needed for future practice as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.
Students entering as a junior or with a baccalaureate degree that is not from a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) will complete 93-95 credits during this three-year program.
Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) graduates will complete Year 2 & Year 3 of the program fulfilling a 60-credit course of study.
Curriculum themes cover a variety of topics including:
- Medical nutrition therapy
- Nutrition assessment and counseling
- Professional trends and issues
- Food service management
- Nutrition research
Curriculum
Students entering as a junior will complete 156 credits and students entering with a baccalaureate degree that is not from a Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) will complete 93-95 credits during this three-year program. Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) graduates will complete Year 2 & Year 3 of the program fulfilling a 60-credit course of study.
First Year
Fall Term
- NUTR 1000 - INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
- NUTR 1602 - NUTRITION ASSESSMENT
- NUTR 1620 - NUTRIENT METABOLISM
- NUTR 1622 - LIFE CYCLE NUTRITION
- REHSCI 1205 - HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY
- NUTR 1600 - INTRODUCTION TO DIETETICS (if not taken previously)
Spring Term
- NUTR 1605 - PRINCIPLES OF NUTRITION EDUCATION
- NUTR 1604 - FOOD SERVICE MANAGEMENT WITH LAB
- NUTR 1614 - NUTRITION CRITICAL THINKING OR
NUTR 1612- FOOD AND CULTURE (If not taken previously)
- NUTR 1610 - FOOD APPLICATION
- NUTR 1613 - FOOD APPLICATION LAB
- NUTR 1625 - NUTRITION THERAPY
- *Students must maintain a 3.0 minimum GPA to matriculate from Year 1 to Year 2 of the program.
Second Year
Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) graduates will enter the Dietitian Nutritionist Program here.
Fall Term
- HRS 2004 - PATHOPHYSIOLOGY ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN
- HRS 2623 - ADVANCED MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY 1
- HRS 2631 - NUTRITION FOCUSED PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
- HRS 2680 - EVIDENCE-BASED PROFESSIONALISM IN DIETETICS
- Elective, 3 credits - Advisor approved
Spring Term
- HRS 2612 - ADVANCED MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY 2
- HRS 2625 - COUNSELING METHODS
- HRS 2646 - INTRODUCTION TO FUNCTIONAL NUTRITION WITH LAB
- HRS 2655 - RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND APPLIED STATISTICS
- Elective, 3 credits - Advisor approved
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*Students must maintain a 3.0 minimum GPA to continue to Year 3 of the program.
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Undergraduate students will receive a BS in Nutrition Science after successful completion of the Year 2.
Third Year
Fall Term
- HRS 2658 - CAPSTONE PROJECT
- HRS 2675 - PRACTICUM IN DIETETICS 1
- HRS 2676 - EXPERIENTIAL PRACTICE 1
Spring Term
- HRS 2674 - CAPSTONE PROJECT
- HRS 2659 - PRACTICUM IN DIETETICS 2
- HRS 2672 - EXPERIENTIAL PRACTICE 2
- HRS 2652 - EXPERIENTIAL PRACTICE 3
As a professional program the schedule for each of the SEL courses and SEL does not adhere to the University Academic Calendar. The SEL courses are scheduled in the fall and spring terms of the DN Program. Information related to the program schedule can be found in the Dietitian Nutritionist Program handbook located here.
Students will receive a Master of Science degree at the completion of Year 3.
View Program Catalog and Course Descriptions
*Plan of study may vary following acceptance into Limited Capacity Specialty Rotations.
*Each course is offered only once during the academic year, therefore, any departure from completing a course in its planned sequence (for example: failure, for any reason, to satisfactorily complete a required course; an unresolved "G" or "Incomplete" grade) will result in a one year delay in completing the course, the remaining program requirements, and the year of graduation.
Distance Education
The DN Program coursework is a blend of in-person, hybrid, and online courses and cannot be completed entirely online. The program uses less than 50% distance education in the program. The program utilizes an online social annotation platform to increase student engagement and foster community. This facilitates students collaborative work outside the classroom and affords the instructor more opportunities to engage the students. Instructors utilize software applications that allow students to schedule virtual office hours at convenient times.
University of Pittsburgh uses Multifactor authentication, provided by Duo Security, to verify a user’s identity at log-in. When they log in to a service using something the student only knows such as a password and something only the student has (such as your mobile phone, on which the student will receive a login confirmation notice). Student identification using multifactor authentication is used to access their my.pitt.edu account and Canvas that is necessary to join online classes, submit assignments and complete tests.
The Dietitian Nutritionist Program is accredited by the commission of Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) the accrediting agency for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL, 60606-6995, 312/899-5400. https://www.eatrightpro.org/acend