Dec 12, 2024  
2019-2020 Graduate Catalog 
    
2019-2020 Graduate Catalog ARCHIVED CATALOG: CONTENT MAY NOT BE CURRENT. USE THE DROP DOWN ABOVE TO ACCESS THE CURRENT CATALOG.

Master of Science - Nutrition Sciences


Plan Description


The mission of the Master of Science (M.S) – Nutrition Sciences program is to provide graduates with the skills and knowledge to be competent nutrition and dietetics professionals capable of providing excellent nutrition and dietetic services in numerous community, food service, management, and clinical settings.  The program will provide an evidence-based curriculum with a translation to clinical/professional practice.  This degree will satisfy the possession of a master’s degree in order to sit for the National Registration Examination for Dietitians.

For more information about your program including your graduate program handbook and learning outcomes please visit the Degrees Directory.

Plan Admission Requirements


Application deadlines

Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website.

Students are admitted in the fall and spring semesters.  Applicants for admission must have an undergraduate major in nutrition, or a closely related academic discipline.

Applicants must have a minimum overall undergraduate grade point average of 2.75 (A=4.0), or 3.00 (A=4.0) in the last two years. The Graduate Record Examination must be taken prior to applying. Successful applicants will generally have a 3.00 undergraduate grade point average and a combined score of 300 on verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE and higher than 3.5 on the analytical section

Applicants must apply online through the Grad Rebel Gateway system. In addition to all documents required by the Graduate College, applicants must upload the following information into the Grad Rebel Gateway system:

  1. Official GRE scores.
  2. A letter of intent that addresses: 1) Reason(s) for wishing to earn a M.S. in Nutrition Sciences; 2) motivation for attending this program at UNLV; 3) Summary of educational goals; 4) Summary of research activities and/or clinical interests; 5) Possible faculty mentors the applicant would be interested in working with.
  3. Three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic record and potential for graduate study.

An applicant who is a non-native English speaker must provide proof of English language proficiency. A non-native speaker is an individual whose primary language in the home was a language other than English (or a non- English language) or who received K-12 (or equivalent) education in schools where English was not the medium of instruction. Prospective students must take the TOEFL iBT (Internet) exam and earn a minimum score of 100 to be eligible for this program. No other exam will be accepted.

Undergraduate Prerequisites (UNLV courses or equivalent).  Preference given to students completing an ACEND accredited Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics (DPND).  This is the undergraduate program that provides all of the pre-requisite courses.

CHEM 108 or CHEM 121/122/241
BIOL 223/L/224/L BIOL 241
MATH 124
NUTR 301
NUTR 223
NUTR 370
NUTR 451

All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements.

Students are accepted into a degree program as described in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty and corresponding sub-disciplines and sub-plans within the described programs are subject to change at any time.

Plan Requirements


See Subplan Requirements below.

Subplan 1: Non-Thesis Track
Subplan 2: Thesis Track

Subplan 1 Requirements: Non-Thesis Track


Total Credits Required: 33

Course Requirements


Degree Requirements


  1. Completion of a minimum of 33 credit hours with a minimum GPA of 3.00.
  2. In consultation with his/her advisor, a student will organize an advisory committee of at least three departmental members. In addition, a fourth member from outside the department, known as the Graduate College Representative, must be appointed. An additional committee member may be added at the student and department’s discretion. Please see Graduate College policy for committee appointment guidelines.

Graduation Requirements


  1. The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
  2. The student must submit and successfully defend a professional paper and submit a Culminating Experience Results form to the Graduate College by the posted deadline.

Subplan 2 Requirements: Thesis Track


Total Credits Required: 33

Course Requirements


Degree Requirements


  1. Completion of a minimum of 33 credit hours with a minimum GPA of 3.00.
  2. In consultation with his/her advisor, a student will organize a committee of at least three departmental members. In addition, a fourth member from outside the department, known as the Graduate College Representative, must be appointed. An additional committee member may be added at the student and department’s discretion. Please see Graduate College policy for committee appointment guidelines.

Graduation Requirements


  1. The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
  2. The student must submit and successfully defend his/her thesis by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
  3. After the thesis defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their thesis to the Graduate College for format check. Once the thesis format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for thesis defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here

Plan Graduation Requirements


Refer to your subplan for Graduation Requirements.

Subplan 1: Thesis Track

Subplan 2: Non-Thesis Track