Fully Online or In-person M.S. Degree EBP Pathway
Enhance your education and career with the Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Project Pathway (Plan B) which can be completed in-person, or at your own pace through the fully online option.
The skills and knowledge gained from this program will prepare you for careers in a variety of settings including healthcare, private practice, community organizations, education, government, industry, nonprofit and more. You will explore evidence-based strategies to improve the health of individuals and the communities where they live and will gain knowledge and experience to support and grow your career and reach in the field of nutrition.
Fast Facts
30
Credit Hours
0
GRE Requirements
12
Months
Program Courses
You will take core classes in nutrition and food systems, chronic disease management, advanced community program development, and global food diet and culture. Our online M.S. program also allows flexibility in taking elective courses offered through our department and/or from other related disciplines. In DHN, we offer graduate elective coursework in obesity, food-related behaviors, culinary medicine and more. Our students also take elective courses from departments such as kinesiology and health promotion, communications, public health, sociology and sustainable agriculture. Make your graduate degree unique to your interests and professional goals.
During the course of their online M.S. degree, students will complete an evidence-based practice (EBP) project that has been developed based on their professional or personal interests. The EBP project experience provides students with the research skills they need to deliver services using the highest levels of evidence-based practice. This project will take into consideration the scientific evidence, the expertise of the health professionals and the needs of the stakeholders.
Core Courses (15 credit hours total)
DHN 580: Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice in Dietetics (3CH)
This course focuses on the fundamentals used in evidence-based practice for nutrition research in multiple settings. Students explore research opportunities while developing critical thinking skills through readings, writings, and discussion. Course topics include ethics, study design, developing a problem statement, qualitative/quantitative methods, populations, intervention(s), comparison, and outcomes.
DHN 605: Food Systems and Society (3CH)
Tracks food from farm to table, including growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing, consumption and disposal. The course assesses sustainability of food systems and explores the ethical, economical, socio-ecological and environmental factors that affect local, regional, national, and global food system development.
DHN 607: Food Related Behaviors (3CH)
This team-taught course will provide background in topics and methods in food related behaviors to students. The course will follow a problem-based learning approach and will consist of 3 out of 4 modules in any given year. The four modules will be Social and Cultural Perspectives on Food, Psychological Perspectives on Food and Food Behaviors, Challenges to Community Food Security, and International Issues in Nutrition.
DHN 608: Chronic Disease Management and Process (3CH)
Focuses on the etiology and pathophysiology of nutrition-related chronic diseases and conditions, including obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. The course emphasizes the biochemical and physiological mechanisms involved by which nutrients impact the prevention, nutrition care process-diagnosis, assessment, implementation of care, monitoring and evaluation, and progression of chronic diseases & conditions.
Support Elective Credit Hours (12 credit hours)
500+ level free electives (9 credit hours)
600+ level free electives (3 credit hours)
Additional Requirements (3 credit hours)
DHN 782: Special Problems in Nutrition & Food Systems (3CH)
This course allows students to explore areas of interest related to nutrition and food systems. This may include translating scholarly research into educational programming, application of evidence-based practices, conducting applied research, and/or engaging in communications such as publication or conference presentations.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the online M.S. in Nutrition and Food Systems program is selective and competitive.
- Applicants with baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), public health, agriculture, social sciences and other fields are encouraged to apply. Degrees must be from a fully accredited U.S. institution of higher learning or from a recognized foreign institution. See Graduate School admissions for specifics.
- Have an overall grade point average of at least 2.75 on undergraduate work and 3.00 on all graduate work, if applicable.
- The GRE is not required to apply.
- International applicants whose native language is not English must submit either a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score. See Graduate School admissions for specifics.
- Visit The Graduate School to start the application process, and enter program code NFSY for the Master of Science in Nutrition and Food.
- Upload copies of transcripts from all higher education institutions attended and self report cumulative GPA. If you are offered admission and decide to enroll, you will be required to submit official transcripts to UK Graduate School.
- Pay the online application fee: $65 for domestic applicants and $75 for international applicants.
- For applicants whose native language is not English, self-report English language test scores from one of the following testing services on the application when prompted.
- Send Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores directly to us from ETS, using UK Graduate School’s institution code R1837.
- Send International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) scores directly to us from IELTS, specifying the University of Kentucky Graduate School, Lexington, KY, as the recipient institution.
- Submit a professional writing sample. This can be a paper you have written for a previous class or for publication.
- Include three letters of recommendation.
- Upload your curriculum vitae (CV) or resume.
- Draft and submit a statement of purpose. This document should be one or two pages and can include your background, your preparation and your purpose for going to graduate school, your career goals, and your research and teaching experience.
Learn More and Apply
Effective January 1, 2024, the minimum degree requirement to be approved for eligibility for the registration examination for dietitians changed from a bachelor's degree to a graduate degree. This decision was made by the Commission on Dietetic Registration based on the recommendations of the Council on Future Practice Visioning Report (2012).
Distance Learning Authorization
Where you live matters when completing distance education activities. If you will live outside of Kentucky while completing your program, please check the Distance Learning Authorization & Licensure page to confirm that the program can be offered in your state or country.
See Program Details
Learn more about the program and current requirements.
Learn More about the ProgramOnline Graduate Certificate
In collaboration with the College of Medicine and College of Health Sciences, we offer a Graduate Certificate in Applied Nutrition and Culinary Medicine. This 100% online, 12-credit program explores nutritional approaches to various disease states and practical culinary strategies to bridge dietary recommendations with application. Elective courses allow students to tailor their graduate certificate to the needs of their practice or discipline, while also presenting the latest research concerning drug and nutrient interactions, approaches to community program development, and the physiologic basis for (or against) various dietary supplements. You can use elective hours to fulfill the 12 credit hours required for the certificate.
Applied Nutrition & Culinary Medicine
Discover evidence-based strategies to address your patients' and clients' specific nutrition needs as well as their toughest questions. Connect with nutrition educators at UK to learn about nutritional approaches and practical culinary strategies to promote health. This graduate certificate is designed for all health professionals.
Learn More about the CertificateConnect With Us
Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition
204 Funkhouser Building
Lexington, KY 40506
859-257-3800
dhn@uky.edu
