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Registered Dietitian (RD) Program: Prerequisites

Students with adequate undergraduate preparation in the sciences as well as introductory foods and nutrition may obtain the competencies required to sit for the registration examination by following either of the following options:

  • Taking the undergraduate courses they are lacking, i.e.: any or all of the following: NFS 330-331, 335, 341, 343, 402, 435, 442, 443.51, 444-445.
  • Matriculating for the MPH in PH NUTR and taking NUTR 710, 720, 733 and COMHE 700, 702 (15 graduate credits), which provides the same competencies as NFS 333, 342, 441, 443 (12 undergraduate credits); and taking PH 700 and 703 (6 credits), which provides the same competencies as NFS 402 (3 credits).

Graduate and undergraduate courses with equivalent competencies:

Graduate courses Undergraduate courses

NUTR 710: Public Health Nutrition

NUTR 733: Nutrition & Health through the Lifecycle

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NFS 441: Community Nutrition

NFS 342: Nutrition in Human Development

Students without an undergraduate degree in nutrition or without adequate undergraduate and/or graduate preparation in the sciences as well as introductory foods and nutrition

A. Must document competency in chemistry and biology as well as foods and nutrition in order a) to be eligible to take all NFS courses above the 100-level, and/or b) to apply for matriculation for the MPH in public health nutrition. There are several options for demonstrating the competency requirements.

1. Successfully completing the following undergraduate courses:

NFS 131 Introductory food science (1 semester)
NFS 141 Introductory nutrition (1 semester)
BIO 120, 122 Anatomy & physiology w/ lab (1-2 semesters)
BIO 230 Microbiology w/ lab (1 semester)

CHE 100, 101 General chemistry w/ lab (1 semester)
CHE 120, 121 Organic chemistry w/ lab (1 semester)
BIO 280 Nutritional biochemistry

2. Self-study and examination.

(a) One may complete the Hunter College requirements for NFS 131 and NFS 141 on a "self-study" basis. To complete the self-study, one must purchase the course text-book(s), study the material independently, and complete the "challenge exam" (ad-ministered in May, July, and December) with a grade of "80%" or above. A fee of $100.00 (payable by certified check or money order) is required for each challenge exam. Additional information about this option will soon be available at http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/health/nfs/nfs-mph.htm. Students are advised to check with an advisor before enrolling for any self-study foods or nutrition courses outside of Hunter College.

(b) Self-study and examination may also be available for chemistry and biology. Stu-dents are advised to inquire in the biology and chemistry departments, and to check with an advisor before taking an examination for any course that they intend to use to fulfill science requirements.

(c) For distance education courses that may be used to fulfill requirements, students are advised to consult http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/etext/000090.html, and to check with an advisor before enrolling for any course that is intended to fulfill require-ments. We are offering NFS 141 online during the fall 2002 semester. Contact Dr. Spark by e-mail aspark@hunter.cuny.edu for more information.

B. Students without adequate undergraduate preparation in the sciences and/or introductory foods and nutrition may matriculate for the MPH with a specialization in COMHE. They then take the undergraduate science and/or nutrition courses that are lacking at the same time as they take core MPH courses that are required for the MPH in both COME and PH NUTR. The following core MPH courses may be taken while fulfilling nutrition and science prerequisites:

PH 700 Biostatistics
PH 701 Principles of Health Care Administration
PH 702 Environmental Health & Safety
PH 703 Principles of Epidemiology
PH 710 Urban Health Promotion
PH 740 Public Health & Public Policy in the Urban Setting
COMHE 700 Principles of Community Health Education
COMHE 702 Theory and Practice in Health Communication

When all requirements for entry into the MPH in Public Health Nutrition are met, the students are eligible to internally transfer into the nutrition degree program, and complete their DPD requirements with graduate as well as undergraduate coursework.

Additional courses required for the MPH in Public Health Nutrition (24 credits)

NUTR 710
NUTR 720
NUTR 730
NUTR 740
NUTR 737.1 or NUTR 700
NUTR 737.2 or NUTR 701
Elective or NUTR 702
Elective or NUTR 703

The underlined courses constitute the 12 credits of the dietetic internship.

Academic standards
Second degree students must meet the same standards as undergraduate NFS majors and graduate students pursuing the MPH degree. Students must attain a grade of grade of B or better in every 100-level NFS course, a grade of C or better in every 300- and 400-level NFS course and every course taken in the Biology and Chemistry Departments, and a grade of B or better in every 700-level MPH course.

 

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