Mar 29, 2024  
2021-2022 Graduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Graduate Catalog ARCHIVED CATALOG: CONTENT MAY NOT BE CURRENT. USE THE DROP DOWN ABOVE TO ACCESS THE CURRENT CATALOG.

Master of Science - Nutrition Sciences


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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 requirement in order to sit for the National Registration Examination for Dietitians. This degree alone will not qualify an individual to sit for this exam- students still need to successfully complete an ACEND-accredited Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics and an ACEND-accredited Dietetic Internship Program.

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.

  1. 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
  2. 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:
    • Official GRE scores taken within 5 years prior to the application.
    • 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.
    • Three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic record and potential for graduate study.
  3. An applicant who is a non-native English speaker must provide proof of English language proficiency by fulfilling the requirements displayed at the UNLV english proficiency webpage.
  4. 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; KIN 223/L/ 224/L; BIOL 251; 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
Subplan 2: Thesis

Subplan 1 Requirements: Non-Thesis


Total Credits Required: 33

Course Requirements


Core - Credits: 12


Complete 9 credits by completing NUTR 705, NUTR 754, KIN 745, and also complete 3 additional credits by completing either NUTR 607 or KIN 754.

Degree Requirements


  1. Completion of a minimum of 33 credits with a minimum GPA of 3.00.
  2. In consultation with their 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 as well as apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing their 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


Total Credits Required: 33

Course Requirements


Degree Requirements


  1. Completion of a minimum of 33 credits with a minimum GPA of 3.00.
  2. In consultation with their 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 as well as apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing their degree requirements.
  2. The student must submit and successfully defend their 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: Non-Thesis
Subplan 2: Thesis

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